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Mirren premieres Nazi loot film in Berlin

Oscar winner Helen Mirren presented her new movie about Nazi-looted art in Berlin on Monday, saying Germany and Austria should not rest until all the works are returned.

Mirren premieres Nazi loot film in Berlin
Photo: Film publicity still from "Woman in Gold" by Origin Pictures

The 69-year-old British actress stars in US-British co-production Woman in Gold, premiering at the 65th Berlin film festival.

Mirren plays Maria Altmann, who fought the Austrian government for years to secure the return of five Gustav Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis from her Jewish family during World War II.

They include two stunning portraits of Altmann's aunt Adele Bloch-Bauer, completed with gold leaf, as well as three landscapes.

Altmann finally won her battle in 2006 and died five years later aged 94.

She "was such a remarkable, wonderful, funny, sexy, witty, humane…a great, great woman," said Mirren, who picked up an Academy Award for her portrayal of Elizabeth II in 2006's The Queen.

"I didn't know if I'd be able to do her justice, because she deserved it," she said of Altmann.

The case brought to light the issue of the Nazis' systematic plundering of cultural treasures, an estimated 100,000 of which are in the possession of the world's great museums, hidden away in private collections or lost forever.

Asked about the progress made by Germany and Austria in coming to terms with the issue, Mirren said she saw progress but added: "We mustn't ever feel that we've come to the end of that particular human journey."

'Story in one image'

In the film, directed by Simon Curtis, Mirren plays Altmann as an elderly woman living in Los Angeles who enlists the grandson of Austrian composer Arnold Schnberg, a California lawyer played by Ryan Reynolds, to accompany her back to Vienna to take on the Austrian authorities.

The story is also told in lushly shot flashbacks beginning with Klimt, played by German actor Moritz Bleibtreu, painting Adele, until Altmann was forced to flee Austria after Hitler annexed the country in 1938.

Present-day Austrian officials implore Altmann to drop the case, calling Woman in Gold, which hangs in Vienna's Belvedere museum, "Austria's Mona Lisa".

Mirren said she visited the Belvedere during the shoot and discovered the haunting, unfinished Klimt painting of Amalie Zuckerkandl, who was later killed at the extermination camp Belzec.

"In a way I found that just the most emotional thing to see," Mirren said, fighting back tears.

"To me that brings all of the whole story together in one image."

Mirren, who was previously unfamiliar with the Altmann case, said that now, almost a decade on, Austria understood its moral implications.

"Vienna was enormously welcoming to us to shoot – there was never any sense of resentment or anger or anything," she said.

"They said 'we are grateful to Maria Altman here in Vienna because she made us look at our past in a realistic way and take on board things that we had never taken on board before'."

Altmann sold the 1907 iconic gilt Portrait of Adele Bloch Bauer I to make-up magnate Ronald Lauder for $135 million dollars, then the highest known price ever paid for a painting.

It now hangs on permanent display at Lauder's Neue Galerie museum in New York.

The Berlin film festival runs until Sunday.

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FILM

French films with English subtitles to watch in November

As days get shorter and temperatures drop, November is a great month to enjoy a warm and comforting moment at the cinema. Here’s a round up of the French movies with English subtitles to see in Paris this month.

Cinema in France
Photo: Loic Venance/AFP

The cinema group Lost in Frenchlation runs regular screenings of French films in the capital, with English subtitles to help non-native speakers follow the action. The club kicks off every screening with drinks at the cinema’s bar one hour before the movie, so it’s also a fun way to meet people if you’re new to Paris.

These are the events they have coming up in November.

Friday, November 5th

Boîte Noire – What happened on board the Dubai-Paris flight before it crashed in the Alps? In this thriller Matthieu, a young and talented black box analyst played by Pierre Niney (star of Yves Saint-Laurent among other movies) is determined to solve the reason behind this deadly crash, no matter the costs. 

The screening will take place at the Club de l’étoile cinema at 8pm. But you can arrive early for drinks at the bar from 7pm. 

Tickets are €10 full price, €8 for students and all other concessions, and can be reserved here.

Sunday, November 14th

Tralala – In the mood for music? This new delightful French musical brings you into the life of Tralala (played by Mathieu Amalric), a 48 years old, homeless and worn-out street singer, who one day gets mistaken for someone else. Tralala sees an opportunity to get a better life by taking on a new personality. He now has a brother, nephews, ex-girlfriends, and maybe even a daughter. But where is the lie? Where is the truth? And who is he, deep down?

The night will start with drinks from 6pm followed by the screening at 7pm at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema. There is also a two-hour cinema-themed walk where you’ll be taken on a “musicals movie tour” in the heart of Paris, which begins at 4pm.

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here. Tickets for the walking tour cost €20 and must be reserved online here.

Thursday, November 18th

Illusions Perdues – Based on the great novel series by Honoré de Balzac between 1837 and 1843, this historical drama captures the writer Lucien’s life and dilemmas who dreams about a great career of writing and moves to the city to get a job at a newspaper. As a young poet entering the field of journalism, he is constantly challenged by his desire to write dramatic and eye-catching stories for the press. But are they all true?

The evening will kick off with drinks at L’Entrepôt cinema bar at 7pm, followed by the movie screening at 8pm. Tickets are available online here, and cost €8.50 full price; €7 for students and all other concessions.

Sunday, November 21st

Eiffel – Having just finished working on the Statue of Liberty, Gustave Eiffel (played by Romain Duris) is tasked with creating a spectacular monument for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. It’s ultimately his love story with Adrienne Bourgès (Emma Mackey) that will inspire him to come up with the idea for the Eiffel Tower.

After a first screening last month, Lost in Frenchlation is organising a new one at the Luminor Hôtel de Ville cinema, with pre-screening drinks at the cinema bar. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here

Thursday, November 25th

Les Héroïques – Michel is a former junkie and overgrown child who only dreams of motorbikes and of hanging out with his 17-year-old son Léo and his friends. But at 50 years old, he now has to handle the baby he just had with his ex, and try not to make the same mistakes he has done in the past. 

The film will be followed by a Q&A with the director Maxime Roy who will discuss his very first feature. 

Tickets cost €10, or €8 for students and concessions, and can be found here.

Full details of Lost in Frenchlation’s events can be found on their website or Facebook page. In France, a health pass is required in order to go to the cinema.

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