I decided to watch The Monuments Men (2014) for the film review. It is one of my favorite films about the Second World War, but I have not watched it in a while. I chose this movie for the review because I wanted to watch it with a historical lens and think about how it could be used in a learning setting. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures with George Clooney (who stars in the movie) and Grant Heslou. Looking for information about the film, I found that it was based on The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History (2009), written by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter. I watched the film using Amazon.

The film follows seven men who work in the arts and are tasked by the United States government with tracking down the art that the Nazis stole. They face difficulties and triumphs as they traverse the European continent, looking for these important cultural objects. This task presents one of the film’s central themes: preserving history, art, and culture. The film shows how these objects are essential to human history and how if they lose them, it destroys that history and culture. This theme plays along with another theme in the movie: the fight between good and evil (also a prevalent theme throughout many films). The film presents these men as heroes who are tracking down the objects that the Nazis steal. There are different moments during the film that present this theme. One particular scene shows Nazi soldiers burning the artwork after the war ends in Europe. The movie shows how what the Nazis are doing is wrong and, therefore, evil because it is crucial to preserve these cultural objects. This brings up the issue of historical accuracy. While based on a true story, of course, the rules of Hollywood influenced different moments in the movie. Some moments in films based on a true story are often played up to make it more enjoyable while removing some of the accuracy. George Clooney himself even brings this up. However, he does say they tried to make the movie as accurate as possible. In an interview for Entertainment Weekly, he states, “Listen, the good news is, 80 percent of the story is still completely true and accurate, and almost all of the scenes happened . . . We follow all the rules, we just made the characters more interesting, I think.”¹ While the main story is true with the elements about them searching for the art and the goals of the Nazis, they made changes to the characters to make them more interesting for audiences.

There are a couple of critical moments that play along with the major themes of the film. The first moment, which happened at 17:38, shows Claire, a French curator, coming home to find Nazi General Stahl waiting for her. He tells her that he found out that she is a part of the resistance along with her brother. As a threat, he informs her that they have taken her brother prisoner and that if she does not comply, the same will happen to her. He leaves, and Claire looks worried. This moment shows that struggle in the fight of good versus evil. While Claire is working to bring an end to the war and the atrocities the Nazis are committing, she and the audience is reminded that it is not easy and can be filled with heartache and fear. Another critical moment, at 1:13:38, is when the Monuments Men find where the art is hidden in different caves in Germany. This moment plays with both significant film themes, with a triumph in the fight against evil and the success in preserving these objects.

When considering how the film could be used in a teaching and learning environment, it would be essential to show it in conjunction with the book it is based on. This film shows a moment in World War II history that is rarely discussed. However, students would benefit from reading the book before watching the movie. I would want students to watch this film with a critical and historical lens and understand the advantages and disadvantages of historical films in terms of accuracy. Reading this book and other articles and texts about the event would give students the tools to do that. I would also ask them questions about accuracy and debate about the usefulness of historical films. With this, I want students to ask questions about the elements of the film and the choices in what the filmmakers chose to include and omit from the book.

1. “George Clooney talks ‘The Monuments Men’,” Entertainment Weekly, accessed June 24, 2024, https://ew.com/article/2013/08/12/george-clooney-monuments-men-2/. ↩︎