Masked gunmen steal dozens of antiquities from birthplace of ancient Greek Olympics

Posted on 18th February 2012 in The monuments of world

By The Associated Press

Onlookers and police gather outside the antiquities museum in Ancient Olympia, where two masked armed robbers tied up a guard and made off with dozens of artifacts. Associated Press

ATHENS, Greece — Two masked gunmen stormed into a small museum at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southern Greece on Friday, smashing display cases with hammers and making off with dozens of antiquities up to 3,200 years old, authorities said.

It was the second major museum theft in as many months in debt-crippled Greece, and a culture ministry unionist said spending cuts have compromised security at hundreds of museums and ancient sites across the country. With unemployment at 21 percent and Greece’s economy in its fifth year of recession, crime, poverty and homeless rates also have been increasing.

Friday’s robbers targeted the museum of the ancient Games at Olympia, a few hundred yards (meters) away from the world heritage site’s main museum that contains priceless statues and bronze artifacts excavated at the holiest sanctuary of ancient Greece.

Officials said 65 artifacts were stolen by the robbers, who tied up the only site guard, a 48-year-old woman.

Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos submitted his resignation after the morning robbery, but it was unclear whether it had been accepted by Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. Geroulanos traveled on Friday to ancient Olympia, some 210 miles (340 kilometers) southwest of Athens.

“This is a very sad day … a tragedy,” ministry Secretary-General Lina Mendoni said.

Police in Olympia and neighboring regions set up roadblocks for the thieves, who are believed to have escaped in a car driven by an accomplice, while a police helicopter combed the area and special investigators were rushed in from Athens.

“According to the results of the investigation so far, unknown persons, this morning, at about 07:34 a.m., immobilized the guard of the museum and removed bronze and clay objects from the displays, as well as a gold ring,” a police statement said.

A culture ministry official said the stolen antiquities dated from the 9th to the 4th centuries B.C., apart from the seal-ring which dates to Late Bronze Age Mycenaean times and was found in another part of southern Greece.

“They took small objects made of bronze and pottery — figurines, vases and lamps — and the ring,” the official said. “The artifacts were behind reinforced glass panels which fracture like a car windscreen, and the thieves grabbed whatever small objects they could reach through the holes they opened.” Continued…

A spokesman for museum guards urged emergency government action to protect historic sites and museums, warning that spending cuts taken to save the country from bankruptcy have eroded security.

“The cutbacks imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have hurt our cultural heritage, which is also the world’s heritage” said Yiannis Mavrikopoulos, head of the culture ministry museum and site guards’ union.

“There are no funds for new guard hirings,” he said. “There are 2,000 of us, and there should be 4,000, while many have been forced to take early retirement ahead of the new program of layoffs. We face terrible staff shortages. As a result, our monuments and sites don’t have optimum protection — even though guards are doing their very best to protect our heritage.

Officials said the robbers seemed to have poor information on the museum, asking the guard where they could get golden wreaths and a valuable stamp collection — which are not part of the display.

“They seem to have operated more as if they were carrying out a holdup” rather than a professional museum heist, the ministry official told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.

The ancient Olympics were the most important sporting festival in ancient Greece, held every four years and lasting up to five days. They started in 776 B.C. and lasted until A.D. 394 when Roman emperor Theodosius abolished the festival, deeming it pagan. The site hosted an Olympic event during the Athens 2004 Games, when the shot-put was held in the ancient stadium.

The flame for each modern Olympics is lit in a special ceremony at ancient Olympia — and the ceremony for the London Games will be held there on May 10.

Olympia Mayor Efthimios Kotzas urged authorities to improve security.

“The level of security is indeed lacking,” Kotzas told state-run NET television. “These are treasures. A piece of world heritage has been lost, thanks to these thieves. … I think (authorities) should have been more mindful and the security should have been more serious.”

Friday’s robbery is the second major museum theft in the past two months in Greece. In January, thieves made off with art works by 20th-century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian from the National Gallery in one of the best-guarded areas of central Athens. Continued…

In that pre-dawn heist, the burglars also took a pen and ink drawing of a religious scene by Italian 16th-century painter Guglielmo Caccia. As they fled, thieves abandoned a fourth work by Mondrian. No arrests have been made.

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Gunmen raid museum at Ancient Olympia, as guards say cutbacks threaten Greek heritage

Posted on 17th February 2012 in The monuments of world

ATHENS, Greece – Two masked gunmen stormed into a small museum at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southern Greece on Friday, smashing display cases with hammers and making off with dozens of antiquities up to 3,200 years old, authorities said.

