The Rape of Europa
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| The Rape of Europa | |
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 theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Richard Berge Bonni Cohen Nicole Newnham |
| Produced by | Richard Berge Bonni Cohen Nicole Newnham Robert M. Edsel (co-producer) |
| Written by | Lynn Nicholas (novelist) Richard Berge Bonni Cohen Nicole Newnham |
| Narrated by | Joan Allen |
| Cinematography | Jon Shenk |
| Editing by | Josh Peterson |
| Distributed by | Menemsha Films |
| Release date(s) | United States: November 12, 2007 |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,300,000 |
| Gross revenue | $425,000 |
| Official website | |
| Allmovie profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War is the title of a book and a subsequent documentary film. The book, by Lynn Nicholas, explores the Nazi pillaging of art treasures from occupied countries, and the consequences. It covers a range of associated activities: Nazi appropriation and storage, patriotic concealment and smuggling during World War II, discoveries by the Allies, and the extraordinary tasks of preserving, tracking and returning by the American Monuments officers and their colleagues.[1]
Despite the regular accounts of impending destruction of art works, Nicholas also recounts a veneration for art on the part of people of all sides of the conflict, and what amounts to desperate and sometimes heroic activity. The villains, unsurprisingly, are often the Nazis, particularly Adolf Hitler and Hermann Goering; however the activities of Western art dealers are often questionable.
The book is chronological starting with scattered events in the decade before World War II. During this time the Nazis used their influence and money to acquire artwork, while dealers and the public at large were anticipating war. Discussion of Nazi occupation starts in the third chapter. The middle of the book discusses Nazi plundering during the war, as well as Soviet efforts to safeguard their treasures. Halfway through the book the role of American and Allied organizations are introduced, including the frustratingly tentative planning and lack of resources they faced. The book follows the path of liberation as the Allies push back the Axis, while missing art is searched for, and recovered art conserved. The book concludes with chapters about post war activities: resolving problems of ownership, coordinating the return of stolen art, and attempting to collect what was yet missing. Philosophically intriguing are issues of who ultimately owns works of art. Since this last phase of recovery and restitution is still going on, this book also has a direct bearing on current activities.
The book won the National Book Critics Circle Award for general non-fiction in 1994, and it was adapted for a film of the same name released in 2006. It was made for US$1.3 million, with half underwritten by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the remainder underwritten by the National Endowment for the Arts, several other foundations, and one private investor.[2] The film was named by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, but was not one of the five films actually nominated for the 2008 award.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Nicholas, Lynn (1995-04-25). The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe's Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. London: Vintage Press. ISBN 0679756868.
- ^ Stewart, Anna (2007-12-07). The Rape of Europa: Oscar Documentary Shortlist. Variety. Retrieved on 2008-05-04.
- ^ Shortlist for docu Oscar unveiled (fee required). Hollywood Reporter (2007-11-20). Retrieved on 2007-12-21.
