THE RAPE OF EUROPA

THE RAPE OF EUROPA, 2006
USA | Blu-ray, Color, 117’| English, Russian, Polish, German, French, Italian
Directors: Richard Berge, Bonni Cohen, Nicole Newnham,

An eye-opening documentary about the artworks looted by Nazis from the countries they occupied during World War II. According to the film, close to one fifth of all the known artworks in Europe –in other words millions of them– were seized by the Nazis. The documentary features interviews with various people, including Adele Bloch-Bauer, the model of Klimt’s stolen “Gold Portrait”, and former “Monuments Men”. The directors focus on every one of the occupied countries individually, revealing the measures each country took during the war to protect their artistic heritage. Reminding us that there are still thousands of works that are missing, the documentary touches upon a long ignored subject to show the ineffaceable marks of the war.