It was the second major museum theft in as many months in debt-crippled Greece, and a culture ministry unionist said spending cuts have compromised security at hundreds of museums and ancient sites across the country. With unemployment at 21 per cent and Greece’s economy in its fifth year of recession, crime, poverty and homeless rates also have been increasing.

Friday’s robbers targeted the museum of the ancient Games at Olympia, a few hundred yards (meters) away from the world heritage site’s main museum, which contains priceless statues and bronze artifacts excavated at the holiest sanctuary of ancient Greece.

Police said about 60 artifacts were stolen by the robbers, who tied up the only site guard, a 48-year-old woman.

Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos submitted his resignation after the morning robbery, but it was unclear whether it had been accepted by Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. Geroulanos travelled on Friday to ancient Olympia, some 210 miles (340 kilometres) southwest of Athens.

“This is a very sad day … a tragedy,” ministry Secretary-General Lina Mendoni said.

Police in Olympia and neighbouring areas set up roadblocks, while special investigators were rushed in from Athens.

“According to the results of the investigation so far, unknown persons, this morning, at about 07:34 a.m., immobilized the guard of the museum and removed bronze and clay objects from the displays, as well as a gold ring,” a police statement said.

A culture ministry official said the stolen antiquities dated from the 9th to the 4th centuries B.C., apart from the seal-ring which dates to Late Bronze Age Mycenaean times and was found in another part of southern Greece.

“They took small objects made of bronze and pottery — figurines, vases and lamps — and the ring,” the official said. “The artifacts were behind reinforced glass panels which fracture like a car windscreen, and the thieves grabbed whatever small objects they could reach through the holes they opened.”

A spokesman for museum guards urged emergency government action to protect historic sites and museums, warning that spending cuts taken to save the country from bankruptcy have eroded security.

“The cutbacks imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have hurt our cultural heritage, which is also the world’s heritage” said Yiannis Mavrikopoulos, head of the culture ministry museum and site guards’ union.

“There are no funds for new guard hirings,” he said. “There are 2,000 of us, and there should be 4,000, while many have been forced to take early retirement ahead of the new program of layoffs. We face terrible staff shortages. As a result, our monuments and sites don’t have optimum protection — even though guards are doing their very best to protect our heritage.

Officials said the robbers seemed to have poor information on the museum, asking the guard where they could get golden wreaths and a valuable stamp collection — which are not part of the display.

“They seem to have operated more as if they were carrying out a holdup” rather than a professional museum heist, the ministry official told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.

The ancient Olympics were the most important sporting festival in ancient Greece, held every four years and lasting up to five days. They started in 776 B.C. and lasted until A.D. 394 when Roman emperor Theodosius abolished the festival, deeming it pagan. The site hosted an Olympic event during the Athens 2004 Games, when the shot-put was held in the ancient stadium.

The flame for each modern Olympics is lit in a special ceremony at ancient Olympia — and the ceremony for the London Games will be held there on May 10.

Olympia Mayor Efthimios Kotzas urged authorities to improve security.

“The level of security is indeed lacking,” Kotzas told state-run NET television. “These are treasures. A piece of world heritage has been lost, thanks to these thieves. … I think (authorities) should have been more mindful and the security should have been more serious.”

Friday’s robbery is the second major museum theft in the past two months in Greece. In January, thieves made off with art works by 20th-century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian from the National Gallery in one of the best-guarded areas of central Athens.

In that pre-dawn heist, the burglars also took a pen and ink drawing of a religious scene by Italian 16th-century painter Guglielmo Caccia. As they fled, thieves abandoned a fourth work by Mondrian. No arrests have been made.

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Museum robbed at Greece's Ancient Olympia

Posted on 17th February 2012 in The monuments of world

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Two masked gunmen stormed into a small museum at the birthplace of the ancient Olympics in southern Greece on Friday, smashing display cases with hammers and making off with dozens of antiquities up to 3,200 years old, authorities said.

It was the second major museum theft in as many months in debt-crippled Greece, and a culture ministry unionist said spending cuts have compromised security at hundreds of museums and ancient sites across the country. With unemployment at 21 percent and Greece’s economy in its fifth year of recession, crime, poverty and homeless rates also have been increasing.

Friday’s robbers targeted the museum of the ancient Games at Olympia, a few hundred yards (meters) away from the world heritage site’s main museum, which contains priceless statues and bronze artifacts excavated at the holiest sanctuary of ancient Greece.

