The Best Offer (2013)
"La migliore offerta" (original title)

A story centered on an eccentric art auctioneer and his obsession with an heiress/collector.

Director:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Writer:

Giuseppe Tornatore

Stars:

Jim Sturgess, Geoffrey Rush, Donald Sutherland

6 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jim Sturgess	...	Robert
Geoffrey Rush	...	Virgil Oldman
Donald Sutherland	...	Billy Whistler
Sylvia Hoeks	...	Claire
Liya Kebede	...	Sarah
Philip Jackson	...	Fred
Dermot Crowley	...	Lambert
Kiruna Stamell
Miles Richardson	...	Steirereck Maitre
Lynn Swanson	...	Woman One
Sylvia De Fanti	...	Armani Store Manager
Katie McGovern	...	Art Expert
Anton Alexander	...	Real Estate Agent
Maximilian Dirr	...	Virgil's Assistant
Gerry Shanahan	...	Art Dealer

Storyline

A story centered on an eccentric art auctioneer and his obsession with an heiress/collector.

---

Plot Keywords:

art | auctioneer | trieste italy | furniture | art lover | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Italy]

Country:

Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 January 2013 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Best Offer

Filming Locations:

Prague, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

€13,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paco Cinematografica, Warner Bros., Business Location Sudtirol Alto Adige

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several works of art are shown during the movie. The painting that gets restored is "Portrait of a Young Girl" (ca. 1470) by Petrus Christus. Among the works studied by Oldman there is also "Birth of Venus" (1879) by William-Adolphe Bouguereau. Among the female portraits in his collection, one can spot: "Portrait of a Young Woman (La Fornarina)" (ca. 1519) and "Portrait of a Young Woman (La Muta)" (1507) by Raphael, "Violante" (ca. 1515) and "La Bella" (1536) by Titian, "Portrait of Eleaonor of Toledo" (1560) and "Portrait of Lucrezia Panciatichi" (1541) by Bronzino, "Portrait of Caterina Sforza" (ca. 1490) by Lorenzo di Credi, "Zingarella" (1505) by Boccaccio Boccaccino, "Lady with a Book of Petrarch's Rhyme" (ca. 1528) by Andrea del Sarto, "Portrait of Bianca Cappello" (ca. 1572) by Alessandro Allori, "Portrait of Elspeth Tucher" (1499) by Albrecht Dürer, and "Jeanne Samary in a Low-Necked Dress (La Rêverie)" (1877) by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. There are also works of Lucas Cranach the Elder, Pieter Paul Rubens, Francisco Goya, Élisabeth Vigée-Le Brun, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Amedeo Modigliani, Morgan Weistling, and many others.

---

Quotes

Billy Whistler: Emotions are like work of art. They can be forged they seem just like the original but they are forgery.
Virgil Oldman: Forgery.
Billy Whistler: Everything can be fake Virgil: joy, pain, hate, illness, recovery... even love.

User Reviews

The best movie of Berlinale 2013

I watched 12 most promising movies at recent Berlinale, and this was ultimately the best one. The movie is breathtaking and captures you from the first seconds. Mr. Rush acting is superb, as are the art direction, cinematography, score and of course, the plot. Film is full of beauty, emotion and humor. It feels like a united whole from beginning to the end and leaves a great impression. I was also surprised later, when I found out that it was shot digitally with Arri Alexa Studio - I was sure it was shot on film. This really is a camera which will finally kill film, although I love film so much. Ironically, film may remain the medium of choice for low budget productions, who can not afford renting this Arri beast.