Film Analysis: The Rape Of Europa

Choosing a movie to watch was difficult, many of the films on the list sounded intriguing, but I finally settled on The Rape of Europa. I never knew art was such an important part of the Second World War, and I was interested in learning the role art played in World War II. The Rape of Europa explores the systematic purging of art different art that was deemed unworthy or degenerate by the Hitler and the German officials, and also the looting of art the Germans deemed worthy from the countries they occupied. It also shows Hitler’s love and even obsession for art and his persistence of the German officials to participate in art appreciation and collection. Another plot point discussed as Hitler’s to transform his “home town” of Linz, Austria into a metropolis of art and culture similar to Rome. In Linz, Hitler was planning to build a tomb for himself and the crown jewel of German art appreciation called the Führermuseum. The Germans not only stole paintings and sculptures, they also pillaged furniture from Jewish apartments and houses they raided, intended to “erase a people and their memory”, says a historian in the film. The film also shows the painstaking work finding and reuniting these stolen works with their rightful countries and owners. The theme that struck a chord with me was …show more content…
The film also recounts art historians searching and tracking down the works of art that were lost during the war and reuniting them with their owner. The cinematography throughout the film was helpful in understanding the message and the themes the film was trying to convey. There were many pictures, witness testimonials, and interviews with historians that added credibility to the film and helped me understand the message better. Finally, I am glad I decided to watch The Rape of Europa, I learned a lot about a topic I previously knew nothing