History vs Hollywood
Director: Simon Curtis Starring: Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Brühl, Katie Holmes, Tatiana Maslany, Max Irons Released: 2015
Does Helen Mirren’s Woman in Gold get creative with the truth?
Maria Altmann bravely fought Austria to regain her family’s stolen masterpieces, but is Woman In Gold just as courageous in telling the truth?
01 The opening scene where the Nazis raid Maria’s home in 1938 is accurate and shows them taking far more than just the paintings that belonged to the Blochbauer family. This included the diamond necklace worn by Maria’s aunt Adele in the Klimt portrait.
02 As the movie portrays, the Austrian government denied Maria’s claim to the paintings and her legal right to them. It is also true that the filing fee that Maria would have to pay under Austrian law to sue them was over $1.5 million, which she couldn’t afford.
03 Just like in the movie Maria’s lawyer Randy Schoenberg, played by Ryan Reynolds, quit his job so that he could focus solely on Maria’s case. He also took the case on with a no win, no fee basis, which proved to be a gamble that handsomely paid off.
04 Contrary to the film, Maria and her husband Fritz did not escape their Nazi guard while visiting the pharmacy. Instead, they used the excuse that Fritz needed to visit the dentist – in total, the couple attempted to escape three times before they were successful.
05 Maria’s case against the Austrian government did go to the US Supreme Court, which cleared the way for her to sue them. To avoid a court battle she agreed to arbitration in Austria, but the fight between Maria and Randy over the issue in the film is complete fiction.