With the great success our film, The Rape of Europa, continues to have in Dallas, it’s not at all surprising that audiences in Plano would want to see it in their own city. I am very pleased we have been able to accommodate them with an opening this Friday at the Angelika Film Center in Plano. Two daily showings are scheduled and the times are:

Friday, February 8 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Saturday, February 9 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Sunday, February 10 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Monday, February 11 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Tuesday, February 12 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Wednesday, February 13 - 12:00 and 4:35pm
Thursday, February 14 - 12:00 and 4:35pm

For more information about the show times or directions to the theater, please click on the following link: www.angelikafilmcenter.com.

I will be hosting a Question and Answer session both days at the conclusion of the 4:35 showing. Those are always fun for me because I make new contacts and sometimes get leads for our work tracking down Monuments Men and their families. I hope you will join us and bring a friend — or a bus load of friends!!

From our team to the CBS team, thanks so much for a great program about the Monuments Men and our ongoing work to bring them the recognition they deserve. There are only a few programs on television that reach a national audience. Fewer still allow for the in-depth coverage of a story that defies being condensed into sound bites. For those of you not familiar with “TV time”, a 9 minute segment is an eternity!!!

I am frequently asked by others about the process of getting coverage for our project. Based on the responses of many, they believe it is fairly easy and quick…but like most things that seem that way, it is anything but. These are such coveted and precious seconds much less minutes that the competition for them is fierce. Lead times often involve a year or more as happened in our case. At the same time, the visibility absolutely essential to finding people (Monuments Men), gathering leads on missing art, and most importantly preserving and utilizing the rich legacy of the Monuments Men, demands a world class stage. The CBS team provided us with that chance: we are eternally grateful to them.

(With Rita Braver during the main interview in Dallas)

I enjoyed meeting their correspondent for the program, Rita Braver, a distinguished reporter of her own right who for many years covered the White House for CBS. Steve Glauber, the producer of the program, is a veteran of CBS Sunday Morning and “60 Minutes”, among other important programs. He is a stand-up guy, a man of his word, who shared our passion for this story and sharing it with the public. Although I didn’t meet the editor, Remington Korper, I can certainly say that working with so much material to distill it down to a tightly woven segment is an art form he has certainly mastered. And Charles Osgood…well, he’s a national treasure. Like Walter Cronkite and others who were legends in television, somehow you just feel more secure when you awaken to another day hearing that voice.

While I had plans to watch the segment on the Monuments Men and then get caught up on other business I missed last week, I didn’t move until the program was over. All the segments were so interesting, so well done. It was a good reminder to me, in my always focused state of mind, of the big and exciting world out there — it’s diversity, beauty, and wonder.

The vicissitudes of life are beyond description sometimes. As we were preparing to head home for some rest after an emotionally wrenching week, I received a call from our contact at CBS who was letting me know that the segment on the Monuments Men and my work with them will air THIS SUNDAY, JANUARY 27. Click here to view the show times in your area. If you live in Dallas or the central time zone, the program begins at 8am. As Dickens wrote, “…these are the best of times, these are the worst of times…”

It’s been so cold in Dallas this week it’s hard to recall how warm it felt when the CBS crew visited Dallas on one of several shoots to conduct part of the interview, but it was indeed a beautiful day. This great program is one of the few left that has the luxury of dedicated time for in-depth reporting of stories. It is not surprising then that many of their staff also have worked at or do work at CBS’ other award-winning program, 60 Minutes. They were a joy to work with and their enthusiasm for the story readily apparent. I hope you will have an opportunity to tune in and see the show.

The Rape of Europa opened its theatrical run in Houston this past Friday evening at the Angelika Theater. I traveled to Houston to introduce the film on Saturday to a good crowd, all of whom stayed afterwards for a lively “question and answer” session. In fact, these “q and a” sessions have become a real hit with audiences everywhere I have traveled. People are curious to combine their knowledge of pieces of the story with the experience of seeing the film and the realization that this is, in truth, one very large and dramatic episode in our modern history.

As mentioned in last week’s blog on the great run of the film in Dallas, our film needs the support of the public not just as patrons of the film, but in telling others about the film and their experience in seeing it. We all believe this is an important story so remarkably developed in text by Lynn Nicholas and brought to life in this film by Actual Films. It is a story of interest to all people in all walks of life. I hope all my supporters out there will take a moment to contact your friends in Houston and encourage them to see the film. While its duration on screen depends directly on attendance, I can promise you this: this is a word of mouth experience that people share with others and that ensures a lengthy run for the film IF IT IS GIVEN A CHANCE. That first and second week is so critical…so we all appreciate your help in making Houston another big success for this fine film.

Thank you to all my fellow citizens…most sincere thanks for your ongoing support in attending our documentary film, The Rape of Europa, now in its 11th sensational week at the Angelika theater. Some believed this film would die a quick death, especially with the abundance of films seeking too few screens. Adding to the obstacles it has had to overcome is the holiday season roll-out of "Hollywood blockbuster" films. Still, our little film, with its big story, has flourished.

I have introduced this film to audiences in at least two dozen cities across the country. I have hosted at least 5 "Q and A" sessions alone at the Dallas screening. Each time I speak I implore audiences to tell their friends about our film ONLY IF they believe the subject is important and the film moved them. I have reminded our patrons that unlike the big Hollywood machine, we have virtually no advertising and marketing budget yet we have clearly successfully competed with the cash rich studios and big name stars. The ongoing remarkable results confirm that, indeed, audiences everywhere are not just listening, but actively helping us by contacting their friends about our film. This is true nowhere more clearly than in Dallas. Word of mouth is vital if we are truly going to fulfill our hopes that this film be used as an instrument for reestablishing the standards created by the Monuments Men for the protection of cultural during armed conflict.

