I was so completely intrigued by the story behind the 'Monuments Men' movie, I needed to go see it again before they take it off the screens. I went again last night, and probably enjoyed it even more than the first time when I went right after it was released back in January.
I sort of knew the story, from an article published in the Smithsonian magazine a couple of years ago, based on the book of the same name. And still so fascinated by the story, I've just requested the book from the library. It apparently intrigued some other people as well, as I am number 5 in line.
Even if you don't have an interest in fine art or any desire to see famous religious sculpture that has survived for hundreds of years in churches and museums in Europe, it is a compelling story. I don't think it possible too fully understand or appreciate what these men did to preserve the culture of the
European civilization. It's amazing to consider how much these men were able to find and preserve: great works of art stolen by the Germans. Consficated from churches, museums, private collections and individuals. And scary to realize that if they had not been willing to devote themselves to tracking down these paintings and pieces of sculpture, we would only know of these priceless, irreplaceable works from the photos we could view in books.
It's truly a fascinating story, and even more so because it is true. I suspect that much of the information was classified by the military for fifty years following the end of the war, and has only come to light in recent years. There are probably lots of other things the government has kept from us over the years we would be astounded to know - most of which they think they have to keep silent about to 'protect' us.
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