Police said about 60 artifacts were stolen by the robbers, who tied up the only site guard, a 48-year-old woman.

Culture Minister Pavlos Geroulanos submitted his resignation after the morning robbery, but it was unclear whether it had been accepted by Prime Minister Lucas Papademos. Geroulanos traveled on Friday to ancient Olympia, some 210 miles (340 kilometers) southwest of Athens.

“This is a very sad day … a tragedy,” ministry Secretary-General Lina Mendoni said.

Police in Olympia and neighboring areas set up roadblocks, while special investigators were rushed in from Athens.

“According to the results of the investigation so far, unknown persons, this morning, at about 07:34 a.m., immobilized the guard of the museum and removed bronze and clay objects from the displays, as well as a gold ring,” a police statement said.

A culture ministry official said the stolen antiquities dated from the 9th to the 4th centuries B.C., apart from the seal-ring which dates to Late Bronze Age Mycenaean times and was found in another part of southern Greece.

“They took small objects made of bronze and pottery — figurines, vases and lamps — and the ring,” the official said. “The artifacts were behind reinforced glass panels which fracture like a car windscreen, and the thieves grabbed whatever small objects they could reach through the holes they opened.”

A spokesman for museum guards urged emergency government action to protect historic sites and museums, warning that spending cuts taken to save the country from bankruptcy have eroded security.

“The cutbacks imposed by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund have hurt our cultural heritage, which is also the world’s heritage” said Yiannis Mavrikopoulos, head of the culture ministry museum and site guards’ union.

“There are no funds for new guard hirings,” he said. “There are 2,000 of us, and there should be 4,000, while many have been forced to take early retirement ahead of the new program of layoffs. We face terrible staff shortages. As a result, our monuments and sites don’t have optimum protection — even though guards are doing their very best to protect our heritage.

Officials said the robbers seemed to have poor information on the museum, asking the guard where they could get golden wreaths and a valuable stamp collection — which are not part of the display.

“They seem to have operated more as if they were carrying out a holdup” rather than a professional museum heist, the ministry official told the AP, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the ongoing investigation.

The ancient Olympics were the most important sporting festival in ancient Greece, held every four years and lasting up to five days. They started in 776 B.C. and lasted until A.D. 394 when Roman emperor Theodosius abolished the festival, deeming it pagan. The site hosted an Olympic event during the Athens 2004 Games, when the shot-put was held in the ancient stadium.

The flame for each modern Olympics is lit in a special ceremony at ancient Olympia — and the ceremony for the London Games will be held there on May 10.

Olympia Mayor Efthimios Kotzas urged authorities to improve security.

“The level of security is indeed lacking,” Kotzas told state-run NET television. “These are treasures. A piece of world heritage has been lost, thanks to these thieves. … I think (authorities) should have been more mindful and the security should have been more serious.”

Friday’s robbery is the second major museum theft in the past two months in Greece. In January, thieves made off with art works by 20th-century masters Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian from the National Gallery in one of the best-guarded areas of central Athens.

In that pre-dawn heist, the burglars also took a pen and ink drawing of a religious scene by Italian 16th-century painter Guglielmo Caccia. As they fled, thieves abandoned a fourth work by Mondrian. No arrests have been made.

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Google Funds Dissent as Delegates Jostle to Hear Oprah in India

Posted on 23rd January 2012 in The monuments of world

January 23, 2012, 5:55 PM EST

By Ruth David and Ketaki Gokhale

Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc., which is opposing censorship around the world, is funding discussions about dissent as celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and MTV founder Tom Freston attend Asia’s largest literary festival.

The five-day DSC Jaipur Literature Festival, in the Indian city known for its pink monuments and forts, has attracted some 100,000 people, organizers said, the most since it began. Politicians, bankers, Bollywood actors and students have been discussing everything from music to gardening.

“The core theme of this festival is freedom of expression, which is also a core value of Google,” said Paroma Chowdhury, a spokeswoman for the company in the city of Gurgaon. “We don’t try to influence the choice of panelists, but we obviously indicated the kinds of themes we would like to support.”

Google is sponsoring six sessions, including three on the theme of dissent and a panel on the Arab Spring. The company, owner of the world’s most popular Web search engine, has led online protests against a U.S. anti-piracy bill.

