A cast full of leading men, a treasure
hunt, and a history lesson all rolled in to one. These are what the
film “Monuments Men” has to
offer audiences. George Clooney (Oceans Eleven, Up in the Air) both
directs and stars in this blockbuster. Along side him are Matt Damon
(The Bourne Identity), Bill Murray (Stripes), John Goodman (The Big
Lebowski), and Jean Dujardin (The Artist). Hardcore history buffs as
well as viewers with a casual interest in WW2 both will find this
movie entertaining. The story follows a group of middle-aged art
experts and historians who are tasked by President Roosevelt to
recover priceless artworks that Adolf Hitler stole from around
Europe. While this is a war movie, there is minimal instances of
fighting. The Monuments Men, as they are called, are unskilled with
firing weapons and avoid fire fights if at all possible. However,
there are a few instances when they must buck up and shoot their
weapons in order to avoid being killed.
The plot remains
intriguing throughout. At one point, towards the end of the war,
Hitler releases a memorandum stating that if he dies or Nazi Germany
falls, all of the art they have stolen is to be destroyed. All of a
sudden, the stakes are raised. Clooney and his men now have to work
extra hard to make sure these priceless pieces remain intact.
Unfortunately, despite their best efforts, not all the art is able to
be saved. At one point, one of the Monuments Men discovers a charred
frame bearing the name “Pablo Picasso” on a brass placard. As
Clooney's character, Frank Stokes puts it, “if you destroy their
achievements, their history, it's like they never existed.” As
audiences can tell, this was obviously Hitler's intent.
Once the war has
officially ended, the Monuments Men encounter a new challenge; the
Russians. As repayment for their heavy causalities, the Russians
intercept all the art they can and plunder it for themselves. They
feel it is only a fair method of reconciliation. While the Russians
are selfish, Clooney and crew are on the noble quest to return the
art to its rightful owners. Their goal is to return things back to
the way they were. They are not in it for their self-interest as
Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett), a member of the French resistance who
is working independently to rescue stolen art, thinks.
After all the high
adrenaline action, the film comes to a satisfying conclusion. George
Clooney's own father, Nick Clooney, makes a cameo at the end of the
film.
One interesting
detail about this story, is that the hunt for Hitler's stolen art is
not over. Even today, seventy years after the Monuments Men embarked
on their mission, there are still thousands of art works missing.
This movie brings awareness to an important issue, that the
seriousness of this mission is still just as relevant today. Some of
the art still unaccounted for include masterpieces such as Raffaello
Sanzio's “Portrait of a Young Man”.
