Ending Sequence - Spoilers

Now that you mention it, yes. However it felt much more poignant in this film. The TV show Cold Case wrapped up each show similarly.


May you receive all that Karma has to offer.

I thought the same thing while watching the film.

The two most important shots in a movie is the opening and closing. There's no mistake the style was very reminiscent of the Titanic (1997), especially since that movie has become so iconic and part of the public conscious and pop culture.

Spoiler: The opening and ending of the movie are direct opposites.

The opening of the movie shows a rose-colored past from the perspective of Maria Altmann. The setting is complete, she is with her parents, sister, uncle and aunt in a fairy tale like setting with the painting.

Contrast to Fritz (her husband) and Maria Altmann's final days in Vienna, when they are forced to flee the country and leave their parents behind. The painting represents more than just a work of art, it represents a time in her life that was carefree and happy, with her family at the center of it.

I'm sure for the real Maria Altmann, Vienna represented a mixbag of emotions. Whether or not the film makers were true to the story, they captured the feelings and emotions in an entertaining movie based on real events of her life.

"Toto, I've [got] a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

That's exactly what I was thinking when I saw that scene. At first I thought it was just a rip off and they couldn't think of anything better to finish the film, but the more I watched I was really touched by how the connection with the family. Maria thinking back on all these great memories she had with her family is kind of having me think she can now focus on the good instead of looking back with just pain in her heart.