Along with Facebook Inc., Google is also fighting a lawsuit in India against a court ruling to remove content deemed offensive by the government. It filed a challenge in the Delhi High Court after a judge ordered top executives to be present at a trial on March 13. The lower court warned that India may follow China’s example of blocking websites that fail to comply with government requests.

The festival’s beginnings were in 2004 when author William Dalrymple tried reading his work in public. He had an audience of 14 people, five of whom were Japanese tourists who had lost their way.

Sex, History

“While we have some of the most difficult and complex authors talking, we also have ‘chick lit,’ people talking about music, about sex, politics, history,” Dalrymple said in an interview. “We create a sort of carnival atmosphere in the evening with music, we put out streamers and bunting.”

Indian-born author Salman Rushdie canceled his visit to this year’s event, saying intelligence sources had said paid assassins were on their way to Jaipur to “eliminate him.” He said a day later on his Twitter Inc. account that the police had lied to him and he may address audiences via video link.

“The idea of freedom of expression is severely under attack,” said Sri Lankan-born poet Cheran during the dissent discussion with Prasoon Joshi, the Indian head of McCann Worldgroup, and three other writers. “The space for dissent is narrowing all around the world.”

‘Satanic Verses’

Hari Kunzru and other authors didn’t need Google’s backing to rebel. They planned to recite parts of Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses.” India, home to the world’s third-largest Muslim population, has banned the novel that some Muslims find blasphemous and some complained to the police. Kunzru read two passages before officers arrived and asked him to stop. The organizers issued a statement distancing themselves from the authors.

Winfrey focused on India’s spiritual prowess, amid jabs at the country’s culture. She also talked about her book club and election prospects for President Barack Obama.

“I think the world forgot that we were in the brink of a depression in our country,’’ and Obama helped the U.S. avoid the economic downturn, Winfrey said. “His next four years are going to be even more successful and it’s a really good thing that he remains in office.’’

Clad in a green Indian kameez, or long shirt, with large earrings, the media mogul parried the moderator’s questions for an hour, came with an army of handlers and didn’t take any audience questions even as crowds jostled to listen to her.

Proulx, Shriver

This year’s lineup also included Annie Proulx, the author of “Brokeback Mountain,” Ben Okri, Kiran Nagarkar, Lionel Shriver and Sri Lanka-born Michael Ondaatje.

DBS Group Holdings Ltd.’s Chief Executive Officer Piyush Gupta flew in from Singapore, joining bankers from Hong Kong and Mumbai. European tourists rubbed shoulders with New Delhi socialites in the 150-year-old Diggi Palace hotel.

Pearson Plc’s Penguin Books India unit head and Sula Vineyards Chief Executive Officer Rajeev Samant held open-air soirees where celebrities huddled around coal-fired heaters and feasted on smoked salmon and devilled egg canapes.

Penguin Party

Glenlivet whisky flowed freely at Penguin India’s 25th anniversary party where bankers discussed India’s economy, which expanded at its slowest pace in more than two years in the three months ended Sept. 30 last year.

“A lot of the global investor community has stepped back” from India, said Gokul Laroia, managing director and head of institutional equity for Asia at Morgan Stanley. “Not because they are not interested but because they want to see resolution on policy issues.”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s efforts to bolster the Indian economy have been hampered by corruption scandals, inflation and the decision last month to stall the easing of foreign investment rules in multibrand retail.

“Whether the country can engineer sustained growth is a function of the policy action they take,” said Gupta of DBS. “The bigger issue is the global economy. India’s fortunes this year are going to be fairly closely tied to it.”

Most delegates were optimistic about economic growth.

“The whole world is in this recession and growth in India has declined by a few points,” said MTV’s Freston. “It’s still better than anywhere else. They do have problems, like corruption. I’m optimistic about India though. It’s the greatest show on earth, isn’t it?”

The festival, which started on Jan. 20, is sponsored by companies including Bank of America Corp., Coca Cola Co. and Tata Steel Ltd. This year it raised 50 million rupees ($99,349), up from 4 million rupees last year, said festival producer Sanjoy K. Roy, managing director of Teamwork Films.

“We aren’t selling anything, we’re not listed,” said Manhad Narula, a director at DSC Ltd., builder of India’s largest toll plaza and the main sponsor. “There is a brand benefit associated with the high profile of attendees.”

The DSC Jaipur Literature Festival at Diggi Palace, Jaipur, runs though today, Jan. 24. Information: jaipurliteraturefestival.org/

–Editor: Arijit Ghosh, Mark Beech, Farah Nayeri.

