Anyone who has ever traveled to Europe has likely witnessed examples of mankind's greatest artistic achievements, be it an ancient Italian monastery or the vast contents of the Louvre.

Now, a new film, "The Rape Of Europa," takes audiences back to a time when these art treasures faced imminent destruction and plundering, showing just how important the artworks are by the lengths people go to save them. Based on the book of the same name by Lynn Nicholas, the film tells the story of the devastation of WWII, effectively conveying the breadth and emotional reaction to the targeting of a continent's culture.

"The Rape of Europa" begins with the aspiring artist Adolf Hitler and his hatred of contemporary art. The sweeping movement of his time was modernism, and with his mediocre artistic talents and general intolerance, Hitler saw it merely as a vulgar trend led by Jews and others who chose to celebrate people of different ethnicities, rather than his beloved Aryan ideal. With the rise of the Nazi party, Hitler's influence on the arts began to take shape. German museums were arranged to his precise tastes, which mainly consisted of classical styles with depictions of a homogenous culture. Within the party, art collecting became the status quo among high-ranking officers. Most notably Hermann Goering, commander of the German air force, whose sickening greed for public treasures recurs throughout the film.

When the film moves to the Nazi invasion of Poland, the full scope of Hitler's worldview begins to take shape. He could never be satisfied with a simple military takeover of a nation. Rather, his plan was a complete destruction of the culture of what he viewed as an inferior race, and keeping for his own the treasures he valued most. The accounts of the demolition of the Warsaw Castle encapsulates this cultural malice, and continue with similar threats facing Russia, France and Italy.

The film features some great tales of heroism, including the Unites States team of Monuments Men. The U.S. military was sympathetic to the great European art treasures and did their best to preserve what they could, and the Monuments Men were a major part of their efforts to help. The small team would advance with the military near the frontlines, inspecting damaged historical monuments and saving what they could by engineering makeshift ceilings and wall supports until more extensive restoration could begin. The film also shows a fascinating account of the evacuation of the Louvre in Paris, and the compelling story of Rose Valland, a meek museum clerk whose meticulous accounts of art theft while under the supervision of the Nazis is an amazing display of courage.

Audiences may exit theaters feeling as though they've spent nearly two hours viewing a History Channel documentary, as the film follows many of this genre's methods. The film features a slow intermingling of images of art and scenes from the war, a deliberate and clear narration of the events and several interview testimonials. Fortunately, it skips any major detailing of the war's military maneuvers, as these details may help an unfamiliar audience member's overall understanding of the history but are not essential to the portrayal of the threat to European culture.

The interview clips are often ineffective, focusing primarily on family members whose heirlooms were looted and their attempts to find reconciliation. The interviews could be more effective in invoking sympathy for their losses, as their struggles to regain their treasures seem to come down to legal haggling of ownership. Nevertheless, the account of the Austrian government's fight to retain Gustav Klimt's Golden Portrait is shocking in the because of the historical lack of sympathy for the family from which the painting was stolen.

Ultimately, "The Rape Of Europa" works to fill an important gap in our knowledge of WWII, and is a fascinating and relevant story for both art historians and war buffs. Art pieces and cultural relics are symbols of our humanity, and this film shows the audience how high the stakes are when their survival is threatened.

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