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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

Movie Review: The Monuments Men

Fr. David Friel · February 16, 2014

OW SHOWING on the silver screen, George Clooney’s latest film, The Monuments Men, presents a story that would interest art enthusiasts. It loosely recounts the story of the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) program enacted by FDR and supported by the Allied forces. The so-called “Monuments Men” were a collection of curators and art historians who were tasked with preserving notable buildings and recovering stolen art during World War II and after its conclusion.

The film has received mostly unfavorable reviews. This is understandable, considering several major cinematic shortfalls. The story involves seven leading characters, none of whom are well developed. While portrayed by a cadre of noteworthy actors, the script leaves character development very thin. It is difficult to discern, moreover, whether the desired tone for the movie is serious or comedic, dramatic or action-oriented. Although the basic plot is based on history, there are also many points of departure from the real-life MFAA. The movie gives the appearance, at times, of being a collection of unrelated vignettes, rather than a cohesive story.

The Monuments Men nevertheless remains an interesting film to me, as a lover of art. It concerns a facet of WWII history that receives little attention, and it conveys a refreshingly reverential attitude toward the great art of the Western world. Throughout, the viewer senses that the Monuments Men feel empowered by the nobility of their task. Safeguarding the treasures of European art is portrayed as a mission at once practical and heroic.

We have discussed the enduring quality of art on these pages before, in another review. To see these themes incorporated into a wide-release motion picture from a leading actor & director, though, is most encouraging. It would be hard to imagine this picture not having a positive effect on the wider population’s respect for art’s special value.

Several scenes raise difficult questions regarding the value of a piece of “priceless” art. Is any piece of art more valuable than a human life? To that, we must answer no. Having said that, though, under the principle of double effect, there could still be situations in which risking one’s life for the sake of preserving a great work of art could be justifiable. Issues of proportionality and collateral damage are obliquely drawn in to the narrative, and some of the situations these men encounter really cause one to think. The plot, scattered though it may be, strongly conveys a sense of the corporate responsibility we all share for preserving art and handing it on to future generations; it seems to assume that all humanity shares in the ownership of our race’s greatest handiwork, on the basis that art is a foundational requisite for true culture.

In my opinion, the story is worth telling, and the real-life characters present opportunities that may have been better suited to a mini-series than a single-release film. It would have been entertaining to see such a strong cast bring texture and shape and life to these unsatisfying, flat character sketches. I recommend this film for artists and art lovers, less for its cinematic merits than for its thematic content and the piquant questions it raises.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Beauty, Traditional Catholic Artwork, Traditional Catholic Paintings Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Fr. David Friel

Ordained in 2011, Father Friel served as Parochial Vicar at Saint Anselm Church in Northeast Philly before earning a doctorate in liturgical theology at The Catholic University of America. He presently serves as Vocation Director for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

Alabama Assessment!

We received this evaluation of Symposium 2022 from an Alabama participant:

“Oh, how the Symposium echoed the words of Cardinal Merry Del Val: …choosing only what is most conformed to Thy glory, which is my final aim. In one short and fast paced week, the faculty and attendees showed me the hand of God and our Lady working in our lives. The wide range of education—from Gregorian Chant, jazz modes in organ improvisation, to ‘staying sane’ while leading a choir—were certainly first-class knowledge from the best teachers of the art. However, the most powerful lesson was learning how to pray as a choir. The sacrifice of putting songs together, taking time to learn the sacred text, meditating on the church teaching through the chants, and gaining the virtues required to persevere in these duties were not only qualities of a choir but of a saint. The sanctification of the lives of the attendees was a beautiful outcome of this event … and that in itself is worth more than a beautifully-sung Solesmes style chant!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
PDF Download • Trinity Sunday (22 pages)

Feel free to download this Organ Accompaniment Booklet for Trinity Sunday (Second Vespers). Notice how the modes progress by number. Psalm 1 is mode 1; Psalm 2 is mode 2; Psalm 3 is mode 3; Psalm 4 is mode 4; Psalm 5 is mode 5. I am told by an expert that other feasts (such as Corpus Christi) are likewise organized by mode, and it’s called a “numerical office.”

—Jeff Ostrowski
10 June 2022 • “Official” rhythm of plainsong

I continue to search for the most beautiful way to present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores. (Technically, the “pure” rhythm of the official edition is what everyone is supposed to use.) You can download my latest attempt, which is the Introit for this coming Sunday: Feast of the Most Holy Trinity. Because this is not an ancient feast, the Introit had to be adapted (perhaps around 750AD). Prior Johner says the adaptation is “not an entirely happy one.”

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“We must remember that the important elements of a rite are not the things that will first be noticed by a casual and ignorant onlooker—the number of candles, colour of the vestments and places where the bell is rung—but just those things he would not notice: the Canon, fraction and so on, the prayers said in a low voice and the characteristic but less obvious rites done by the celebrant at the altar.”

— Fr. Fortescue explaining that Anglicanism does not preserve Sarum

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