Waging war for the love of art The Monuments Men

This film has potential — an unusually fascinating story about a bunch of art lovers from the Allied countries who come together at the end of World War two to try and save major works of art from Nazi hands; some exceptionally talented actors playing army officers, art curators, and architects; and the possibility to make a truly good-looking film, one that travels across Europe with its protagonists as they survey churches, monuments and art galleries tracking down looted artworks. Alas! The film never quite finds its rhythm, staining to keep its audience interested in the inter-continental treasure hunt once the novelty factor wears away. Shockingly, this film about art did not look artistic at all, a really disappointing act by cinematographer Phedon Papamichael.

Admittedly, the film has its moments, and to history lovers it plays out the war from a completely new perspective — that of the lover of art. Here are individuals who fearlessly jump into war zones only to protect paintings and sculptures — now these are characters that must have been infinitely interesting. Through them you are forced to acknowledge that it makes just as little (or complete) sense to fight for art as it does to fight for the idea of a “nation”.

The film raises questions about whether it is okay for a soldier to lay down his life for a piece of art but tragically it doesn’t quite make its point as clearly as it should have. It gets too caught up in leisurely unravelling each and every mine where the Nazis stored the stolen artworks, rather than also painting a better picture about the protagonists themselves. Little asides into Donald Jeffries’ (Hugh Bonneville) identity crisis and Sgt. Richard Campbell’s (Bill Murray) memories of home serve to complicate the characters ever so slightly, in a film that otherwise employs typical war movie tropes of sentimental music, barely funny bro-mances and selfrighteousness. Nor does the film really go into the value of art to each of the characters. If the film had invested in this angle, maybe we would have invested in their agenda too.

Claire Simone ( Cate Blanchett) in one scene refuses to share her information about where the art might be stashed because she suspects the Americans will keep the loot for their own museum, a scenario not so unfathomable. The film is definitely one-sided, keeping the glories for the Allied forces while painting the Germans as manics and the Russians as thieves. If only there were more conflicting perspectives, the film could have been a marvellous rereading of the past.