When Art Students Go Mad..."The Rape Of Europa"

The Rape of Europa (2006)

Not Rated

Written and Directed by Richard Berge & Bonni Cohen

The Story:

The incredible true story of the Nazis who basically plundered or destroyed thousands of pieces of artwork throughout Europe before and during World War II.

After watching this documentary, it almost lays out the entire timeline of World War II as one big exercise by the Nazis to obtain or eradicate the largest art collection in the entire world. Hitler and Goering, among others, were art collectors who kept the very best pieces for their own personal collection, but the grand design was to open the greatest art museum the world had ever seen.

Well, we know how well that worked out, but it was still a costly battle to stop a museum from being built!

The countless pieces that have possibly been lost to time are sickening.

However, many pieces are still being discovered with each passing generation, many of whom don't even realize what treasures they have been hiding, either hanging on a wall or actually still in a hiding place.

The documentary naturally discusses the Monuments Men operation that was launched by the United States to try and save as much of the art as they could find, and that became the basis for the movie of the same name a few years ago.

Most impressive was the complete and total evacuation of the Louvre museum and their attempts to keep those treasures out of the hands of the advancing Germany army.

A really entertaining, yet somber, documentary.

Currently streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: Solid B

Possibly The Greatest "Race" In History

Race (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Carice van Houten, Barnaby Metschurat, Eli Goree, Shanice Benton,

Directed by Stephen Hopkins

The Story:

Jesse Owens (James) heads to Ohio State, becomes a track legend under the tutelage of coach Larry Snyder (Sudeikis) and eventually becomes the Olympic hero that everyone remembers.

The time has come to tell his story, finally.

Why it took 80 years to get to the big screen is beyond me, but with the cooperation of Jesse's family, it's finally here.

Naturally, some things are going to be compressed for time, changed for dramatic emphasis, but the nuts and bolts of the story are all the same.

The pressure faced by the Olympic committee to even go to Germany in 1936 is presented.

So too is the pressure Owens himself faced, told by the NAACP to sit out the games as a protest.

I'd like to think that history has made that symbolic gesture seem pointless, as normally the only way to confront a bully is to look him square in the eye, and then punch him square in the face.

Owens did that, and more.

James is great as Owens, bringing to life one of America's greatest Olympic legends.

And he is presented, warts and all, and not lifted up as something other than a normal man, who just happened to be really, really fast.

The real revelation is Sudeikis playing a non-comedic role.

He gets a great chance to shine, and his scenes with James bring their chemistry to life.

Also of note, Germany filmed the games for the documentary Olympia, and that storyline also unfolds in this movie, and much of what they brought to that production is the backbone of televising modern sporting events.

Final Grade: Solid B

Untold Tales of World War II... "The Book Thief"

The Book Thief (2013)

Rated PG-13 for violence

Starring Sophie Nelisse, Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, Nico Liersch, Ben Schnetzer

Directed by Brian Percival

The Story:

Liesel (Nelisse) is a young girl being sent to live with the Hubermann family, Hans and Rosa (Rush & Watson) at a time when Nazi power is on the upswing in Germany but before World War II has been declared.  Liesel's brother dies on the trip, and she discovers her first book, "The Gravedigger's Handbook" and steals it, fascinated by what it could contain.  Hans helps to teach her to read, and so begins her love affair with books.  However, as time marches on, so too does the onset of war, and the change and heartache that comes with it.

This is an interesting, slightly odd film concerning World War II.

First, it opens with narration by Death.  Death will provide a voice over a few times during the film, and it is an odd plot device to employ in the story.  It really doesn't add much to the story, it simply provides some omniscient narration that the writer or director wanted to emphasize.

It's neither a good nor bad technique, just different. 

As for the rest of the story, it's a very quiet build as Liesel learns to adapt to her new family.  Adored by Hans, and fearful of her new mother, the movie is a slow burn as emotions and feelings change throughout the movie.

The movie, while just over 2 hours, doesn't really drag, and they do manage to compress an entire war in the running time.

It's a remarkable feat, and yes, you begin to wonder if the movie is based on a true story, but no, it's a work of fiction.

That said, there is no doubt that the events that occur in the movie very likely happened to many, many Germans during the war.

That includes the hiding of Max (Schnetzer) in their basement, and the budding romance with the neighbor boy  Rudy (Liersch) that is both sweet and tragic as the movie rolls along.

There is some power to this movie that American audiences may never fully appreciate.  While we suffered casualties on the fields of battles, the countries involved in the ground war lost casualties on all fronts and lived in constant fear.

Nobody is asking you to suddenly feel sympathetic to the Nazi Party, but you are stretched to realize that not every German in the country was a devout follower of Herr Hitler.

If you get the chance to see it, I don't think you'll feel disappointed.

Final Grade: B/B- range.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While I could watch it again, I would have no need to own this one for the library.

Polio Schmolio..."FDR: American Badass"

The only thing we have to fear...is werewolves!?!?

The Story:

Governor Roosevelt (Barry Bostwick) is out hunting with his friends when they are attacked by a werewolf.  He is bitten in the leg and contracts polio.  When a chance encounter with a young fan at the hospital spurs Roosevelt to run for President...well, the rest as they say, is history.  Of course most history books overlook the fact that Hitler, Mussolini and Hirohito were all werewolves.

Yes, it's going to be a slightly different version of what the history books said!

Well, this film was no Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.

Instead of playing it straight, they went straight for the absurd in this film.  Heck, they even go for a Batman style logo segue between scenes, so you know from the get-go this is not going to be a conventional film by any means.

Barry Bostwick is hilarious as the aforementioned badass in the film.  He chews the scenery, and his cigarette, with relish and glee as he tears through the film.  The rest of the cast support him well.

The ridiculousness of the entire Axis of Evil (the first, and still the best...) being werewolves is insanely absurd, but works perfectly in this film.

So much so, that by the time the spirit of Abraham Lincoln (Kevin Sorbo) shows up, you question absolutely nothing at that point.  Of COURSE it had to happen that way!

;)

Really, the only thing I could do without was the scene involving bathroom humor.

And don't get me wrong, a good fart joke is *always* funny... ;)

But some films take it too far, and it crosses over from funny to disgusting.

So this film's getting docked for that...


Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing...

If you dare!

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One and done was just the right amount for this film. 

PBS Does History Better Than The History Channel... "Nova: 3D Spies of World War II"

Nova...You couldn't get me to watch this show growing up...

:)

The Story:

In the early stages of WWII, only Britain remained in Europe to stop Hitler's advance.  The British (and Americans) turned to the Spitfire, armed it with cameras, and had them fly over Hitler's Germany to gather intelligence.

Putting those films under stereoscope, the Allies gathered 3 dimensional information about what the Nazis were up to, and were better able to coordinate their attacks to do the most damage with the least amount of effort.

When sites are discovered and shelved due to not understanding what they have seen, the Allies will discover with great horror when they go back and check the film again that the Nazis have been working on the V-Series of rockets:  The first weapons of mass destruction that can be, and ultimately were,  launched at Great Britain.

Great information, much of it only recently declassified in the last few years, and a chance to once again marvel at the technology that the Allies and the Axis were using for their time, and how something so innocuous as photographs helped change the course of the war and curb the Nazi advance across Europe.

Highly recommended for... just about anyone, really.  This is some fascinating stuff.  A bit of the information is repetitive as the show plays, but it's an amazing hour of knowledge worth viewing.

Available to stream as of this writing on Netflix.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I'll keep this one in the queue and bring it up the next time we do history...or photography...or...  : )