The Monuments Men (2014)

An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners.

Director:

George Clooney

Writers:

George Clooney (screenplay), Grant Heslov (screenplay)

Stars:

George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Clooney	...	Frank Stokes
Matt Damon	...	James Granger
Bill Murray	...	Richard Campbell
Cate Blanchett	...	Claire Simone
John Goodman	...	Walter Garfield
Jean Dujardin	...	Jean Claude Clermont
Hugh Bonneville	...	Donald Jeffries
Bob Balaban	...	Preston Savitz
Dimitri Leonidas	...	Sam Epstein
Justus von Dohnányi	...	Viktor Stahl
Holger Handtke	...	Colonel Wegner
Michael Hofland	...	Priest (Claude)
Zachary Baharov	...	Commander Elya (as Zahary Baharov)
Michael Brandner	...	Dentist
Sam Hazeldine	...	Colonel Langton

Storyline

Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by FDR with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys - seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 - possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind's greatest achievements.

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Plot Keywords:

art | art expert | nazi stolen art | world war two | soldier | 

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Taglines:

It was the greatest art heist in history

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Genres:

Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some images of war violence and historical smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Germany

Language:

English German Russian French Flemish

Release Date:

7 February 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Operación Monumento

Filming Locations:

Studio Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$70,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$22,700,000, 9 February 2014, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$78,031,620

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$159,231,620

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1 Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stokes (George Clooney) says he worked with Garfield (John Goodman) on the World War I memorial in St. Louis. John Goodman was born in St. Louis.

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Goofs

When the German asks the French assistant for a champagne glass, the woman gets a champagne coupe style glass. Some people incorrectly assume that this is an error in the movie and that a champagne flute should have been used. However, champagne flutes did not become popular until later in the twentieth century and during the World War II era the champagne coupe was the style of glass commonly used to serve champagne.

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Quotes

James Granger: Stop, stop. Stop. I seem to have stepped on a land mine... of some sort.
Frank Stokes: Why d'you do something like that?
James Granger: It was a slow day.
Frank Stokes: Well, I wouldn't move.
James Granger: I'd like to at some point.

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Crazy Credits

At the beginning of the end credits there are black and white photos of the real Monuments Men with some of the art they saved.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: George Clooney/Britt Robertson/Hugh Laurie/Dwayne Johnson/Jessica Hynes/Snoop Dogg (2015)

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Soundtracks

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
Written by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin
Performed by Nora Sagal

User Reviews

Loved the Monuments Men

I know this movie received mixed reviews, but I thought it was excellent. With so many disappointing movies lately I was pleasantly surprised that Monuments Men really delivered. I had never heard this story before and I was impressed at how it was presented. The actors were perfect for their roles and it left me feeling proud of what these men were able to accomplish.

One thing that really struck home with me was seeing the beaches at Normandy. My uncle actually landed in the first wave, lost most of his battalion and was wounded. He never spoke about it but I know he carried the scars throughout his life.