I pass the Holocaust exhibit at Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, NJ, each day when I go to my yoga class. It’s a constant reminder of the atrocities that Jewish people endured during World War II. I shudder every time I look at the pictures on display.
Feelings about these times were stirred deep down as I watched Woman in Gold this weekend. The film is based on the true story of a Jewish woman’s journey to reclaim her family’s artworks that were seized by the Nazi’s. She aims to seek justice for what happened to her family more than 60 years ago after being forced to flee her home in Vienna.
Anchor Bay Entertainment provided me with a copy of the Blu-ray and a $100 gift card to help me mark my own moments in history. In addition, they are providing the same sample and prize package to one of my readers – so after you read my review, I hope you will enter the giveaway below. It’s a movie worth watching.
A Stellar Cast
Academy award winner Helen Mirren plays the lead as Maria Altmann, an elderly Jewish woman, who hires Randy Schoenberg, a young lawyer (played by Ryan Reynolds), to help her gain back her family possessions, the most famous among them Gustav Klimt’s painting of Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, also know as “Woman in Gold.” We learn through flashbacks and storytelling that Adele is Maria’s aunt and how close she and her sister were to her aunt while growing up.
Maria and Randy embark upon a major multi-year battle which takes them to Vienna –back to many difficult memories that Maria must face, including her deep sadness about leaving her parents during the Nazi occupation, while she and her husband escaped to the United States. The case hits the Austrian establishment at its heart and goes all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
“People see a masterpiece. I see my aunt, a woman who used to talk to me about life,” says Maria. “We should be reunited with what is rightfully ours.” That’s all I’ll reveal, you’ll have to watch the movie to learn more about this historic lawsuit.
An Interview With Helen Mirren
I admire Helen Mirren not only for the strong females she plays in movies and on stage, but also for her powerful personality in real life. In April, I had the opportunity to see Helen, who at 69 looks absolutely amazing and ever stylish, be interviewed at the Women In The World Summit in New York City. (Read my post about the Summit.) She highlighted how aging has impacted her life. “One of the pleasures of getting older is you see changes,” said Helen. “When my mom was growing up it was inconceivable that women could read the news.”
Helen shared that she waited until she was 50 to get married and said, “The most important thing to teach our daughters is to gain financial independence. It’s been a driving force in my life.” About women in the media, Helen commanded, “We’re half the human race. Change roles for women in life and you will change roles for women in drama.” (Go Helen! Go Helen!)
Go See The Real “Woman in Gold” Masterpiece
I just read in the New York Times that Neue Galerie at 1048 Fifth Avenue, at 86th Street, neuegarlerie.org, has the real Gustav Klimt masterpiece of “Adele Bloch-Bauer: Woman in Gold” on display through September 7th. According to the Times, “this small show features the portrait along with eight other Klimts and an assortment of jewelry and decorative objects typifying the luxurious lifestyle of Adele and Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, the collectors who commissioned it. Ronald S. Lauder (from the Estee Lauder cosmetic family) purchased the painting in 2006 for $135 million.
Enter the BIG Giveaway For A Copy Of Woman in Gold and $100 Gift Card
Enter to win the Woman in Gold Blu-ray and a $100 Visa Gift Card to mark your moments in history. Share a comment below about your favorite Helen Mirren movie or share your favorite movie about a moment in history.
Prize pack value totals $134.99 and is open to US mailing addresses only. Prizing is provided by Anchor Bay Entertainment-ray™ and DVD special features include “The Making of Woman in Gold,” “feature commentary with Director Simon Curtis and Producer David M. Thompson” and “Stealing Klimt Documentary Trailer,” with an additional piece “Neue Galerie New York Press Conference” available on the Blu-ray™ and Digital Download. Enter via Rafflecopter below.
Good luck with the giveaway!
Judi
II loved Helen Mirren years ago in the Prime Suspect series on PBS and more recently in The Queen.
Cathy, I’ll have to look up Prime Suspect. I never saw that series.
I love Helen Mirren’s character in the RED movies.
Emily, yes RED movies are really good.
My favorite is “The Queen”.
HS, “The Queen” is one of my favorites too. Wish I had seen her on Broadway as the Queen too.
My favorite movie of hers is Caligula.
I never saw Caligula. Will have to check it out.
I love biopics, but my favorite is “Selena” starring Jennifer Lopez. I guess you can say it’s a movie about a moment in history because, although the movie focuses on Selena’s life, her death impacted the Latino community so much that she’s still talked about and remembered today. She was the first Latina to have an album debut at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart (ironically, the only other Latina to have an album debut at #1 is Jennifer Lopez) . So although “Selena” doesn’t focus on a specific moment, it’s a celebration of the moments that made Selena so special to Latinos across the United States and around the world.
I also like James Cameron’s “Titanic” which is more focused on that moment in time, but it has fictional events mixed in with the facts to make it more dramatic.
