SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Micransix Crappy film

Breakinger A Brilliant Conflict

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Mario64 The Rape of Europa is a fascinating documentary that tells of the story of the theft, destruction, and in some cases saving of art during World War II. Narrated by Joan Allen the film takes you through the Nazi plundering of paintings in Poland, France and other countries (especially by Nazi art collectors like Hitler and Goering) to the efforts by citizenry to save museum pieces in Paris and Leningrad, to the unfortunate destruction of Renaissance architectural wonders during allied bombings in Italy and the German army demolishing various important Russian structures in the east. It also goes into efforts that are still going on to track down pieces since missing, and tells of the work to give back personal effects to families of Jews, items the Nazis stole without thinking twice from people they considered inhuman.All this is told with a delicate balancing act, reminding the viewer of the far greater tragedy of the war: the tens of millions of lives lost, most of them civilians. The misfortune of art during the war is not even close to that level of tragedy, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored. Art is part of one's culture and means a lot to great number of people. This is a story that deserves to be told, and though maybe this documentary goes in a few too many directions I found it quite interesting to see this perspective of the War that people rarely talk about.

MartinHafer This is a sad but fascinating documentary. While I knew that Nazis stole art throughout Occupied Europe, I didn't realize how systematic it was as well as the HUGE scope of the plundering. It wasn't just Goering (the most famous for his plundering) but Hitler and many of his henchmen that were behind the thefts--and they planned their invasions with plunder in mind! So, for example, when they thought art to be 'decadent' is was often destroyed--and when it was 'good', it was sent for German museums or to the private collections of these thieves! Today, some museums (such as in Vienna) talk at returning paintings to original families! Fortunately, some others (like the Utah museum) did return painting and acted responsibly when they learned that pieces of art in their collections were stolen by the Nazis. Other topics discussed in this interesting film were: The Soviet 'trophy brigades' returned the favor and plundered German museums and private collections--and today they STILL have the art and refuse to return it.That huge caches of art were found in mines as well as the famous Neuschwanstein Castle in Southern Bavaria.The ways that the Allies tried to avoid destroying art when they fought the Germans as well as efforts post-WWII to catalog and restore art to the rightful owners.It was very nice seeing Jewish people get back their silver 'Torah crowns'--and I found it very touching.Thousands of pieces of art are still missing--either destroyed or in private collections.All in all, a fascinating portrait of a seldom talked about but sick side of the Nazis--priceless art stolen from Holocaust victims and museums. Well worth seeing.

lastliberal If only the Vienna Art Academy would have found a place for young Adolf Hitler, we might have had a different world. But, they didn't think him a worthy artist, and upon his rise to power, he put his stamp on the art allowed in Germany and destroyed many works.This film is about Hitler and the Nazi efforts to steal art all over the world as they conquered countries.Poland was especially targeted, as Hitler planned to wipe out the Polish people, and all their culture and repopulate the country with Germans. The use of WWII footage made this especially poignant and brought home the evil in his mind.Next was Paris, and it was fascinating to see how they emptied the Louvre before the Germans came. The French managed to protect most of their art; except for the thousands of paintings in Jewish galleries, of course.The Russians managed to get a million paintings to Siberia before the Germans came, but many more paintings were at risk.The Nazis were not the only ones responsible for the destruction and theft of European art. The United States dropped tons of bombs and, in one case, destroyed the Montecassino Monastery completely with no enemy dead. The Camposanto in Pisa was destroyed by shells that missed their mark.But, the work that went on after the war to return the stolen art, and the work that goes on today to restore the damage gives on a good feeling. It is a shame it had to happen at all.

samkan Really fascinating glimpse on WWII from a perspective not often viewed. I didn't like the USER COMMENTS herein about war-is-war, same-old-stuff, what-do-you-expect, etc. Such might be true but here we get to see the effects of modern war on the theme of plunder and booty: bombing, communications, transit, etc.I will concede that some of the narrators/narration had sort of a lofty, elevated sense of themselves and/or their concern. Hey, war is a fact of life and if the uneducated rabble didn't fight it you art affectionadoes wouldn't be around to bid 6 million at Soothebys. But the film is great, however intended, because it conveys so many human traits at work; e.g., pride, nostalgia, sense-of-self, etc., as well as greed, pretensions, etc.I especially liked learning that we Americans actually appointed guys to preserve, protect, etc., art. Don't think for a second such was done for any reason other than political concerns! Also, I couldn't help think that when tired, ragged, homesick GI's uncovered some of the troves they cared not about art but rather the hooters on those painted babes.