The Monuments Men
Short description
The Monuments Men follows a group of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians and architects who are recruited by the U.S. Army during the Second World War and sent to Europe. Their task is to recover artworks taken by the Nazis and return them to their owners, and to prevent the destruction of what cannot be moved once the Reich collapses. None of them are trained soldiers, and they must earn the acceptance of the military while racing against time behind enemy lines. The story draws on real events.
George Clooney directed and co-wrote the screenplay with Grant Heslov, and also stars as Frank Stokes. It is his fifth film as director, arriving between The Ides of March and Suburbicon. The cast includes Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett and Hugh Bonneville, with 61 credited performers and 49 credited crew members. It was produced by Columbia Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Studio Babelsberg and Smoke House Pictures, and was released in January 2014.
Made for a budget of 70 million dollars, the film took about 155 million dollars worldwide, a solid return though not a large one relative to its scale. On IMDb it holds 6.1 out of 10 from around 148,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 out of 10 from roughly 3,900 votes. A critics' rating of 5.2 out of 10 from 257 reviews places it somewhat below the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- One of the treasure hunters decides to use a biplane that was hidden in a French barn. However, the plane's registration number begins with the letter “G”, indicating that it was registered in the United Kingdom, not France.
- On the map of Germany and the Benelux countries that Stokes and his men are looking at, the modern coastline is depicted, including the Dutch province of Flevoland, which only acquired the shape shown on the map in 1968.
- When the old Stokes returns to Bruges to look at the Madonna statue in 1977, he has the opportunity to view it almost up close. Since 1972, the statue has been placed behind bulletproof glass, and a barrier has been installed around it at a distance of 15 feet.
- A giant 50-star US flag was used in one of the scenes, but such a flag did not appear until after 1959.
- The film's release was originally scheduled for December 2013, but director George Clooney requested more time for post-production from the studio because the special effects were not ready. As a result, the premiere was moved to February.
- Daniel Craig could have played a role in this film, but ultimately left the project due to scheduling conflicts. The role of Craig went to Matt Damon.
- The World War I Memorial is located in Kansas City, Missouri, not in St. Louis, as mentioned in the film.
- The actor who plays the role of the old Frank Stokes, coming to the Madonna of Bruges statue, is George Clooney's father, Nick Clooney.
- The film features a version of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" with lyrics that were added only after 1957.
- At the beginning of the film, when the Ghent Altarpiece is being carried by cathedral attendants, you can notice that its lower left panel is in place. In reality, it was stolen on the night of April 10, 1934, and replaced with a copy only in 1945. Therefore, at the time of the film's events, this panel should not have been there.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
