ShowBiz Forum - messages #22610 .1

Prospero Blocks

Hot Celebrity Searches

'Grey's Anatomy'

Patrick Dempsey

'American Idol'

Sarah Jessica Parker

More Hot Searches

Chat Center

	Hot Movies Topic: Hot Movies
	The Drive-In Topic: The Drive-In

Board Folders

	Ask the Experts 1376 msgs in 79 dscns Latest: 5/5/09
	Industry News/... 5650 msgs in -132 dscns Latest: Nov-16
	Weekly ShowBiz... 4474 msgs in -101 dscns Latest: Nov-19
	Celebrity News... 11024 msgs in 550 dscns Latest: Nov-19
	TV/Movie Celebs 1961 msgs in 168 dscns Latest: Oct-10
	Music/Other Ce... 1316 msgs in 87 dscns Latest: Sep-14
	You Decide: Ho... 1322 msgs in 110 dscns Latest: Oct-18
	Movie Talk 6173 msgs in -71 dscns Latest: Nov-11
	Harvey Karten'... 2106 msgs in 803 dscns Latest: Nov-19
	World of Enter... 814 msgs in 121 dscns Latest: 9/18/08
	Home Video/DVD 1358 msgs in 234 dscns Latest: Oct-20
	Screenwriting 220 msgs in 31 dscns Latest: 5/10/07
	Theater & Music 834 msgs in 233 dscns Latest: Nov-18
	The Green Room 9445 msgs in 567 dscns Latest: Jun-2

Harvey Karten's Reviews

Review: The Rape of Europa

Print Discussion

#1 of 1 Posted 8/30/07 10:28 PM

From Harveycritic Posts 1632 Last Nov-2
To All [Msg # 22610.1 ]

THE RAPE OF EUROPA

Reviewed for CompuServe by Harvey S. Karten
Menemsha Films
Grade: B+
Directed by:    Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham
Written By: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham from book by Lynn H. Nicholas
Cast:   Joan Allen, narrator
Screened at: Review 2, NYC, 8/30/07
Opens: September 14, 2007

Sixty-two years after the defeat of the Axis forces in World War II, movies and books about the Nazi regime are still a powerful attraction for readers and cinephiles. As long as documentaries and fiction films each treat a different aspect of the phenomena of the Holocaust and the war, such pics are essential viewing, even if they’re over-the-top melodramas like the vivid, engrossing “Black Book.” “The Rape of Europa” treats the German aggressors with an original look: that of Hitler’s treatment of the art works of the European countries his forces occupied, many of which were stolen from museums and homes of wealthy, Jewish collectors. The topic is far from dated given the ongoing controversy over whether some immensely valuable paintings should be returned to their original owners or to the museum from which they originated.

In this documentary by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen and Nicole Newnham, the writer-directors intricately weave archival clips from the war into recent talking-heads interviews and still photos which graphically show the destruction wrought by Germany 1939-1945 in a war that resulted in fifty million deaths, and also the bombings by allied forces that virtually leveled major areas of Germany. The doc is narrated in a matter-of-fact tone (some would say static) by Joan Allen, featuring interviews by mostly older Europeans, children when they witnessed the massive destruction of buildings and robberies of paintings, and also by folks who were museum curators, some of whom had to pack up the treasures of their collections swiftly to avoid theft by approaching German armies.

Among the insights that any high-school kid should be able to tell you about is the thought that the war, which began under the charismatic leadership of the 20th century’s greatest villain, might have been averted entirely if Hitler’s application to the Vienna School of Fine Arts had not been rejected. Hitler was deemed by the admissions officials to be of mediocre, though not terrible, talent: we see some of his early canvases, not available to the general public because of their controversy-arousing potential–and to my eyes, they did not look bad at all. If only the Vienna officials were not such snobs! Also suggested is that many of the judges on the admissions committee were Jewish, a fact that would have increased Hitler’s already voracious anti-Semitism.

Hitler, then, already possessing an interest in painting, was determined to steal what he could, much of the loot–1,700 works of art in fact–winding up in Hermann Goering’s hunting lodge–while others which Hitler considered degenerate such as the surreal and even some impressionists condemned to literal fire.

Among the most intense scenes is that of Parisians getting together to transport the treasures of the Louvre out of Paris and into hiding places, with particular emphasis on the carrying of the huge, two-millennia-old “Winged Victory” statue down the stairs of the museum where one fall might have broken the sculpture in a thousand pieces.

Every time that Hitler himself is seen staring admiringly at a work of the Old Masters, one thinks, “Yes, the Germans are a people with a history of culture,” while at the same time one wonders how this Central European nation could have committed some of the worst atrocities of all time.
The film will be of particular interest to patrons of art history, to war freaks, and to cinephiles able to admire a well-done piece of celluloid on a neatly focused niche of history.

Not Rated.    117 minutes   © 2007 by Harvey Karten Member: NY Film Critics Online

Print Discussion

Harvey Karten's Reviews

Review: The Rape of Europa

Adjust text size:

Interest level:

Welcome, Guest

• Post a message

• New messages to you

Find messages


Advanced Search

Prospero Blocks

	Web Offers • Find: Astrology Chart
• Cosmetic Surgery
• Madonna's Music
• Kelly Clarkson
• Angelina Jolie
• Tom Cruise

Special Offers
Show me more info on:

Finding People

• Find a Date

• White Pages

• Reverse Lookup

• Cell Phone Numbers

• Unlisted Numbers

• E-mail Addresses

• Background Checks

• People Finder

• Fine Old Friends

• Family Tree

Cool Clicks!

• Unclaimed Cash

• Free Cell Phones

• Energy Boost

• Party Planning

• Photo Sharing

• Work From Home

• Video Games

• BloggingStocks

• Horoscope Updates

• Adult (18 & Over)

© 2009 CompuServe Interactive Services, Inc. All rights reserved.

Legal Notices | Privacy Policy