Rape of Europa Collector's Edition
by Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham, Robert M. Edsel
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DVD details
Actor: Joan AllenDirector: Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham, Richard Berge, Robert M. Edsel
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 510 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-12-16
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Agon Arts & Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Rape of Europa Collector's Edition
DVD 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.
DVD Review: The secret of WWII
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing account of a little know aspect of Hitler's ambition during the Second World War. It's a MUST for every history buff!DVD Review: Excellent Accounts Of War Injustices By The Germans, Americans, and Russians
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie is aptly titled "The Rape of Europe" - the war and the conflicts led the Germans, Americans, and Russians to destroy each others' art and cultural heritages.
I am an avid art historian, and I am grateful this documentary was made. It recounts many atrocities of Hitler's ravages across Europe. Unquestionably, Hitler and the Germans systematically stole or destroyed art and culture from others. It is important for future generations to remember the immeasurable harm that came from the Nazis' conquest to attempt to achieve their vision of a larger and richer German empire, an empire that was built on the false moral premises that they were racially superior and it was acceptable for them to steal from racially-inferior people.
Other reviewers have warrantedly criticized this documentary for not equally reporting on the American and Russian destruction of their adversaries' art and cultural buildings. There are a few accounts of American and Russian carpet bombings. There are specific accounts of American attempts to avoid unnecessarily destroying some of their adversaires' cities and structures, but this documentary appears to have primarily a pro-allies perspective. I wish the documentary had accounted more of the allied atrocities. This war led all the nations involved to commit unbearable horrors against each other. World War II eventually led all the nations involved to participate in a rape of European arts, civility, and cultures.
DVD 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.
DVD Review: Lost art
Summary: 5 Stars
During World War II, the Nazi regime systematically plundered the great art in countries and cities they occupied. "The Rape of Europa" documents the staggering extent of this theft. Starting in Poland and continuing throughout Europe, Hitler cherry-picked artwork he liked and had it shipped to Germany, where it was hidden in country-side chateaus and salt mines. The Nazis would first take the art of Jews sent to concentration camps, and then they gradually moved on to seize art from national museums. Much of what Hitler didn't like, including Modern Art and works of art by Jews, was destroyed or sold on the cheap. Just as he viewed Jews and others as subhuman, Hitler branded this art as unworthy. As the Allies attempted to recapture territory, the bombing destroyed much art, particularly monuments, and the retreating Nazis would often purposefully burn or bomb what remained. The result was the raping of European art that took decades to sort out and begin to rectify. Much art went missing, either destroyed or still hidden somewhere in Europe; however, some of these works occasionally surface.
"The Rape of Europa" is well-constructed with excellent narration by Joan Allen. Piecing together interviews with witnesses and clips from the war, this riveting documentary also considers the moral dilemmas that have arisen from this stolen art, some of which continue to the present. For example, a painting stolen from a Jewish family was discovered a few years ago in a small Utah art museum. In a moving ceremony, the museum returned the painting to the rightful owner. However, not all recovered art has been treated similarly, which has resulted in bitter court and political fights. Obviously, the loss of art cannot be compared to the loss of life suffered during the war, but it's an important topic that adds to the tapestry of information available about WWII. A real must for those interested in art or WWII.
Description of Rape of Europa Collector's Edition
The Rape of Europa Collector's EditionWorld War II was not just the most destructive conflict in humanity, it was also the greatest theft in history: lives, families, communities, property, culture and heritage were all stolen.
The Rape of Europa Collector's Edition includes the award-winning documentary film, The Rape of Europa, based on the book by Lynn Nicholas, and narrated by Academy Award-nominated actress Joan Allen. It also features interviews with key figures including the Monuments Men and other war heroes, victims of the Nazis thefts, and prominent cultural figures including Major Corine Wegener (retired), a modern day Monuments woman who served in Iraq.
The Rape of Europa Collector's Edition addresses the questions of our time about the role of art in defining culture, and our shared responsibility to protect it. Included are Charlie Rose s interviews with author Lynn Nicholas and Robert M. Edsel, co-producer of The Rape of Europa and author of the companion book, Rescuing Da Vinci. Buy now at this one time introductory rate!
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