It was the greatest art heist in history|Jan. 24, 2014|Germany|118 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Action;Drama;History;War
Description: In 1943, the Allies are advancing effectively against the Axis forces in Italy. Frank Stokes persuades President Roosevelt that victory would be hollow if the artistic treasures of Western civilization are destroyed. Stokes is tasked with forming a military unit called the “Monuments Men,” which includes museum directors, curators, art historians, and an architect. Their mission is to advise Allied units and recover stolen art to return it to its rightful owners.
In July 1944, Claire Simone, a curator in occupied France, is compelled to assist Nazi officer Viktor Stahl in overseeing the theft of art for Adolf Hitler’s Führermuseum or as personal loot for high-ranking commanders like Hermann Göring. Devastated, Simone discovers that Stahl is transporting all of her gallery’s contents to Germany as the Allies approach Paris. She rushes to the railyard to confront him but can only watch helplessly as he departs with the stolen treasures.
Stokes’ team faces resistance from Allied officers in the field, who refuse to risk their troops for the sake of the mission. The unit disperses to cover more ground, with mixed results. James Granger meets Simone, but she suspects the Americans aim to seize the art for their own nation and refuses to cooperate. British officer Donald Jeffries infiltrates occupied Bruges at night to rescue Michelangelo’s Madonna of Bruges but is killed in the attempt. Richard Campbell and Preston Savitz uncover that Van Eyck’s Ghent Altarpiece was removed by priests from Ghent Cathedral for protection, but their truck was intercepted, and the panels were confiscated. Later, they capture Viktor Stahl, posing as a farmer, after identifying stolen masterpieces, including works from the Rothschild Collection, in his possession.
Cast director: George Clooney
Cast actor: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett, Hugh Bonneville, Sam Hazeldine, Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban, Holger Handtke
Original name: The Monuments Men