The Monuments Men
2014 · Directed by George Clooney
Original language: English
- war
- drama
- history
The story
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. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed?
What it’s like
Warm, burnished daylight over ruined European towns, with bombed-out stone, grey winter fields and snow-dusted villages that look like faded postcards, and an overall palette of muted khaki, ochre and dull steel. The camera is mostly steady and unhurried, with wide compositions that frame small men against large landscapes, and quiet interiors lit by lamps and rough daylight as the team sifts through crates in dusty storerooms. The score is soft and folksy, with light strings and a gentle tinge of jaunty brass, so the mood reads as wry, earnest and affectionate rather than tense. The pacing is easygoing and episodic, built around banter, small reversals and a few brief flashes of gunfire and shelling; violence is occasional and mostly off-screen or quick, with no gore and little lingering cruelty, though the Nazi looting and a handful of wartime deaths give some weight. Its people are ageing specialists who slowly find purpose and camaraderie in an unlikely mission. Good for a relaxed evening with a gentle, good-humoured war story, and for people who want history with a light touch and a warm ensemble.
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