Eventually, they find and arrest Viktor Stahl, who is hiding as a farmer, when they identify the paintings in his house as masterpieces, at least one stolen from the Rothschild Collection. [31] Clooney is quoted as saying, "80 percent of the story is still completely true and accurate, and almost all of the scenes happened". Right. Meanwhile, Colonel Wegner is systematically destroying whole art caches. [24] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[27], Peter Travers in Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 3 out of 4 stars, noting that while some of the dialogue and emotions seemed inauthentic, the physical production and cinematography were "exquisite," with shooting done on locations in Germany and England. In December 1944, Walter Garfield and Jean Claude Clermont get lost in the countryside and blunder into a firefight. When the Americans arrived, his information helped them capture several prominent Nazis. The Observer The Monuments Men. Even as the team learns that the artwork is being stored in various mines and castles, it also learns that it must now compete against the Soviet Union, which is seizing artwork from its occupation zone as war reparations. [6] The film was funded by the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) with €8.5 million,[7] Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg as well as Medien- und Filmgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg. In 1945 a British Special Operations Executive mission, codenamed Bonzos and led by Albrecht Gaiswinkler, was responsible for saving the looted art stored in Austrian salt mines. It follows an Allied group from the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program that is given the task of finding and saving pieces of art and other culturally important items before Nazis destroy or steal them, during World War II.[4][5]. The MONUMENTS MEN are finally reunited. Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. Discovering that the entrances were actually blocked by the locals to prevent the Nazis from destroying the contents, the team evacuates as much artwork as possible, including sculptures, the Ghent Altarpiece, and the Madonna and Child, before the Soviets arrive. The Monuments Men is a group of men and women who worked for the Monuments, Fine Art, and Archives, or MFAA during World War II in an effort to preserve fine art, documents, and monuments. Some of these are more exciting than others – but they do not add up to a satisfying plot. The film is based on the non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel. Plot – The Monuments Men' is based on the true story of the biggest art theft in the history. [18][19][20], The film was screened on February 7, 2014 at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. Or at least that's the struggle of the hero in the titular film inspired by the events: Frank Stokes (George Clooney), a curator at Harvard's Fogg Museum, goes back to the Army to head a small art recovery contingent (7—most out of shape and aging like John Goodman), with echoes of the Magnificent Seven and Dirty Dozen recruiting sequences, promising exceptional wit and action that doesn't materialize.Why is such a high-concept plot lost in a February opening? "The Monuments Men" tests the proposition that an appealing cast can put almost any script across. But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. The film is loosely based on the 2007 non-fiction book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter. Browse 4,348 the monuments men stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. Between 1943 and 1951, the Monuments Men single-handedly recovered stolen artwork, cultural items, and other national treasures from the Nazis. Another concern besides history and coherence is tone: Reverence for the mission clashes with the jokey camaraderie of old-fashioned WWII movies.It is a delight to hear the names of artists like Picasso and Rembrandt even though they had little influence on the film's fair-to midlin' screenplay penned by Clooney and Grant Heslov. In the film, it is stated that 'local miners' had blown up the mine to prevent the contents being destroyed. The Monuments Men were a group of American and British men and women---museum curators, art historians, librarians, architects, even artists---responsible for preserving the artistic and cultural achievements of western civilization from the destruction of war and theft by the Nazis. They also protected museums, churches, and other significant national structures from destruction. The Monuments Men Nicknamed the Monuments Men, the unit was responsible for protecting cultural relics like churches and museums, assessing damaged art inside demolished cities, and initiating restoration projects. They volunteered to troll along and behind the enemy’s lines, risking their lives on the way, just so they could get back and protect priceless art masterpieces from Hitler and his army. The Monuments Men argues that many human lives, potentially losing battles to the Nazis, and almost stirring up conflicts with the Russians are all worth it if you can save a few pieces of art. George Clooney and Matt Damon head an all-star cast in the new movie "The Monuments Men," about a group of World War II heroes