We saw The Monuments Men tonight, the first WW II movie I’ve seen in a while. I noticed that it's only at a 33 on Rotten Tomatoes and a tepid 6.8 on IMDB. I enjoyed it anyway. It’s worth noting that we went to one theater that was sold out for both shows, and bought the last two tickets in another theater. At the end of the flick the audience applauded, which seems to point to a popular, if not critical hit.
It really was a 1950’s movie, having that sort of moral clarity that you only see in WW II movies and the light, witty style of war movies of that era that glosses over the fundamental horror and apocalyptic brutality of that conflict. It reminded me of movies like the Guns of Navarone or The Great Escape. The Monuments Men are a group of art guys enlisted into the army for the purpose of recovering art that has been looted by the Nazis. By hook and crook, they seek out and recover stolen art, with the lofty goal of saving European high culture for the ages. George Clooney directs and acts as the lead character. I thought he was channeling Clark Gable. It’s that sort of role and he looks the part, especially with his slick hair and thin mustache. Other stars that stud the cast include Cate Blanchett, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin.
From what I know, the story has somewhat of a fact/book basis, although there were really something like 120 Monuments Men, not just the 8 in the movie and it IS true that Hitler ordered all captured art destroyed if he was killed. I guess it was necessary to condense events and characters. For my part, I enjoyed the anachronistic aspects of the movie, didn’t consider it to be a serious exploration of WW II and art so much as an engaging story about a small aspect of something that really happened. The anachronistic aspects of the movie might have worked even a little better in black and white, to give a period feel. If you’re in the mood for World War Lite, this could be for you.
