Take Off The Shroud To Be Enlightened

Rating: 8/10 (27 December 2019)

As a young "Army-brat", I was taken to the Acropolis of Athens in Greece, where I mindlessly viewed the site as a playground full of rubble for the tossing. Some years later, as a freshman needing credits in college, I enrolled in a History of Architecture class and with jaw agape I found myself thoroughly exploring what the Acropolis of Athens epitomized to humankind. Thus, I was enlightened.
So, on a recent rainy afternoon, The Monuments Men unfolded on my smaller screen. As I read the movie's logline, it had never occurred to me just how much the world of art may well have lost during World War II. Once again, I was enlightened.
The Monuments Men garnered my attention from opening credits, but the more story unfolded it was as if I too were uncovering a fantastic work of art. Yes, Monuments Men is not your typical WWII battlefield endeavor, but with an open mind you can still unearth the dramatic irony in aging art aficionados weaving their way through resistive warzone commands, while trying to get their collective assignments accomplished. Assignments that transitioned into affairs of the courageous heart, all the while leaving the audience with heart-wrenching passages of tragedy.
Coming full circle, those same people who suffered through my childish antics on the Acropolis, would have been treated to similar escapades if they had also taken me to see a parched genre akin to The Monuments Men. However, I later realized the reasoning behind why my parents forced me to attend those protracted movies and to visit those tedious ancient sites, as such. Now, I thank my lucky stars they instilled that cultural foundation within me to nurture and I do so every day.
To that end, give The Monuments Men its due. The storyline has appeared as a misfire to some, but the acting ensemble, the heroics portrayed, and the curatorial triumphs of perpetuation are very entertaining, let's just say, to those of us with a hint of cultural exposure.