Synopses & Reviews
A family reclaims their lost art with the help of a rogue Canadian diplomat and an honest smuggler The story of a Canadian familyas fight to regain a vestige of their lost life, Restitution begins in Prague on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The Reesers are Jewish and know that they must flee Czechoslovakia, but before leaving they deliver their valuable oil paintings into the hands of a Christian colleague for safekeeping. Led by the intrepid matriarch of the family, Mari Reeser, they make their escape under the nose of the occupying Nazis, arriving in Canada just days before the start of WWII. Despite having settled into their new life in Toronto, the Reesers never forgot what was left behind. When peace returned to Europe, Mari fought for the return of the paintings, only to be thwarted by the Communist regime. Hope sparked again in 1989 when Marieas son, Karl Reeser, received a letter saying the paintings were his if he could retrieve them. He found all legal means closed to him, so he traveled to Prague to make one last attempt. Here, fate intervened with an unlikely savior named Richard VandenBosch, an official at the Canadian Embassy. Together, he and Karl manage to retrieve the paintings and secrete them in the embassy. The final hurdle a how to get the paintings to Canada? a is solved by a resourceful art dealer and smuggler named Theofil Kral, whose honest desire to help the Reeser family restore a piece of their history sees the four paintings returned to them at last.
Synopsis
Based on the true story of a Jewish family's fight to regain a symbol of their lost life, Restitution begins in Prague on the eve of the Nazi invasion. The Reesers know that they must flee Czechoslovakia, but first they deliver their valuable oil paintings into the hands of a Christian colleague for safekeeping. Led by their intrepid matriarch, Mari Reeser, the family make their escape under the nose of the Nazis, arriving in Canada just days before WWII begins. Despite a successful new life in Toronto, the Reesers never forgot what was left behind. When peace returned to Europe, Mari fought for the return of the paintings, only to be thwarted by the Communist regime. Hope sparked again in 1989 when Mari's son, Karl Reeser, received a letter saying the paintings were his if he could retrieve them. Finding all legal means closed to him, he traveled to Prague to make one last try. Here, fate intervened with an unlikely savior named Richard VandenBosch, an official at the Canadian Embassy. Together, he and Karl manage to retrieve the paintings and secrete them in the embassy. The final hurdle -- how to get the paintings to Canada? -- is solved by a resourceful art dealer and smuggler named Theofil Kral, whose honest desire to help the Reeser family restore a symbol of their vanished life sees the four paintings returned to them at last.
Synopsis
The story of the Reesers, a Jewish family who emigrated to Canada from Czechoslovakia on the eve of WWII. They fled the Nazis and left behind four valuable oil paintings. It would take years for Mari Reeser, and then her son Karl, to retrieve them.