The Monuments Men (Film Review)

Have you ever said to yourself; “boy, I wish they made a film where museum directors, curators, and art historians form an army unit during WWII; with a goal to retake stolen art from Nazis”?  Neither have I; but that doesn't stop me from enjoying this unique war film about just such an event. 

Based on a true story, The Monuments Men wastes no time getting its plot started.  Ageing architect Frank Stokes (George Clooney) converses with American President Franklin D. Roosevelt as to why a task force is needed to help preserve precious art that’s being destroyed and/or stolen due to the war.  “Cultures can be repopulated; but to destroy their art will erase all their past, making it as if they never existed” Stokes passionately explains.  He’s given permission to assemble a team of art collectors and architects, consisting of an A-Cast team including Lt. Granger (Matt Damon), Sgt. Campbell (Bill Murray), Sgt. Garfield (John Goodman), Lt. Clermont (Jean Dujardin), Pvt. Savitz (Bob Balaban) and Lt. Jeffries (Hugh Bonneville); calling themselves The Monuments Men.  They strive to save thousands of art pieces with help from French Resistance member Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett).  Time is running out however, as battles, Nazis and even their own allies push against their very difficult mission.

The Monuments Men is definitely on the more light-hearted side of WWII films (excluding black comedy); with humor used as one of its major aspects.  Simply looking at the cast could give you that impression, with Bill Murray and John Goodman particularly standing out.  As the story progresses the Monuments Men are split up into several groups, each partaking in a humorous sub-story.  Lt. Granger's sent to France where he discovers his French to be “not as good as thought he” to amusing results; Campbell and Savitz use wittily clever tricks to capture a concealed Nazi, and Garfield and Clermont partake in a firefight against a Nazi whose not what he initially appears to be.  The individual segments are entertaining, and the film effectively showcases the cast’s comedic talents here and during other scenes (such as training camp).

No matter how lighthearted The Monuments Men can get, it never forgets it’s dealing with personal stories from a very tragic war.  I read that the film was pushed back from its initial date release due to issues with balancing humor and the serious nature of WWII.  If pushing it back was indeed the case, then they made the right choice.  The Monuments Men knows how to hold its weight when regarding drama; balancing it successfully with its comedy.  In fact the lighthearted nature of scenes can make the film all the more severe when it recognizes the cost of war.  There’s one “lighthearted” scene where two of the Monuments Men get accidentally caught up in a firefight between the Axis and Allies.  When one gets shot while escaping, it’s played out so amusingly I was led to assume the wound was nothing serious; yet the resulting scene is not only emotionally tragic, but hits much more efficiently as a result of the misdirection. 

The movie’s solemn scenes help balance out the humor, giving the war, deaths and atrocities needed acknowledgment.  In one scene Granger walks into a room filled with thousands of different confiscated items.  Clair explains that they were “people’s lives; Jews” while the camera shot silently cuts to a wide shot of the room; reminding me of a similar scene from Schindler’s List where we see all the stacked property taken from Jewish families heading to concentration camps.  Respect is given to the men, women, and children who died from WWII, while never feeling out of place beside the comedy; giving The Monuments Men a smooth transition between humor and drama that’s quite effective.

My favorite scene occurs during Christmas at the Battle of the Bulge.  While I won’t give away details, I will say the scene is emotionally bittersweet, respectfully touching, and ends with a beautifully silent wide-angle shot that plays just long enough to let its impact sink in.  The Monuments Men is a finely crafted film; taking on a new WWII angle that’s refreshing, funny, and at times emotionally moving to watch.