The Best Offer
| The Best Offer | |
|---|---|
 Italian theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Giuseppe Tornatore |
| Produced by |
Isabella Cocuzza Arturo Paglia |
| Written by | Giuseppe Tornatore |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Ennio Morricone |
| Cinematography | Fabio Zamarion |
| Edited by | Massimo Quaglia |
Production company |
Paco Cinematografica Warner Bros. |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | Italy |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $18 million[1] |
| Box office | $20,489,700[2][3] |
The Best Offer (Italian: La migliore offerta) (entitled Deception in the UK) is a 2013 Italian romantic mystery film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. The film stars Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, and Donald Sutherland, and the music score is composed by Ennio Morricone.
Synopsis
The film tells a story of love and deceit, set in Europe (Trieste, Bolzano, Fidenza, Rome, Milan, Merano, Vienna, Prague) in the world of high-end art auctions and antiques. The story revolves around Virgil Oldman (Geoffrey Rush), an aging and esteemed, but somewhat eccentric, managing director of an auction house. Oldman is hired by a reclusive young heiress, Claire Ibbetson (Sylvia Hoeks), 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. An astute young artificer, Robert (Jim Sturgess), 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 how to deal with his feelings towards her. Oldman's poise and prestige is counterpointed by an ongoing scam whereby his friend Billy Whistler (Donald Sutherland) helps him to acquire a secret private collection of master paintings. Oldman eventually begins a relationship with Ibbetson, compromising his work. At the peak of the relationship, Claire overcomes her fear of the outside world and goes on to live with Virgil, who trusts the fragile Claire enough to show her his priceless collection of portraits. Virgil returns home one day to find his entire collection and Claire gone, realising that he was all part of Whistler's elaborate scam. After months of recovering from the ultimate betrayal, Virgil takes a trip to Prague, and sits in a restaurant that Claire had once suggested, waiting alone.
Cast
- Geoffrey Rush as Virgil Oldman
- Jim Sturgess as Robert
- Sylvia Hoeks as Claire Ibbetson
- Donald Sutherland as Billy Whistler
- Philip Jackson as Fred
- Dermot Crowley as Lambert
- Liya Kebede as Sarah
- Maximilian Dirr as Virgil's Assistant
- Kiruna Stamell as Nana
- Anton Alexander as Real Estate Agent
Production
The film was produced by Paco Cinematografica with support from the FVG (Friuli Venezia Giulia) Film Fund. Filming began in Trieste on April 30, 2012. For Tornatore this meant a return to Trieste: it was here he shot La Sconosciuta in 2005, with Xenia Rappoport. Filming took place in a period of five to six weeks in the region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Vienna, Prague, and South Tyrol.[4]
Reception
Critical response
The Best Offer received mixed reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a score of 56%, with an average rating of 5.9/10, based on reviews from thirty-two critics.[5] On Metacritic, the film holds a score of 49 (out of 100), based on reviews from 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6] Andrew Pulver of The Guardian rated it 2/5 stars and called it "stiff" and "convoluted".[7] Philippa Hawker of The Age rated it 3/5 stars and called it "handsome, yet austere".[8] Sandra Hall of the Brisbane Times rated it 4/5 stars and praised Geoffrey Rush's acting.[9] In a positive review, Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter called it "astutely written".[10] Variety called the film "superficial" and "cliched", but it predicted box office success.[1]
Box office
On the Italian opening weekend, the film grossed $2,496,402 from 373 theaters and debuted at number 2 on the box office chart, behind Mai Stati Uniti. As of 31 August 2014, it grossed $12,021,662 domestically and $8,468,038 overseas, for a worldwide gross of $20,489,700.[2][3]
Accolades
| Awards | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result | |
| 58th David di Donatello Awards[11] | Best Film | Giuseppe Tornatore | Won | |
| Best Director | Giuseppe Tornatore | Won | ||
| Best Script | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | ||
| Best Producer | Isabella Cocuzza and Arturo Paglia | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Fabio Zamarion | Nominated | ||
| Best Sets and Decorations | Maurizio Sabatini and Raffaella Giovannetti | Won | ||
| Best Costumes | Maurizio Millenotti | Won | ||
| Best Makeup | Luigi Rocchetti | Nominated | ||
| Best Hairstyling | Stefano Ceccarelli | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Massimo Quaglia | Nominated | ||
| Best Sound | Gilberto Martinelli | Nominated | ||
| Best Score | Ennio Morricone | Won | ||
| Youngs' David | Giuseppe Tornatore | Won | ||
| 67th Silver Ribbon Awards[12] | Best Director | Giuseppe Tornatore | Won | |
| Best Producer | Isabella Cocuzza and Arturo Paglia | Won | ||
| Best Screenplay | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Fabio Zamarion | Nominated | ||
| Best Scenography | Maurizio Sabatini and Raffaella Giovannetti | Won | ||
| Best Costumes | Maurizio Millenotti | Won | ||
| Best Editor | Massimo Quaglia | Won | ||
| Best Sound | Gilberto Martinelli | Nominated | ||
| Best Score | Ennio Morricone | Won | ||
| 53rd Italian Golden Globe[13] | Best Cinematography | Fabio Zamarion | Nominated | |
| Best Music | Ennio Morricone | Nominated | ||
| 26th European Film Awards | Best Film | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenwriter | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | ||
| Best Composer | Ennio Morricone | Won | ||
| People's Choice Award | Giuseppe Tornatore | Nominated | ||
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Review: "The Best Offer"". Variety. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "La Migliore Offerta (The Best Offer)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2013-10-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "La Migliore Offerta (The Best Offer)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-01-09.
- ↑ Scarpa, Vittoria (2012-04-05). "Tornatore shoots The Best Offer in Trieste". Retrieved 2012-11-17.
- ↑ "The Best Offer (La Migliore Offerta) (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ↑ "The Best Offer". Metacritic. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
- ↑ Pulver, Andrew (2013-02-13). "The Best Offer – First Look Review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ Hawker, Philippa (2013-08-29). "The Best Offer review: Artistry in Fascination with Beauty". The Age. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ Hall, Sandra (2013-08-29). "The Best Offer review: Perfect Frame to Display Rush's Talent". Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ Young, Deborah (2013-01-05). "The Best Offer: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ Hombrebueno, Pierre (2013-06-15). "Giuseppe Tornatore's The Best Offer Wins Big at the Embarrassing Italian Oscars". Twitch Film. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ Lyman, Eric J. (2013-07-07). "'The Best Offer' Wins Big at Italy's Nastri d'Argento Awards". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
- ↑ "Geoffrey Rush film sweeps Silver Ribbon awards". BBC News. 2013-07-08. Retrieved 2013-09-01.
External links
- Official website (Italian)
- The Best Offer at the Internet Movie Database
- The Best Offer at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Best Offer at AllMovie
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