Thank you for the opportunity! 🙂
Juan, I saw “Selena” and really liked it too. So sad that her life had to end so early.
I adore Helen Mirren. She was great as ‘The Queen’ and as Det Supt. Jane Tennyson in ‘Prime Suspect’ on TV (I will never forget her in that); but my favorite of her FILMS is ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’.
Margot, I too loved “The Hundred Foot Journey” – one of my recent favorites!
I really liked Helen Mirren in the 100 Foot Journey. She was good in this movie, but then again she is always good in all her movies. And another movie I really like her in is Red and Red 2. She is so good at playing a bad girl.
Julie, I agree. Helen Mirren is such a great actress that she can play a variety of roles.
My favorite was Excalibur
Lisa, haven’t seen that one.
My favorite Helen Mirren film was Red and Red 2
Another RED fan!
I like her in movie Red. Thank you for the giveaway!
Go for RED!
I like the motorcycle diaries.
I don’t remember that movie. Will have to check it out.
I like The Queen.
Another The Queen fan!
One of my favorites was Arthur with Jennifer Gardner and Helen Mirren. She’s such a great actress.
Janet, I don’t remember “Arthur.” Will have to look it up.
I liked the movie very much. Have you seen the painting at the Neue Gallerie? It’s definitely worth a visit
Allison, I haven’t seen the real painting but hope I can get there before the exhibit closes.
I loved the hundred foot journey with her!
One of my recent favorites too!
I really liked Gosford Park.
I liked Gosford Park too.
I like her in the two RED movies. Her character was great.
RED, RED, RED is a fav.
Queen Is My Favorite Helen Mirren Movie.
Another Queen.
the queen was an awesome movie
Julie, think The Queen is winning.
I like Helen Mirren in National Treasure 2: Book of Secrets. Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win.
Bernie, haven’t seen that Helen Mirren film.
“The Queen” was a great movie. I just watched the Imitation Game recently and that was a great movie about a historical event.
Yes Jennifer, I liked The Imitation Game too.
I liked the movie National Treasure. Both my son and I were able to learn historical things.
Sounds like a good movie. Glad you and your son enjoyed it.
I like the movie, The Butler
LaTanya, I really liked “The Butler” too. Oprah was so great.
I liked her in Prime Suspect.
Amanda, am not familiar with Prime Suspect.
I like the movie “Pearl Harbor”.
JK, I enjoyed “Pearl Harbor” too and have watched it a few times.
I really liked her in State of Play.
Good choice.
Could you have picked a harder question?! lol Helen Mirren is a goddess and I love her movies. So I’m just going to go with the last one that I saw that I loved her in: The Hundred-Foot Journey. Fingers crossed! Thank you 🙂
Loved that movie too.
I like her in National Treasure.
Will have to check out this one.
My favorite Helen Mirren movie so far in The Queen.
“The Queen” is a winner.
I loved Helen Mirren in The Queen!
“The Queen” is edging out all others.
I loved Helen in RED. It was a fun movie and different from a lot of the ones she usually does.
RED is catching up.
Saving Private Ryan is my favorite movie based on history.
That’s an incredible movie.
The Hundred Foot Journey was my favorite.
One of my favorites too.
My favorite Helen Mirren Movie is Calendar Girls. I think it’s the first movie I ever saw her in, and I’ve been a fan of her work ever since.
My favorite movie of hers is The Hundred-Foot Journey
I haven’t seen many of her movies, but i know she is the voice of one of the characters from Monsters University , so I have to go with that as my favorite movie.
my favorite movie about a moment in history is Schindler’s List
I had to think about this one, the first one that sticks out to me is Wolf of Wall Street. I just think it’s an interesting and somewhat eye opening story.. It was an interesting insight into Wall Street and it’s beginnings, and the acting and movie itself was phenomenal.
I loved Helen Mirren in Calendar Girls
I liked her in the Queen
I loved Mirren in Red and the National Treasure movie
This is going to be such an awesome movie. She is such a great actress and has so many movies! One of my favorites is definitely The Queen and Raising Helen!
I loved her in The Queen. I enjoy historical books and movies.
I loved Titanic!
My favorite Helen Mirren movie is Red. She is such a tough chick in that movie.
I liked her in Red
I liked her in the movie, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover.
My favorite Helen Mirren movie is “The Madness of King George”!
the queen is my favorite
Donna, that’s a favorite of many.
I liked her in Red King, White Knight.
Never heard of that movie. Will have to check it out.
My favorite history movie is Marie Antoinette!
My favorite is The Queen. Thanks for the chance to win such an amazing giveaway.
I loved her in The Queen!
Loved “Woman in Gold” and Helen Mirren in it. I saw it several months ago when it first came out. What an amazing story!
I also loved her in “The Queen”.
Glad you enjoyed the movie. I really liked it too.