In the world of high-end art auctions and antiques, Virgil Oldman is an elderly and esteemed but eccentric genius art-expert, known and appreciated by the world. Oldman is hired by a ...
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Shattered by the unexpected news, an aspiring orchestra conductor is puzzled by his girlfriend's mysterious and seemingly inexplicable case of disappearance.
Director:
Andrés Baiz
Stars:
Quim Gutiérrez,
Martina García,
María Soledad Rodríguez
Amidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.
Director:
Giuseppe Tornatore
Stars:
Monica Bellucci,
Giuseppe Sulfaro,
Luciano Federico
Five close friends, all of them married, share a loft to meet their mistresses. One day they find the body of a young woman in the loft. Since there are only five keys to the loft, the five men begin to suspect each other of murder.
Director:
Erik Van Looy
Stars:
Koen De Bouw,
Filip Peeters,
Matthias Schoenaerts
In the world of high-end art auctions and antiques, Virgil Oldman is an elderly and esteemed but eccentric genius art-expert, known and appreciated by the world. Oldman is hired by a solitary young heiress, Claire Ibbetson, to auction off the large collection of art and antiques left to her by her parents. For some reason, Claire always refuses to be seen in person. Robert aids Oldman in restoring and reassembling some odd mechanical parts he finds amongst Claire's belongings, while also giving him advice on how to befriend her and deal with his feelings towards her. Also a friend of Oldman, Billy Whistler helps him to acquire a secret private collection of master paintings. Written by
Nebzyl
The restaurant in Prague is "Restaurace u milosrdnych" at the crossing of "U Milosrdnych" and "Kozi" in the center of the town See more »
Goofs
Stealing hundreds of paintings from an art expert and dealer is an extremely unclever idea. The paintings were legally purchased. They are in every arts catalogue as sold by a respectable auction house. Selling them would be impossible. The whole scheme seems like a waste of time for nothing. See more »
Quotes
Robert:
[his voice through the robot]
There is always something authentic concealed in every forgery. I couldn't agree more. That's why I'll miss you, Mr. Oldman.
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The only Guiseppe Tornatore film I've seen is Cinema Paradiso which is an absolute masterpiece. It surprises me that he was only in his early 30s when he directed it as the film already showed the work of an expert, given that his other films aren't as notable. The Best Offer, with its tight screenplay, lush sets, brilliant performance by Geoffrey Rush and beautiful score by Ennio Morricone, also exemplifies the sophisticated expertise filmmaking. It's refreshing to see a film with a unique universe grounded in the culture of our own with some bizarrely specific themes. While my only complaint is that the dialogue has this very "written" quality about it that is near impossible to deliver in a natural way, it's at least consistent throughout.
The story is constantly intriguing, held together by a Hitchcockian mystery feeling, and always pays off in a unique way. I'm not one for "old man and young girl romance" stories as they're rarely without uncomfortable perversion but The Best Offer completely justifies it with its well developed characters and themes. However, what makes this film so special and strange is the dramatic turn in the third act. Heartbreaking not only for the characters but for the audience that the film changes so drastically. But this is what made the film stick with me so much. It's wonderful to have a film that you toss and turn in your head, trying to figure out what it's all about. I can't divulge as anybody who hasn't seen it will be spoiled. Just go watch one of the best offers 2013 cinema has in store so far.
8/10
92 of 112 people found this review helpful.
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The only Guiseppe Tornatore film I've seen is Cinema Paradiso which is an absolute masterpiece. It surprises me that he was only in his early 30s when he directed it as the film already showed the work of an expert, given that his other films aren't as notable. The Best Offer, with its tight screenplay, lush sets, brilliant performance by Geoffrey Rush and beautiful score by Ennio Morricone, also exemplifies the sophisticated expertise filmmaking. It's refreshing to see a film with a unique universe grounded in the culture of our own with some bizarrely specific themes. While my only complaint is that the dialogue has this very "written" quality about it that is near impossible to deliver in a natural way, it's at least consistent throughout.
The story is constantly intriguing, held together by a Hitchcockian mystery feeling, and always pays off in a unique way. I'm not one for "old man and young girl romance" stories as they're rarely without uncomfortable perversion but The Best Offer completely justifies it with its well developed characters and themes. However, what makes this film so special and strange is the dramatic turn in the third act. Heartbreaking not only for the characters but for the audience that the film changes so drastically. But this is what made the film stick with me so much. It's wonderful to have a film that you toss and turn in your head, trying to figure out what it's all about. I can't divulge as anybody who hasn't seen it will be spoiled. Just go watch one of the best offers 2013 cinema has in store so far.
8/10