The Rape of Europa takes its cue from the book of the same name by first-time author Lynn H. Nicholas. The book bore the subtitle: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. The film, directed by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, and Nicole Newnham, explores that fate in great detail as they journey through seven different countries and interview a host of people. In fact, they raises so many interesting issues that you may not feel fully satiated by the film's end.
For more than a decade, the Nazis looted and destroyed art on an unprecedented scale. Hitler's policy was to destroy what he didn't like and steal what he did. So a city like Krakow was spared because of it Germanic art while Warsaw had much of its Slavic art destroyed. But even now after 60 years, mysteries remain as many works are still missing - either destroyed, lost, or hidden in someone's personal collection. The film champions the soldiers as well as the heroic art historians and curators from America and Europe who mounted a campaign to rescue and eventually return the millions of art treasures displaced by the war. The film also shows the extraordinary efforts made by people during the war to protect art as Nazi invasion loomed. At France's Louvre, art was taken down and distributed to various castles for safe keeping. Can you imagine being entrusted with the safekeeping of the Mona Lisa?
The film also reveals that a very young Hitler attempted to enter Vienna's art academy but was rejected. This was the subject of the film Max , which speculated on how that rejection may have helped mold Hitler's personality and prejudices. The Rape of Europa ponders that question too, and points out that the panel that rejected Hitler was probably made up mostly of Jews. The film even uncovers some of Hitler's watercolors to let us see the kind of traditional art he was creating and to allow us to ponder what might have happened if Hitler had been accepted as an art student. As one man points out, if Hitler had merely become a bad artist he would have done far less harm to the world.
The film serves up some amazing archival images and footage as soldiers discover stockpiles of stolen art. The most impressive find occurring in a massive salt mine. It was the mission of The Monuments Men (mostly G.I.'s) to recover and return the art. Their work, and in particular the return of art to Italy, prompts one Florentine woman to recall that it allowed people to feel "the victory of beauty over horror." One of the soldiers recalls the experience of finding these art treasures and of feeling an overwhelming sense of responsibility, too much he suggests for just an average soldier to take on. Another soldier struggles to understand how the Nazis could commit such atrocious crimes against humanity and yet still maintain an appreciation for art.
Hitler ponders & an addition to his art collection in The Rape of Europa. (Menemsha Films)
That's one of the things that The Rape of Europa does well - it raises questions. It asks about the value of art and if art is indeed what makes us human. It also ponders whether or not soldiers' lives should be risked to save historic sites and art. In that respect, the film reminded me of issues raised in No End in Sight , a documentary about the Iraq war in which the U.S. failure to protect that country's art treasures and history came under attack. It is ironic to see the great care the U.S. took in regards to the protecting the art treasures during World War II and the blatant lack of concern displayed by the Bush Administration in regards to Iraq's museums and libraries during the U.S. invasion. In the case of both films, you are prompted to ask, can a culture survive if its art is destroyed?
A roomful of Torahs is discovered after the war in The Rape of Europa (Menemsha Films)
In addition to the stolen art, The Rape of Europa shows how soldiers found huge quantities of religious art objects and Torahs. But the fact that in many cases there was no one left alive to claim these items, made an impact on the soldiers, and helped to make more vivid the scope of Hitler's atrocities.
The Rape of Europa (unrated) boasts a strong narration by Joan Allen as it explores a less familiar aspect of World War II and the legacy left by the Nazis. The filmmaking trio behind the film deserve praise for crafting a riveting tale.
Companion viewing: Max , No End in Sight , The Great Dictator
