The Film The Monument Men

War is a cruel and brutal thing. It’s something that the human race has been doing for thousands of years. It changes people and it changes culture. In war, we often think about the lives lost and the key points in winning the war. Some things people often forget about during war is art. In the film, “The Monuments Men,” we get a good understanding about what happened of pieces of art during World War II. This is my view on the film, “The Monument Men.” The film begins with Frank Stokes, played by George Clooney, talking to the President about getting a small group of men to go find important pieces of art like Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “Last Supper,” Jan van Eyck’s “Ghent Altarpiece,” and Michelangelo’s “Madonna of Bruges.”

I loved the story that was told. The fact that relatable, everyday artists were sent to Europe to find famous pieces of art tells a lot about us as humans. The movie often went from one character to another and it was very confusing to determine where this character was and what they were doing. Besides that, everything else was positive. The best part about the film has to be the set pieces and the actors. Every part of the movie was believable. The random encounters with enemy soldiers and the debris that is scattered everywhere actually gives you the sense of war, not just a scavenger hunt. One scene that really shocked me was when Frank Stokes asks a soldier where a town was and the soldier replied, “You’re standing in it.” All that was around him was collapsed buildings and dirt. It was upsetting to see this because I can’t imagine seeing a town completely wiped out. There were some big name actors in this movie like George Clooney, Bill Murray, Matt Damon, and John Goodman. They made me really like their characters and they did a great job of showing the hard times of war. The film also did a great job of focusing on finding the art. There was such a relief at the end of the film when they finally found the “Madonna of Bruges.” When I was learning about World War II I never once heard of “The Monuments Men.” I truly believe that it’s bad that I am just now finding out about these war heroes. These