Synopsis

Harry Donovan is a gifted art forger who accepts a lucrative commission to create a lost Rembrandt. While researching the painting in Europe, he falls for Marieke, a young art scholar who is secretly connected to his clients. When she rejects the forgery and the dealers turn violent, Harry is framed for murder and must expose the truth before the counterfeit destroys his life.

Factoids & Trivia

• The film was shot between June 24 and August 28, 1996, with locations in France, London, Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, and the Netherlands.

• London locations were disguised to represent New York. The art gallery scenes were filmed at 21 Cork Street, while Burlington Arcade and nearby streets also appear in the film.

• The methods shown in the forgery scenes are unusually detailed. The production used period-appropriate materials and techniques, including aging the canvas and recreating the appearance of an old varnish.

• The courtroom sequence recalls the real-life case of Han van Meegeren, the Dutch forger who demonstrated his skills under supervision in 1947 to prove that he had created paintings attributed to Vermeer.

• The Rembrandt forgery was painted for the production by American artist James Gemmill.

• The film received a limited theatrical profile and later became better known through home video and television circulation.