To contact the reporters on this story: Ruth David in Mumbai at rdavid9@bloomberg.net Ketaki Gokhale in Mumbai at kgokhale@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Filmmaker comes home for second flick

Posted on 17th January 2012 in The monuments of world

He has already stolen the limelight on the sheer strength of his script.

Jharkhand boy Bikas Mishra is now ready to burst into the world of cinema with his adaptation of an actual incident that bares the horror of caste atrocities.

The Hazaribagh-born filmmaker’s directorial debut, Chauranga (four colours) will feature state talent in what promises to be another tale set in Jharkhand ‘ remember Udaan, the hard-hitting Ronit Roy-starrer ‘ that leaves the audience wiser.

The 31-year-old, an alumnus of Karim City College in Jamshedpur is on a visit to his native Jharkhand to pick the backdrop for his upcoming venture.

Mishra, who has been in the news for winning the Incredible India award at Film Bazaar, 2011, in Goa, told The Telegraph: “The story is about a 14-year-old lower caste boy, who wants to express his feelings to a 16-year-old upper caste girl and the consequences thereafter.”

The film is inspired by a real incident in 2008, when a lower caste boy was thrown out from a moving train in Kaimur district of Bihar.

“We will need new faces with acting potential,” said the first-timer, adding, “We will plan the auditions after finalising the locales. I will be comfortable shooting in Jamshedpur or Hazaribagh,”

The son of advocate Mahaveer Prasad Mishra pointed out that he had already visited Dhalbhum and Ghatshila rajbaris (in East Singhbhum) and would be touring the palaces of the Seraikela and Kharsawan scions and Ratu in Ranchi. He will then take a look at Ramgarh palace before zeroing in on the milieu for his movie. “I am looking at similar large monuments in rural areas for the project. The big structures will allow all the village scenes to be shot at one place. After finalising the locales, I will go back to Mumbai and return for the shooting, in April-May,” said Mishra, whose short film, Naach Ganesh, had a world premiere at 16th Busan International Film Festival in October 2011 and has also been selected for screening at the 41st International Film Festival Rotterdam in the Netherlands later this month.

Before he starts shooting, Mishra added, the producer and technical members of the film crew would be in Jharkhand on a talent hunt.

The script of Chauranga was selected for the National Film Development Corporation’s Screenwriters’ Lab held at Locarno (Switzerland) and Goa in 2010, before bagging the Incredible India award, which includes a cash prize of Rs 10 lakh sponsored by the Union ministry of tourism.

Besides, it was selected by Berlintale Talent Campus ‘ a part of Berlin Film Festival ‘ for its ScriptStation programme last year and also by Sweden’s G�teborg International Film Festival fund for financial support to the tune of Rs 7.5 lakh.

The film will be produced by Anticlock Films, an independent production company run by producer-director Onir and actor-turned-producer Sanjay Suri, who have made teamed up for popular flicks like My Brother…Nikhil, I Am, Bas Ek Pal and Sorry Bhai.

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Clooney’s Next Movies: WWII, Smothers Brothers

Posted on 10th January 2012 in The monuments of world

Once he’s past the movie awards season, George Clooney will start working on his next two films — “The Monuments Men,” about a special force of US and British museum curators and art historians who rescued art at the end of World War II that had been stollen by the Nazis, and a biography about the Smothers Brothers conflicts with CBS in the 1960s.

The Wrap says Clooney will write, direct and star in the big-budget “Monument’s Men” based on Robert M. Edsel’s book, “The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History.” Clooney told The Wrap Saturday, while attending the Palm Springs Film Festival: “I’m excited about it. It’s a fun movie because it could be big entertainment. It’s a big budget, you can’t do it small– it’s landing in Normandy.” He’ll write the film for Sony with long-time collaborator Grant Heslov.

Clooney, Heslov and their Smokehouse Pictures also have bought rights to David Bianculli’s 2009 book, “Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of ‘The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour’ “ about the short-lived (1967-69) TV show.  It’s a topic Clooney should do well with, given his passion for freedom of speech from his Oscar-nominated Edward R. Murrow movie (“Good Night, And Good Luck”), and his sense of TV history from remaking “Fail-Safe” for CBS and “Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind”  about “Gong Show” host Chuck Barris… not to mention growing up on the set of his dad’s variety TV shows here in the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Clooney’s “The Ides of March” is up for four Golden Globes Awards Sunday (8-11 p.m., Channel 5, NBC). His “The Decendants” is up for five Golden Globes.

