The Monuments Men (Blu-Ray +DVD)

While the narrative is rather dry, the personalities of the monuments men come through as fascinating, doing a job as perilous as any paratroop squadron but instead of weapons armed with their vast knowledge of art. In spite of itself, it remains a thrilling tale of the men who preserved the best parts of our international culture.

Bruce attempt money fetching.

I’ve seen it three times.great acting and a little piece of history!

I like this movie a lot, but then I've been interested for years in the work of Rose Valland and the rescue of, essentially, European art history from Hitler, his madness, and his thousands of Nazi pawns. The movie attempts to take the many stories of the few Monuments Men who served in Europe, as recorded in the 2009 book of the same name by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter, and meld them into one cohesive story. Scriptwriters George Clooney and Grant Heslov do this by creating new characters based on amalgams of the real-life Monuments Men, and shuffling the war experiences around between them. Because the book is long and rich in detail, and because so many of those details were so interesting that it would be unthinkable to omit them, the movie feels jam-packed, with each of the incidents getting less time than is usual for a drama. It is this "rushed" feeling that makes me give the film 4 stars instead of 5 (I'd give it 4-1/2 if it were possible). But it works overall, not least because of the extraordinary cast, and the brilliant set design. It was entirely believable that the film was shot in Europe at the end of WWII, and that couldn't have been easy, given how far development has progressed in 70 years.The cast is top-notch, and almost exclusively male. Well, OK, most American films are about men, and The Girl (pretty female under 40) is a prize, or an adjunct, or a decoration. In this movie, most of the parts are male because in the army of the 1940s there were darn few women, hardly any at all in Europe, and of course no one thought of asking a female art historian to risk her life in Europe, even for art. But this movie also features Cate Blanchett in the role of "Claire Simonds" (the Rose Valland counterpart), and does it in a way that abbreviates but does not trivialize the risks taken and Herculean efforts made by Valland in real life under the German occupation. Well, it inserts an attempt by the fictional Simonds to seduce a married man (played by Matt Damon, so you can see why she would try), but I suppose there's an ordinance in Hollywood that you can't make a movie that doesn't include at least one sexy scene.George Clooney is himself but underutilized as the head of the unit. Hugh Bonneville was properly heroic in a British way, though it's hard not to think of Downton Abbey every time I see him. John Goodman is also himself, and Damon is charming and boyish even as a middle-aged married guy. The most memorable, though, were Bill Murray and Bob Balaban in a team turn; together they had at least four and possibly five of the best scenes in the movie, and their relationship was more developed than any other in the film (including the relationship between Damon and Blanchett).Not everyone who likes this movie will want to read the book. But if you like the movie, and you want to learn more about the uphill battle to save the collective memory of Western civilization, and are not afraid of reading, you will find the book interesting, at some times gripping, and altogether rewarding.

Great movie. Got me interested in the real Monument Men and did some research. Had no idea the unit existed before this movie.

I enjoyed this movie very much. I remember when Iraq fell and cities and the dictator's palace were being overrun. The news commentators were discussing the destruction and looting that was going on and they were concerned about the country's museums because Iraq was formerly called "Mesopotamia" as in the cradle of life, the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. The news commentators were hoping that someone was going to show up to help preserve Iraq's and Mesopotamia's and humanity's history as the museums contained irreplaceable artifacts going back to the beginnings of human history. Artifacts that could be stolen and end up in private collections, disappear forever, or be destroyed like the giant Buddhas that were destroyed by those lunatics in Afghanistan. Fast forward a few years. A movie comes out, based on a true story, about men (and a woman), art experts, people who cared about preserving history. They were people who understood that art is important to a country's culture, history, well being, self identity------important to the world's. This is a World War II story. The art that was in jeopardy was art stolen by the Nazis, from museums and from private owners. The Nazis were losing the war and were determined not to leave any of the art behind as they retreated. They were either moving it with them, moving it into hiding places to be retrieved later or destroying it. The Monuments Men were charged with finding the hidden art pieces or getting to art pieces before they could be hidden or destroyed by the Nazis or confiscated by the advancing Russians (who would keep them instead as spoils of war.) The mission of the Monuments Men included returning the artwork to their rightful owners. So this special squad was formed by George Clooney's character, Frank Stokes. George Clooney headed a terrific cast that included Matt Damon, John Goodman, Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban and Jean DuJardin. The acting was great. Each portrayal was believable. The story moved along at a pretty quick pace. It didn't take many detours away from the main story. The story was quite interesting and realistic. The Army working it's way through World War II Europe was the background and was well done. I didn't want the movie to be over so quickly (although the dvd's box says it was 118 minutes long---it seemed to go by quickly) I'm sure there were a lot more adventures that the Monuments Men experienced that there wasn't time to go into. It's about time that these brave, dedicated people were recognized for the important job that they did. They saved civilization! I definitely recommend this movie and plan to watch it again, probably a few more times. I hope there are still people out there doing this important work whenever there is a war or crisis. I hope people like these went into Iraq to save the antiquities!

This is a great movie. It’s funny, sad, heartwarming, eye-opening all in one. Damon, Clooney, etc all make a great cast together.

Well done telling of an unusual but brilliant capture of artworks from the Nazis.

is as stated

Good quality blu-ray disc. Good story line.

A moving story of lost treasure. What it costs men to keep history alive. Highly recommended.

I wasn't aware of the extent of the theft of europes art works until I saw this film. It was a real eye opener and as a result I did a little reading up. The Nazis really did want it all and when they realised that they wouldn't achieve this then they were determined that our history would be erased. Strange isn't it, reminds me of the destruction of art recently in the middle east. Two scenes that hit home, when they open a barrel and find gold teeth and when one painting is returned to the wall of a home where you know that the owners will never return to.You have to wonder how much art was actually destroyed, how much has fallen into the hands of individuals who hide it away and how much is yet to be discovered.It's a film that has to be seen. Ignore the low reviews by some, watch it.Edited. And I have continued to watch it. In art terms I'm a Philistine but theres something about this film that gets really into me. Everytime it's on TV I watch it, even though I also have it on DVD. And there are some moments where tears come to my eyes, the deaths of those who cared to protect the art for one.I know it's just a film but there's something about it that fascinates me. I want more of the missing art to be found. And I want a documentary telling me the real story and showing me the real places the treasures of Europe were hidden and in some case destroyed.If you want to just see one scene, just watch the opening of the barrel containing nothing but gold teeth.We must never let this happen again.