It's about the theft, destruction, and in many cases, eventual return and restoration, of the great works of art and architecture in Europe by the Nazis during WWII. The film follows the book in that it is chronological starting in the decades before WWII, when the rising Nazi party began to use their power to acquire great works of art as well as destroy the works of art Hitler deemed "degenerate." Then the film goes through different parts of Europe, chronicling the destruction and theft, mostly by the Nazis, in countries such as Poland, Austria, Russia, France, Germany, and Italy. While the main villains are the Nazis, Allied forces do cause destruction, especially in the bombing of Italy. The film also focuses on the heroic efforts of museum worker, art dealers, etc, who worked very hard to hide many of the precious works, as well as the efforts of the Monuments Men to restore and return many of the art and architecture.
I found this film so incredibly powerful. I am an art history major; art is my love and my passion and I cannot imagine the world without the great masterpieces of Europe, and that almost happened. There is one particular part of the film the was especially heartbreaking, and that is the portion focusing on Poland. The Nazis, Hitler mainly, hated Poland and considered them degenerate, so they set about invading and destroying their entire culture, including bombing the Royal Castle in Warsaw. The castle is a huge part of Polish history and cultural identity, and Hitler knew this and he destroyed the palace, completely blowing it up. The castle that stands there today is entirely a reconstruction. I actually cried while watching this portion, to think that someone tried to wipe out an entire culture and its art makes me so sad and angry.
Art is what makes us human and separates us from animals, gives us culture and identity, and to think that the world came so close to losing so much of its precious art... is absolutely terrifying.
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