Posted in: Local Events, Television

Tags: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Smothers Brothers, The Monuments Men

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Clooney to write, direct and star in ‘Monuments Men’

Posted on 10th January 2012 in The monuments of world

George Clooney will co-write, direct and star in ‘The Monuments Men’. — AFP picture

LOS ANGELES, Jan 10 — George Clooney’s next project will be The Monuments Men, a big budget film about art and war, which he will co-write, direct and star in, the actor revealed at the Palm Springs Film Festival on January 7, where he accepted an award for The Ides of March and The Descendants.

Monuments is a suspense during World War II, following a group of art experts, museum directors, curators and historians who scoured Europe retrieving artworks confiscated by Nazis.

Based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel, the book follows the unarmed operation behind enemy lines.

“I’m not opposed to doing a commercial film, I’m just opposed to doing a commercial film that doesn’t feel organic to me,” Clooney told Hollywood website The Wrap. “We thought, ‘Let’s do something that seems fun and actually have something to say.’“

Clooney will co-write the screenplay with producer Grant Heslov, who he teamed up with for other social/political-themed films, including Ides of March, Good Night and Good Luck, and Men Who Stare at Goats, a caper about the US military in the Middle East. — afprelaxnews.com

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George Clooney To Star In, Direct WWII Drama

Posted on 9th January 2012 in The monuments of world

By Breeanna Hare, CNN

POSTED: 1:11 pm EST January 9, 2012
UPDATED: 1:18 pm EST January 9, 2012

(CNN) – George Clooney turned in two lauded performances last year with “The Ides of March” and “The Descendants,” but he shows no signs of slowing down.The actor announced at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Saturday that he has another movie in the works called “The Monuments Men” that will have him pulling double duty as the co-star and the director, the L.A. Times reports.”The Monuments Men” is adapted from the Robert Edsel’s book of the same name, and focuses on the art historians who entered battle during World War II as they tracked down prized artwork taken by Hitler.”Hitler was an art fanatic, and he stashed masterpieces everywhere,” Clooney said Saturday. “He hid 27 Rembrandts in a coffin.”What attracted the actor/director to the project was the story’s mix of intrigue and romance.”It’s an amazing story, and (producer) Grant (Heslov) and I are already thinking about how great the casting can be,” Clooney said Saturday. “And there’s also a great love story.”Clooney didn’t mention what part he would play, but he did say that “The Monuments Men” is now his top priority.

Copyright CNN 2011

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Clooney to star in stolen art drama

Posted on 9th January 2012 in The monuments of world

George Clooney looks set to star in a movie about the US government’s efforts to chase down artwork stolen by the Nazis.

The actor – who is generating Oscar buzz for his turn in The Descendants – will also co-write and direct The Monuments Men, TheWrap.com reports.

Speaking at the Palm Springs Film Festival, Clooney said: “I’m excited about it. It’s a fun movie because it could be big entertainment.”

The 50-year-old also revealed it will be a “big budget” project.

“You can’t do it small – it’s landing in Normandy,” he said.

The movie will be based on Robert M Edsel’s book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, And The Greatest Treasure Hunt In History, which follows a group of art experts – the Monuments Men – who are chosen to seek out artwork pilfered during World War II.

Clooney has enjoyed success with his previous directorial efforts. His 2005 film Good Night, And Good Luck was nominated for a raft of awards and he is up for a Golden Globe for his latest movie, political drama thriller The Ides Of March.

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Clooney to write, direct and star in ‘Monuments Men’

Posted on 9th January 2012 in The monuments of world

George Clooney’s next project will be The Monuments Men, a big budget film about art and war, which he will co-write, direct and star in, the actor revealed at the Palm Springs Film Festival on January 7, where he accepted an award for The Ides of March and The Descendants.

Monuments is a suspense during World War II, following a group of art experts, museum directors, curators and historians who scoured Europe retrieving artworks confiscated by Nazis.

Based on the book The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, by Robert M. Edsel, the book follows the unarmed operation behind enemy lines.

“I’m not opposed to doing a commercial film, I’m just opposed to doing a commercial film that doesn’t feel organic to me,” Clooney told Hollywood website The Wrap. “We thought, ‘Let’s do something that seems fun and actually have something to say.’”

Clooney will co-write the screenplay with producer Grant Heslov, who he teamed up with for other social/political-themed films, including Ides of March, Good Night and Good Luck, and Men Who Stare at Goats, a caper about the US military in the Middle East.

RC

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