A Real Vermeer (2016)

A Real Vermeer is the English title of a Dutch historical and biographical drama (based on a true story) which premiered in 2016. Here is the plot:

 

In 1945, at the end of World War Two, the Dutch artist and art dealer Henricus “Han” van Meegeren is accused of having sold a precious Dutch work of art (a real Vermeer) to the German Nazi leader Hermann Göring, who was an avid collector of art.

 

Was van Meegeren a traitor or not? Did he sell a real Vermeer to a Nazi leader? In this drama we follow the official investigation of the case and we learn the fascinating details of a masterful forgery.

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** Original Dutch title: Een echte Vermeer

** Director: Rudolf van den Berg

** Writers: Rudolf van den Berg and Jan Eilander

** Language: mostly Dutch; sometimes English or German or Italian

** Run time: 114 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Jeroen Spitzenberger as Henricus “Han” van Meegeren (1889-1947) – the artist

** Dewi Reijs as Anna van Meegeren (1890-1978) – his wife

** Hayo de Wilde as Jacques “Jac” Henri Emil van Meegeren (1912-1977) – his son - younger version

** Mingus Dagelet as Jac van Meegeren – older version

** Porgy Franssen as Abraham “Bram” Bredius (1855-1946) – a famous Dutch art critic

** Lize Feryn as Jolanka Lakatos – his wife

** Roeland Fernhout as Theo van der Pas – a friend

** Claude Humbert as Hermann Göring (1893-1946) – a Nazi politician

** Angela Hick as Wilhelmina (1880-1962) – Queen of the Netherlands 1890-1948

** Hans Croiset as the president of the court

** Viviane Muynck as the psychiatrist

 

Since this drama is based on a true story, the basic facts are part of the public record. They are not a secret. Therefore I could mention many of them here, but I am not going to do that. I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. I will only mention a few basic details, so you can understand the case.

 

While this drama is based on a true story, it is not a documentary film. It is a dramatized version of events. Not everything happened exactly as shown here. But the main story is true.

 

Most of this drama takes place in the Netherlands just after the end of World War Two. The time frame is 1945-1947. But there are some flashbacks to earlier times: the 1920s, the 1930s and the time of the war. There is also a flashback to a moment in Rome (Italy) in the 1930s.

 

In the early part of his career, Han van Meegeren is a struggling artist. He feels he does not get the recognition he deserves. He is called an amateur and a charlatan. He is very upset about this. He wants to get revenge on the critics who fail to recognize his talents. In particular Abraham Bredius.

 

He decides that he is going to show them just how great he really is. Even if he can never reveal exactly how he gets his revenge. This is the motivation which drives him into the world of forgery.

 

He carefully creates a new Vermeer which is accepted in the world of art as a lost and found Vermeer. Even the famous art critic Abraham Bredius accepts this painting as a real Vermeer.

 

Now van Meegeren has his revenge on the art critics who did not appreciate his talents; selling a fake Vermeer to the German Nazi leader Hermann Göring for a huge amount of money is the ultimate triumph.

 

He cannot know that this fantastic feat will later come back to haunt him once the war is over and the new leaders of the Netherlands start looking for collaborators!

 

What do reviewers say about this historical drama? On IMDb it has a rating of 61 per cent, which corresponds to three stars on Amazon. On the US version of Amazon there are at the moment 21 ratings. The average rating is 4.1 stars. If you ask me, both ratings are too low. Why? I have three reasons:

 

# 1. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well.

# 2. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional.

# 3. The drama is based on a true story.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

 

PS # 1. The famous Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) did not paint many paintings. This is why every single real painting by his hand is regarded as very important and very valuable.

 

PS # 2. For more information, see the following books:

** I Was Vermeer: The Legend of the Forger Who Swindled the Nazis by Frank Wynne (hardcover 2006, paperback 2007)

** The Man Who Made Vermeers: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren by Jonathan Lopez (2008)

** The Forger’s Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the 20th Century by Edward Dolnick (2009)

** The Art of Forgery: The Minds, Motives and Methods of Master Forgers by Noah Charney (2015)

** Fake: The Crimes of Han van Meegeren by Thomas Thibeault (2016)

 

PS # 3. The following documentaries about the world of art are available on DVD:

** Art of the Heist – 14 episodes on four discs (2006)

** Raiders of the Lost Art – 6 episodes on two discs (2014)

 

PS # 4. The Last Vermeer is an American historical drama which premiered in 2019. The original title of this drama was Lyrebird. It is based on the book The Man Who Made Vermeers by Jonathan Lopez (2008).

 

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Han van Meegeren (1889-1947)

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