Written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore, The Best Offer (or La Migliore Offerta) is the gripping tale of an eccentric and elderly art auctioneer, who's entanglement with a reclusive heiress, draws him into a web of deceit and betrayal so complex and so complete, that you can only marvel at the human spirit that can survive such a harrowing experience.
Geoffrey Rush is a treat to watch – even when he is talking to a wall (needs must). He captures the essence of the fastidious but lonely Virgil Oldman – full of knowledge of art and art history, but completely at sea in the 'real' world of human emotion, esp. when it comes to women. He is in command as long as he only has to deal with art – detecting the authentic among the forgeries and holding a fraud-free auction where the best offer wins the day.
Of course, secrets make us weak and vulnerable. What destroys a private being is often the secret they hold closest to heart – a whiff of it and they are open to exploitation, unmask it and the soul is laid bare. That's Virgil, but his art scam, which at first appears to be purely materialistic, quickly reveals itself to hold a more heart-wrenching desire.
Giuseppe Tornatore talks to ABC Radio National's Michael Cathcart (Books and Art Daily):
© abcradionational
The other characters seem to arrange themselves around Virgil - and they each have some eccentricity that sets them apart. Billy Whistler (the iconic Donald Sutherland in another smooth performance) is Virgil's friend and co-conspirator, cunning not just in art scams but in friendship too, the charming Robert (Jim Sturgess) is a whiz at mechanics, her elephantine memory makes wheelchair-bound Claire (Kiruna Stamell) rather unforgettable, and of course, the reclusive heiress Claire (Sylvia Hoeks) is the mystery woman, that plays a very personal game of hide and speak!
There is also an inanimate presence that's introduced quietly, but grows in stature along with the story – the mechanical man. A smorgasbord of nuts and bolts, wheels and motors, the creature is built right in front of you, just like the scams. It's gradual progress marks Virgil's well-planned downfall. As Virgil is famous for saying, there is always something authentic concealed in every forgery. For me, when all is revealed, it's the mechanical man that holds the saddest truth.
Watch the official trailer:
© transmissionfilms08
The film is shot beautifully – from personalised silver service and beautiful art decor to ruined villas and magnificent artworks. Interestingly, if you didn't know that it was shot in Vienna and Italy, you really wouldn't know where to place it. That gossamer veil of romantic Europe heightens the film's sense of mystery and mythology, and lifts the story out of pedestrian trickery and turns it into gothic tragedy.
Maestro Ennio Morricone shines with an original masterpiece of a soundtrack that perfectly sets the pace – from the quickening heartbeat that runs ahead of you to Claire's rescue to the gentle triumph of a man who has overcome his innate mistrust of human connections.
Cynics will argue that the film is not a 'nuova' idea, but it's the execution that is its strength and the surprising turn of events at its end. It is also a testament to life's twisted ironies - as the scammer becomes the scammed, the schemers lose their hold over the right to define what's authenic. Who wins and who loses? Does it even matter?
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