IA#5: Reflections on The Monuments Men

During the past meetings, we watched a film entitled “The Monuments Men” in class. It is about a group of museum curators, historians and museum directors, who were tasked to go to Germany to find and return to rightful owners art stolen by Nazi Thieves during the second World War. In the end, even with their inability to properly and expertly handle guns, the group, who called themselves “The Monuments Men,” led by Frank Stokes, became triumphant in their mission and saved years upon years of culture. From what I saw in the film, I can say that it had a really nice and interesting story. Also, I think that the idea of saving stolen art, the ones that have kept the culture and traditions of people for several dozens of years alive, is something that should be done more often and more enthusiastically by people, and this was exhibited greatly in the film. In addition, I think the commitment of the group to recover art that does not even belong to them or to their country is admirable because it shows how devoted they are to preserve them and allow other generations to lay eyes upon and be able to appreciate them.

On another note, the film showcased good cinematography because of the way it was presented and the colors used in it was presentable and pleasant to the eyes, as well as the settings being really accurate. The different effects used especially in the war scenes were really effective not to mention, gave more thrill and action for the audience. The various actors and actresses also stayed true to their characters throughout the film since they delivered spot-on acting, which is an evidence of good directing and precise handling of the script. The only flaw of the movie, in my opinion, would be that, in the end, the Monuments Men got off too easy with the gathering of the paintings and other art forms. The scene should have shown a much more intense and exciting mood by at least making it more of a challenge for them to complete their mission.

The Philippines, our country, would be a better place and would have a much more appreciated culture if there was an existing set or platoon of “Monuments Men” in the country during the World War II. The destruction of different art forms whenever there were bombings, which affected museums and art exhibits everywhere, back then, would have been prevented. Consequently, with their presence, the works of art in our country would have been more preserved which, in turn, can be made available for people in our generation today for them to view and recognize with gratitude and respect. Having the same group to protect and make sure that our country’s artworks will be safely handled and taken care of is still a must in our very own armed forces. It is important to have so since there is no certainty about what is to happen in the future, so a little preparedness is necessary.