Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men focuses on an unlikely World War II platoon, tasked by the Allies with going into Germany to rescue artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and returning them to their rightful owners. It would be an impossible mission: with the art trapped behind enemy lines, and with the German army under orders to destroy everything as the Reich fell, how could these guys – seven museum directors, curators, and art historians, all more familiar with Michelangelo than the M-1 gun – possibly hope to succeed? But as the Monuments Men, as they were called, found themselves in a race against time to avoid the destruction of 1000 years of culture, they would risk their lives to protect and defend mankind’s greatest achievements...

Alexandre Desplat's orchestral score for The Monuments Men represents so much of what is missing from the majority of scores produced these days. This is a soundtrack that harkens back to a time when a movie score was rousing and almost a character in the film in its own right.

The main theme, which is most notable in the track 'Opening Titles' is echoed throughout, but Desplat changes things around by varying the speed and volume as well as the instruments. It was interesting to hear a couple of versions using the brass section, as well as another employing whistling men.

'Finale' appears to be a number of tracks that are merged together - I was particularly interested to hear Desplat pay homage to John Williams's Star Wars music (2 min, 27 sec - if you're interested in checking this out yourself). In fact the work of Williams, most notably for Saving Private Ryan and War Horse, seems to have provided much of the inspiration here.

Highlights include 'Normandy' (which is a loving nod and a wink to Williams); 'Stokes Talks'; 'The Letter'; 'Jean-Claude Dies'; 'Siegen Mine' and 'Finale'.

The score contains 25 tracks and lasts for 1 hr, 01 min. This is one of Desplat's finest scores to date and well worth adding to your collection if you're a lover of epic and bold scores.

9

Darren Rea