The Last Vermeer

2019
PG
1h 58m

ÉVALUATION IMDb

6,7/10

6,1 k

MA NOTE

Guy Pearce, Claes Bang, and Vicky Krieps in The Last Vermeer (2019)

While Joseph Piller (Bang), a Dutch Jew, was fighting in the Resistance during the Second World War, the witty, debonair aesthete, Han van Meegeren (Pearce) was hosting hedonistic soirées and selling Dutch art treasures to Hermann Goring and other top Nazis. Following the war, Piller becomes an investigator assigned the task of identifying and redistributing stolen art, resulting in the flamboyant van Meegeren being accused of collaboration - a crime punishable by death. But, despite mounting evidence, Piller, with the aid of his assistant (Krieps), becomes increasingly convinced of Han's innocence and finds himself in the unlikely position of fighting to save his life.

Liretrailer2 min 04 s

3 vidéos

57 photos

Drama War

Un artiste est soupçonné d'avoir vendu une peinture de valeur aux nazis, mais il y a plus dans l'histoire que ce que l'on voit.Un artiste est soupçonné d'avoir vendu une peinture de valeur aux nazis, mais il y a plus dans l'histoire que ce que l'on voit.Un artiste est soupçonné d'avoir vendu une peinture de valeur aux nazis, mais il y a plus dans l'histoire que ce que l'on voit.

Voir l’information sur la production à IMDbPro

ÉVALUATION IMDb

6,7/10

6,1 k

MA NOTE

Voir l’information sur la production à IMDbPro

Prix
- 1 nomination au total

Anecdotes
The main characters represent actual persons: Han van Meegeren, Joseph Piller, Johanna Oerlemans, Dirk Hannema. However the movie frequently diverges from historical facts:
The most important gap is the trial: actually, Van Meegeren painted the Vermeer-style frame ("Jesus among the Doctors") for the trial, in the presence of court-appointed witnesses. He thus demonstrated the other alleged Vermeers were also fake and was charged with forgery and fraud, a much lesser offense than collaboration with the enemy. He was hence never sentenced to death, just to one year imprisonment.
Joseph Piller arrested van Meegeren but did not act as his attorney.
Van Meegeren was jailed in May 1945, released in Jan. or Feb. 1946 (after finishing the above-mentioned painting) and stood trial in Oct. and Nov. 1947. He was not detained in the attic of Goudstikker art gallery but mainly in the nearby HQ of Military Command.
He did not sign his book for Hitler. However, according to the book the movie is partly based on, van Meegeren was a fascist sympathizer and did send an admiring note to Hitler in 1942.
There are many exaggerations about characters and situations, notably Piller's and Dekker's methods as well as the feud between the Military and the Ministry of Justice.

Gaffes
The Colonel is wearing three stars (pips) on his shoulder which denotes the rank of Captain. He should be wearing one crown and two stars.

Citations
Captain Joseph Piller: You haven't asked why we're here.
Han Van Meegeren: I find that in life, as well as art, its best not to spoil the surprise.

Générique farfelu
Before end credits, Han Van Meegeren is shown seated painting along with a series of his forged paintings.

Commentaires des utilisateurs46

Commentaire

Commentaire en vedette

7/10

Quite A Niche Movie, But Well Worth A Watch

The Last Vermeer

A niche art house movie set in Holland immediately after the last war. It was a slow burn of cat and mouse but the central performances and tight script was really quite mesmerising.

Overall this was brilliantly done, the sets were sumptuous and attention to detail was truly astounding, clearly no expense was spared.

Clearly the subject matter will not appeal to everyone, "nerdsville" for forgers lol, but hey I watched it and it held my attention. This is a perfect example of how the 40's need to be portrayed, BBC take note!

I'm going to give this a hard 7, the whole movie rested on Guy Pearce and this much undervalued actor never fails to deliver, a masterclass in characterisation and micro-gestures, and quite a glorious relief from exhausting method style.