Antiques several hundreds of years old were "completely destroyed" during the shooting of this movie, according to the director, "to the chagrin of the production staff." Isn't that nice. What about the chagrin of the Czech people who have been lovingly preserving those antiques for centuries, only to have some Hollywood goons come and smash them to bits?
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Oh no. An old piece of wood was broken. I'm sure they were compensated.
shareNo overreaction. I used the director's exact words. As to the value of the chair, that is for the owners to determine.
shareMore details please! In what scene was the chair destroyed/abused and what were the circumstances, if you know please?
shareOk, it's been a couple of months since I saw this, but as best I remember it was the scene at the castle where Sophie provokes Leopold and leaves the room. During the argument he throws down a chair, then stalks after her.
I understand realism in film-making, but in my world, I'd get a non-antique chair to throw. I wouldn't go into someone's house or castle, and start throwing their furniture around.
This is important to me because I'm Czech. Those antiques mean something to me. A lot of them have already been stolen and exported to Germany. Those things grieve me deeply. I understand some Americans are more pragmatic and can't relate to my love of my country's historical artifacts, but it's not up to them to decide.
If the film makers destroyed an antique chair in the making of this movie you have every reason to be aggrieved. It's a disgraceful thing for them to do.
shareThey need to add a disclaimer at the end of the credits in future: "All scenes involving antiques in this motion picture were closely monitored by the experts from Antiques Roadshow to ensure no artefacts were harmed in any way"...
"Wait till they get a load of me!"
They need to add a disclaimer at the end of the credits in future: "All scenes involving antiques in this motion picture were closely monitored by the experts from Antiques Roadshow to ensure no artefacts were harmed in any way"...
:) I like it!
I like it too :)
share"Those antiques mean something to me. A lot of them have already been stolen and exported to Germany."
I'm sure the NAZI's must have done it. Was it before or after the Czech's ethnically cleansed and/or murdered some 3 million Germans living in Sudetenland? Or perhaps it was those nasty Germans running the Austrian Hungarian Empire before WWI. Do tell. Were you there?
I'm not quite sure what the post WWII expulsion of Germans has to do with the ongoing theft of antiques, but hey, it makes some sense to you. I mean we could have an ongoing debate about which country engaged in the most war crimes, and I'm not that interested in kitchen sinking. Good night.
sharedefine 'grieve me deeply'. personally i think you are full of crap, even if you may be sincere. your sincerity lies in your idiocy of understanding what is important. even is it has historical value. btw, how much sleep have you lost over this chair, be honest. are you seeing a psychiatrist
shareNo Psychiatrists were Used in the Making of this Picture.
You Fill Me with Inertia.
And as I always say about the antiques I own, "If I can't sit in a chair I don't care how old it is... it's worthless."
Oh lord.. you must be the kind of guy that sat in history class thinking "why should I care about people who died so long ago".
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"So let's not blow things out of proportion, even if this is the internet".
The LOL man, I don't know if you meant to sound sarcastic, but I almost shat my pants laughing at this.
These things happen more often than you think. Back in 1993, a museum in my town sent some precious antique cars to Poland, where they were making Schindler's List. They were severely damaged when they were eventually returned. Oh well, at least the museum got to be mentioned in the closing credits...
They may crush the flowers, but they can't stop the Spring.
Ouch. I feel for the folks in your home town. Another part of our historical legacy gone.
shareI did antique restoration for 6 years for a high-end importer when I was working my way through college. I can tell you this, almost every antique over a 150 years old has been repaired. Wood dries out over the years causing warping, fading, and separating at the joints. I can take an antique that is in pieces and restore it to a point where you can not tell that it was ever damaged. Only an expert collector could detect it.
I was only an apprentice, so I know an expert could make the repair flawless. Don't make a mountain out of a mole hill, because it can be fixed.
Which part do you consider making a mountain out of a molehill? The part where I pointed out there was a problem, or the part where I informed callous individuals that the feelings of others count? I didn't realize either behavior was not sanctioned on these boards.
Having said that, I do appreciate the reconstruction info.
And I appreciate all the other responders who showed understanding. I was surprised by how many there were.
"What about the chagrin of the Czech people who have been lovingly preserving those antiques for centuries, only to have some Hollywood goons come and smash them to bits?"
This part is making a mountain out of a molehill. All antiques in that movie were most likely repaired. Nothing was harmed that couldn't be fixed.
On no, the poor chagrin! How will they ever exist after those dirty Hollywood scumbags heinously violated a piece of furniture? I'll admit it, I cried. It was the saddest part of the movie.
I hear they are working on a sequel in which Eisenheim performs a magic trick that reconstructs the furniture. It’s going to be awesome!
"On no, the poor chagrin! How will they ever exist after those dirty Hollywood scumbags heinously violated a piece of furniture? I'll admit it, I cried. It was the saddest part of the movie."
Just out of curiosity, do you know what chagrin means?
I didn't until you asked. In the context the OP used it, I assumed it was a group of people, but now I see that I completely misused it.
shareI just watched it. He tips the chair over a tad aggressivly. I ran it through a few times, and I don't see any damage caused to the chair. That is all.
"I belong with you...A member of your Koga Ninja!!!"
Miss Smith, this entire thread belongs in the 'mountain out of a molehill' file, wouldn't you agree?
shareMy step-grandfather who has been restoring antiques for nearly his whole life would be happy to illuminate the hysterical poster of this thread on the sad frequency of the destruction and damage of ancient furniture. It happens All The Time. Pieces get mistreated accidentally, or absent-mindedly. They are stored badly (often neglected and forgotten about). People often have no idea of the significance of certain pieces of furniture they have in their homes - they are put in yard sales, repainted, adapted, thrown out, kicked, knocked over, forgotten about in attics, even broken accidentally in museums and showrooms. Using the wrong cleaning products on certain pieces can cause irreversible damage in many cases.
It happens. In this particular film it was one chair. If it couldn't be restored I'm sure it's a pity - and the owner would have been paid for it. However, it IS the risk you take when you loan/rent/entrust such an item to film-makers. It's what insurance is for. I suggest, with respect, that this is a rather silly occurrence to get bent out of shape over.
This Illusionist board has some astounding threads on it including this one. Just priceless!
shareWow...that's really horrible. =[
shareIt's amazing to me that there are 2 pages of people debating the ethics of destroying antiques during the making of a movie and not a single person even questions the legitimacy of the OPs claim. The OP *claims* the director said they destroyed antiques...so you all just believe the OP? Wow. And that's the internet for you. People can claim whatever they want and the fools will just believe it. And then debate it. Even without proof that it ever even happened.
sharethanks for pointing that out. the same thing baffled me as well.
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