On August 21, 1911, Vincenzo Peruggia stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in Paris. Nearly 2-1/2 years later, he brought the painting to Italy claiming he did it for patriotic reasons. Or at least that’s what his daughter Celestina believed.
MONA LISA IS MISSING is the untold story of Vincenzo Peruggia, the Italian immigrant who committed the greatest little-known art theft in history. For more than 30 years,writer/director Joe Medeiros was obsessed with finding out Peruggia‘s true motive. So with the help of researchers, art experts and Celestina Peruggia’s children Silvio and Graziella, Medeiros and his team embarked on an epic journey leading them to the Louvre, to Peruggia’s hiding place in Paris, to Florence where he returned the painting, to documents in the French and Italian archives.
And ultimately... to the truth.
Award-winning, internationally screened
86-minute feature documentary film
Widescreen
Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound
BONUS FEATURES
More About Mona - Why is she called "Mona Lisa" and how did a movie give Vincenzo Peruggia the idea that she'd been stolen by the French?
Why August 21? - Did Peruggia randomly pick that day to steal the Mona Lisa or did he plan it that way?
Peruggia's Plan - Who were the four people who Peruggia hoped would take the Mona Lisa off his hands?
Peruggia Family Facts & Fables- What did the Peruggia family know about their ancestor and how did a 1960s Italian TV miniseries about the theft affect Peruggia's wife?
Mission: Accomplice - Why did Peruggia accuse his best friend of helping him and did the police believe this story?
The Ballinari Version - A local Italian historian has his own version of who stole the Mona Lisa -- and it wasn't Peruggia.
Debunking Decker & Valfierno - A 1932 magazine article revealed who was the real mastermind of the crime and it wasn't Peruggia.
The German Conspiracy Theory - Did Peruggia claim in 1915 that a German had prompted him to commit the crime?
How Peruggia Changed Art -By stealing the Mona Lisa, Peruggia not only made the painting famous but the empty space where she had hung.
Our Return to Dumenza - Five years after interviewing Celestina Peruggia, we go back to see the Peruggia family and to show our film in the town.
The Swiss Mona Lisa - In Switzerland, just across the border from Dumenza, Italy, there's a sketch of the Mona Lisa that people say was done by a friend of Peruggia from the actual painting while the thief had it in his possession. We go there with Silvio Peruggia to investigate.
Why Do People Steal Art? - Leading art crime experts and others get into the methods and minds of today's art thieves.
8 DELETED SCENES
The Fake Theft of the Mona Lisa- One year before the Mona Lisa was stolen, newspapers around the world reported that the painting had been taken and replaced with a fake. Was this true?
A First-Hand Account- An American from Kentucky was on hand when the Mona Lisa was displayed on Florence after the painting's return. See what she wrote about it.
Mentally Deficient? - The psychiatrist who examined Peruggia said the Italian was mentally deficient. But was he? Not everyone thinks so.
The School of Practical Magnetism -The proponents of this school believed they could influence the body and mind through magnetism. When Peruggia's best friend was arrested for being an accomplice, he was leaving this school in Paris. Did he use his "powers" to influence Peruggia?
Our Night in the Hotel Gioconda - We spent the night in the room where Peruggia brought the Mona Lisa and where he was arrested. (It was the Hotel Tripoli-Italia back then.)
Was It in the Stars? - Psychics and clairvoyants sent in clues after the Mona Lisa was stolen. We consulted a friend who is an astrologer and had her do Peruggia's astrological chart.
