"Portrait of Wally" tells the story of the attempts to recover a painting stolen from a Jewish collector by the Nazis during WWII. The saga winds its way though a very wealthy collector and through MoMA. Like most such stories that have emerged in recent decades it's interesting.
Unfortunately at about the 30 minute mark it may start to grind on your nerves. Endless little sound bites from talking heads, some Austrian some American, become almost like watching a video ransom note, each mouthing a little bit of opinion on the moment's topic. In the end the painting was just not a big enough deal to me to hold my interest. I just wanted someone to call it and I didn't care who. Unlike other similar stories I was left with an aftertaste that greed rather than justice really was driving the recovery.
At the very least this 90 minute doc should certainly have been cut down to 45-60 mins., tops.
Unfortunately at about the 30 minute mark it may start to grind on your nerves. Endless little sound bites from talking heads, some Austrian some American, become almost like watching a video ransom note, each mouthing a little bit of opinion on the moment's topic. In the end the painting was just not a big enough deal to me to hold my interest. I just wanted someone to call it and I didn't care who. Unlike other similar stories I was left with an aftertaste that greed rather than justice really was driving the recovery.
At the very least this 90 minute doc should certainly have been cut down to 45-60 mins., tops.