Men Seeking Monuments

Rating: 7/10 (30 August 2015)

This is an interesting little film, telling the story of a team of artists, art historians, and so on, sent to try to rescue works of art pillaged by the Nazis in the European part of World War 2.
As is often the case with Hollywood films, the role played by non- Americans is downplayed. A token Brit and Frenchman are included, but when the time comes to kill someone off, guess which two bite the dust.
That said, the film is well cast and the main actors (all men apart from Cate Blanchett) work well together. A nice casting touch is putting George Clooney's father, Nick, as an older version of the same character as George Clooney himself plays, but in a codicil set in the 1970s, long after the main business of the film is over.
The script has its moments and the music is excellent. The whole thing ends on a pleasing note of triumph. Yes, much that was fine and good was indeed lost. But so much that might have been lost was not, thanks to the effort made by people like the ones we see here. In the film, President Truman is shown asking whether it was worth it – a very pertinent question. The Clooney character gives an equally pertinent answer – yes, it was.
So, to sum up, this is an unexpectedly charming and absorbing piece of entertainment – maybe a bit light for its subject matter, but a mostly enjoyable couple of hours.
Rating: 7/10