O.K., so after sitting through "Across the Universe," I was really looking for something different. Sort of like when you take a drink at the Dentist's office to rinse your mouth from the plaque. I saw a sign for "The Rape of Europe" and figured, "Hmm, maybe this will be interesting." It was far more than I ever imagined.
Stop right now, it was not that kind of movie! It is a documentary about World War II. Notably, how Hitler -- in addition to be a mass murderer and greatest villain the planet Earth has ever known -- was also an art thief. All over Europe, he ordered that the greatest European works of art being stolen and shipped to Germany to be part of his private art collection. By the time of his downfall, he owned a collection that would be worth billions of dollars today.
The documentary is skillfully narrated. I am not much of a fan of non-fiction movies, but this one is so gripping, you really don't mind. We don't often remember the horrors that gripped the world last century. What makes the subject of the film so compelling is that art is considered one of the great achievement of modern civilization. Monkeys don't make art. Dolphins are wonderful animals, but they can't paint. Early man was great at using clubs to kill their prey, but could they leave traces of emotion on canvas? I don't think so.
Yet, the most beautiful and moving works or art were looted by a madman. A crazed hooligan who came frightening close to dominating the world. This film is important because it shows the next generation just how far evil can go when left unchecked.
By the way, few people realize that Hitler was an art school drop out. He could just not cut it, even though he claimed to love art. Maybe stealing all these famous paintings was his way of gaining revenge on his old art teachers
Thursday, January 3, 2008
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