The Rape of Europa
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Movie Reviews of The Rape of Europa
Movie Review: Rape of Europa DVD about WWII art thefts from the Jews...
Summary: 4 Stars
Interesting DVD ~2 hours about how in WWII Nazies stole art treasurers from the Jews & the efforts to recover them.
Informative, well documented. Only complaint is that producer sometimes thinks is producing a music CD, & the background music hides the heavy accents of the speakers.
Amazon had much better price than direct sources.
Movie Review: A Flawed Premise
Summary: 3 Stars
The Rape of Europa recounts the story of Hitler's rejection from the Vienna School of Art and suggests that because he failed to get into art school he made the plundering of art a priority during WWII.
Without a doubt, Hitler was a thief. But I think it's a mistake to link these events as causal. Hitler stole everything he could get his hands on to pay for WWII. Property, gold-even the hair of concentration camp prisoners to stuff pillows. As a painter he could appreciate fine art, but as a dictator he knew it's value to the Third Reich. The removal and dessimation of cultural symbols played upon enemies psychologically. This movie almost has you believing that Hitler WENT to war to build a personal art collection. It's like saying Hitler's bumpy complexion in his teenage years later led to the practice of taking the skin of concentration camp victims to cover lamp shades. One event doesn't necessarily lead to another. It's a little absurd when more rational explanations are available for his actions-greed, a thirst for power, xenophobia, unpaid war bills.
The Rape of Europa also fails to address some important points in the taking of art from Jews during WWII. The Widelstein Family and many art collectors in the South of France helped Hitler move parts of his collection for money-and these people were Jewish. In other words, without the help of Jews some of this wouldn't have happened. In fact, many of the art works that remain unaccounted for were moved through the Widelstein family whereas the art that remained in Germany or with Hitler was repatriated to its righful owners. There is an interesting psychology in this. And as others reviewers have pointed out, what about the bombing of Dresden? This movie goes to great lengths to discuss the allied attempt to delay the bombing of the Cassino Abbey in Italy and discusses the allies appointing a special unit to restore art works to their original origins, but fails to address the other side. There was too much assigning of blame and heroism in this movie. The reality is that ART and culture are victims of war and everyone who choses to go to war is responsible for the demise of beauty. You want to believe the premise of the Rape of Europa, but the reality is Hitler didn't steal art because he was rejected from art school. Hitler took everything of value-dignity, humanity, art, gold, wine, women, children, body & soul-from anyone and everyone because it was a way of amassing power. This is what dictators do.
Movie Review: What about Dresden?
Summary: 3 Stars
I have read too much literature, especially Jewish, to buy completely into this account ... but I find the subject matter of the film interesing as part of the fascist story. It fails to account for contemporary German artists (and socialists) expelled from Germany, and it does not explain the bombing of DRESDEN by the USA. How can you have such a major work on European Art and the protection of its destruction and speak NOTHING about Germany's greatest ART CENTER Desden??? I would have bought most of what this documentry sold me but for its omission of Dresden. Given the cultural wealth Dresden sacrificed for the opposition to win the war it is SHAMEFUL this film failed to mention it. Was it because Americans DECIMATED German Art History for no reason at all? Was it because Dresden art had a story to tell? ... affirmed some of the German work of the time artworthy or anti-fascist? ... implicated somebody? .... concealed evidence?Movie Review: jr
Summary: 3 Stars
Very good exploration of Nazi art theft, but the title misguides the reader. The book barely touches the rape Soviets executed over the art works of Eurpe, whuch Russia todays continues to ignore. Shame the exploration wa not complete and the book and movie, while very well documented, is just one more in the plethora of books that deal ad nauseam with an already well documented attrocity.