who did it all for art. The website's critical consensus reads, "Its intentions are noble and its cast is impressive, but neither can compensate for The Monuments Men's stiffly nostalgic tone and curiously slack narrative. I’d call that timely and well worth a salute. So there is a very rich story of how it is we get this information here in the present. Although they served the Allies, the Monuments Men waged their own war against cultural espionage. Stokes is directed to assemble an Army unit nicknamed the "Monuments Men", comprising museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect, to both guide Allied units and search for stolen art to return it to its rightful owners. MCU fans, here are some streaming picks to watch while you wait for the next episode of "The Falcon and the Winter Solider. 1. "This is our history. Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, THE MONUMENTS MEN centers around an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. The Monuments Men is a 2014 war film directed by George Clooney, and written and produced by Clooney and Grant Heslov. Other artworks rescued included Hubert and Jan van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece. Some of the scenes, including flights and American war base footage, were filmed at Imperial War Museum Duxford, Cambridgeshire, UK. Broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow looks to bring down Senator Joseph McCarthy. The Monuments Men Synopsis: Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi … In 1925, an enterprising pro football player convinces America's too-good-to-be-true college football hero to play for his team and keep the league from going under. Stokes says they were. The Monuments Men – the arts and history scholars detachment of the Allied Forces. ", Title: But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements. [14] Filming was scheduled to last until the end of June 2013, wrapping up in Rye, East Sussex. The monuments men were drawn from the museum and artistic community, and most of them were at least forty. Stokes' unit finds its work frustrated by Allied officers in the field, who refuse to endanger their own troops for the sake of his mission. This was the first time in history that a brigade was … Midnight Screenings: The Lego Movie/The Monuments Men. (2014). View production, box office, & company info. This FAQ is empty. I'd call that timely and well worth a salute. [23], The Monuments Men received mixed reviews from film critics. It's an enjoyable film but not a great one. As he requests to stay in Europe to oversee further searching and restoration, Truman asks Stokes if his efforts were worth the lives of the men he lost. The.Monuments.Men Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t6tx5zh5t Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.5.2 Despite trying to tell the men that he viewed the Nazis as "complete frauds" and only carried out his duties as … Changing Claire from the original monument woman Rose into a love-seeking operative angers some historians. The film stars an ensemble cast including Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. 17 of 32 people found this review helpful. The film stars an ensemble cast including Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Hugh Bonneville, and Cate Blanchett. [24][25] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 30% approval rating, based on 254 reviews, with an average score of 5.2/10. James Granger meets Simone, but she suspects the Americans want to confiscate the stolen art for their own country, and refuses to cooperate. Vinci was th… The men worked mostly alone, without a lot of resources. It's actually Leonardo's Last Supper; Da Vinci is not Leonardo's surname. Belgian monks hide their altarpieces, a swastika flag flutters in front of the Eiffel Tower, and Adolf Hitler is pilfering art from all over Europe to build a collection for his planned Führermuseum. Use the HTML below. Take a look ahead at all the major movie releases coming to theaters and streaming this season. The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program is the subject of the 2014 Sony Pictures and 20th Century Fox film The Monuments Men. [40] Pollard wrote, "There’s a kernel of history there, but The Monuments Men plays fast and loose with it in ways that are probably necessary to make the story work as a film, but the viewer ends up with a fairly confused notion of what the organisation Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program (MFAA) was, and what it achieved. What Clooney has crafted in The Monuments Men is a movie about aspiration, about culture at risk, about things worth fighting for. In the final scene, set in 1977, the elderly Stokes replies "Yeah", while he takes his grandson to see Michelangelo's Madonna. Frank StokesConsidering the great art works recovered from the Nazis in 1944 by the Monuments Men, losing 2 lives in the operation might have been worth it. Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. It's not to be stolen or destroyed. A politically charged epic about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved in and affected by it. Afterwards, Stokes reports back to President Truman that the team has recovered vast quantities of artwork and various other culturally significant items. [17] However, on October 22, 2013, the film was pushed back to February 2014, because issues balancing humor with the serious nature of the subject matter caused post-production to take longer than expected. A poor start. [21][22] It was also screened at UNESCO, on 27 March 2014, on the occasion of the panel discussion "Modern Day Monuments Men and Women" on the preservation of heritage in times of conflict and the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property. Written by The film is based on real events, but the names of all characters were changed, and a number of further adjustments were made to the historical facts in the interests of drama. Meanwhile, Simone reconsiders when Granger shows her the Nero Decree, which orders the destruction of all German possessions if Hitler dies or Germany falls, and she sees him return a painting looted from a Jewish family to its rightful place in their empty home. And with the Third Reich on the brink of collapse, that means we're in a race against time to save art history. "[28] He also wrote that "...[e]scapism junkies may feel betrayed. Near the start of this World War II drama about Yanks searching for art stolen by the Germans, star George Clooney asks, "Who will make sure that the statue of David is still standing and the Mona Lisa is still smiling?" You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A Hollywood fixer in the 1950s works to keep the studio's stars in line. [32] The accounts of some events have, however, been altered to serve the film's dramatic portrayal of the retrieval of these treasures. As a 1950s suburban community self-destructs, a home invasion has sinister consequences for one seemingly normal family. Upcoming "based on a true story" film you most want to see? The men of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section rode in on the heals of the liberating forces, often arriving while a city was still under enemy fire. An assassin hides out in Italy for one last assignment. A squad is sent to Germany during World War II to save works of art from the Nazis, who are destroying everything as the Reich is falling apart. In 1943, the Allies are making good progress driving back the Axis powers in Italy. In addition, the team captures the entire gold reserves of the Nazi German national treasury. Financial TV host Lee Gates and his producer Patty are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes them and their crew as hostage. In 2007, at a White House ceremony, President George Bush awarded the Foundation the National Humanities Medal, highest honor in the United States for work in the humanities. Discovering covert and faulty intelligence causes a U.S. Army officer to go rogue as he hunts for Weapons of Mass Destruction in an unstable region. "[29], Historian Alex von Tunzelmann, writing for The Guardian, noted several historical faults and said of the plot, "If you're getting the sense that the film is episodic and poorly structured, unfortunately you'd be right", and "There are far too many characters, so the screenplay splits them up into little groups and sends them off on various errands. Looking for Michelangelo's Madonna of Bruges and van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece is definitely grand, but the grandeur is not matched by the screenplay.As for directing, Clooney misses the sharpness of his Good Night and Good Luck while he helms here what seems a small story about an odd group of soldiers struggling to rise to the occasion of history's greatest art reclamation. Danny Ocean rounds up the boys for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff. The unit splits up to cover more ground, with varying degrees of success. Possibly because it's enjoyable but not remarkable, a pastiche of brief episodes not always connected to the plot's central vision (shooting at a German sniper youth thought to be an adult?). All seems lost when she discovers that Stahl is taking all of her gallery's contents to Germany as the Allies approach Paris. During the Nazi period, a huge number of European art treasures pillaged by the Germans had been stored in the Altaussee salt mine near the town of Bad Aussee. [8][9] Casting was held in February 2013 for thousands of extras for the military scenes. GEORGE CLOONEY. The mines around Bad Grund, particularly the Wiemannsbucht and the Grube Hilfe Gottes, were used in the filming of outdoor scenes. Richard Campbell and Preston Savitz learn that Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece was removed by the priests of Ghent Cathedral for safekeeping, but their truck was stopped and the panels taken. Frank Stokes convinces President Roosevelt that victory will have little meaning if the artistic treasures of Western civilization are lost. A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions. Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. The story is fascinating, but this film's good intentions are hampered by its lack of pace, direction, tone and properly fleshed-out characters."[30]. She provides a comprehensive ledger she has compiled that provides valuable information on the stolen art and the rightful owners. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? 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