Monuments Men: Preserving Culture

Hitler will forever be known as one of history's most evil people.  He manipulated others to follow him on his path in the destruction of lives who were different than him.  He down graded, slaughtered, and ruined innocent people.  Little do some know that while on his conquest, he had another mission of collecting the world's most cherished pieces of art. Why you ask?  Power, greed, and wanting to destroy a culture are just a few motivators for Hitler and his Nazi followers.  So in addition to a world war going on, there was a war of art as well.  In a war, the military is involved. In an art war, we have the Monuments Men.

The Monuments Men is a film that portrays another aspect of WWII that many may not be aware of.  I for one had no idea that Hitler stored thousands of pieces of art while killing millions of people.  These art pieces were some of the most well known pieces of art that shaped cultures to how we know them today because we have access to said pieces.  Imagine if the discovery of these pieces never happened,  or if Hitler destroyed them all as he did with some that were not rescued in time.

The protectors of art served to find missing pieces that were stored in secret places.  It was a difficult mission as it was not obvious where the pieces were.  In addition, the Nazis were on a similar mission but for the opposite reason. So you have strong and armed Nazis against Monuments Men, who were excellent at preserving and appreciating art but not so much the battles of war.  

This film did an excellent job of showing this aspect of war that occurred but in a way that most would find interesting.  I am sure some might go into this thinking it a historical movie about art....big deal.  But in fact it is a big deal.  These men risked their lives to find not just art, but a culture that almost didn't survive.  One of my favorite parts was when George Clooney's character emphasized that art isn't just a painting or scultpure, it is a representation of a civilization, a culture. 

There were funny parts as well as parts that made you break out the Kleenex.  John Goodman, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Bill Murray are just a few members of this outstanding cast that brought it all together.  You laugh with them as they find humor in an otherwise intense environment and you cry with them as they come face to face with death. It is a wonderful film you will not regret seeing.