Although the film is now only showing at matinees–once per day–we continue to have a steady stream of patrons to watch this very important story. I am so proud to live in this great city where the arts and culture matter greatly. I am grateful that the community in which I live continues to show their support for our work and film. And I hope The Rape of Europa will continue to be available for those in Dallas who haven’t yet seen the film so that they may witness what is proving to be a source of inspiration for so many people.

Click Here for Times and Directions

After almost five weeks on the road I am finally home!! (Well, at least for a few days.)

But I will be working this weekend as I will introduce our film, The Rape of Europa, both Friday and Saturday, at the 7:30 screening followed by a Question and Answer session both nights. This will be my third weekend to be amongst friends and acquaintances at the Angelika plus some new friends who have kindly introduced themselves after the show.

I encourage any of you who have not yet seen this great film to come by this weekend and see for yourself what has excited so many people in cities across the country. Having the chance to see the film in high definition on a big screen is a stunning experience, especially our scenes in the Hermitage and other museums. The camera work of Jon Shenk, the film’s director of photography, is breathtaking.

I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday weekend and hope to see you at one of the two showings even if it is just to stop in and say “howdy”!

As I prepare for another “road trip”, I am relishing in the great temperate weather we have experienced in Dallas this week. It has been quite a moment to be here and catch my breath before a hectic series of interviews and speaking engagements on the road.

(Richard Berge at the Paris Theatre)

Anyone doubting the organization skills of the City of New York and its workers need only take a look at the city clean up crews. At the end of the parade, not 20 feet from the last band of marchers and musicians, sat a row of street sweepers and clearing crews poised to gather and remove the confetti off the street!!! Pretty amazing city, I must say.

Have a wonderful weekend and please send your friends a link to my blog….I am hearing from more and more of you and it is all gratifying!

The public’s expectations of government and its prominent role in our lives make it an easy target for criticism. But to whom do we express “thanks” when it functions properly? How often do we ever stop to say, “thanks, job well done”?

Two big success stories that have been great examples of government working at its best are the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts. Many years ago, when we sought funding to make the documentary, The Rape of Europa, we were extremely fortunate to receive crucial early grants from several prominent trusts and foundations including The Burnett Foundation, The Bernard Osher Jewish Philanthropies Foundation, The Carol Franc Buck Foundation, The Mary P. Oenslager Foundation Trust, Eugene V. & Clare E. Thaw Charitable Trust, and the Alexander M. and June L. Maisin Foundation. These monies enabled us to travel and film interviews with eyewitnesses, none more important than the Monuments Men, while they were much younger and their memories better. Still, to proceed in earnest with the larger project, we had to secure a substantial six-figure grant.

Funding for such projects is very selective and difficult. The hurdle that must be overcome is a high bar indeed, as it should be. Thousands of applicants, many no doubt worthy, submit grant requests. After several years of continuous effort, the National Endowment for the Humanities came forward and made a substantial commitment of funds–$660,000–that enabled us to reach out to other prospective donors to complete the remaining funding. The NEH grant was essential to the success of this project. NEH Chairman Bruce Cole, Senior Program Officer David Weinstein, and others at the NEH, understood the importance of our making this film and introducing the story to the broadest audience possible. The National Endowment for the Arts made a subsequent grant of $75,000 which was another important step. At that stage, final funds were forthcoming from my company, Agon Art & Entertainment, LLC, making it the second largest source of funding for the film. A later grant from The Fund for Jewish Documentary Filmmaking was also a help.

(Monuments Man Sheldon Keck examines a portrait by John Singleton Copley before restoration. With him are (left to right) Mr. Paul Gabites, then New Zealand Consul General in New York, Mr. Albert T. E Gardiner, Associate Curator of American Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Mr. Lloyd Goodrich, Director of the Whitney Museum.)

The Monuments Men, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Endowment for the Arts have an important historical connection. Lloyd Goodrich, an important Civilian adviser to the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives section and leading historian of American art, who would go on to become the director of the Whitney Museum, chaired the Committee on Government and Art during the early 1950’s. In 1954, the Committee submitted a proposal to President Eisenhower suggesting legislation for government support of the arts. In time, this lead to the creation of both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.

At the time we submitted our respective grants to these two important organizations we did not know about this “Monuments Men” connection. This was a later discovery that came even after the publishing of my book, Rescuing Da Vinci. More such discoveries await the completion of our important research. Given the extensive role these men and women of the Monuments, Fine Art, and Archives section had in building this country’s cultural heritage before and after the war, discoveries of such importance are hardly surprising.

We can’t say “thank you” enough to the fine people at these government organizations that work caringly, effectively, and efficiently to promote culture in our country. Our nation is richer for their dedicated work.

I am often asked by friends and acquaintances “Where can we see your presentation?” Too often it seems the locations are quite a distance from Dallas. In fact, I have spoken recently in Vancouver, New York City on several occasions, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and most recently Chattanooga last Thursday evening. What a crowd we had in Chattanooga…more than 500 people attended my lecture at the University of Tennessee!

Fortunately, the fine people at the University Park United Methodist Church have invited me to speak at their great facility on October 28 beginning at 6:30pm. Unlike many of my other speaking engagements, the Church has generously made the evening free to all those who attend. We have worked with officials at UMC to customize a presentation that pays particular emphasis to Hitler and the Nazis’ looting and destruction of churches, synagogues, and other places of worship all as a lead into the telling of the story about civilizations’ heroes, the Monuments Men and women. I will be including several short excerpts from our documentary film, The Rape of Europa, as part of my presentation. It will be a special evening which I hope you can attend…and please bring a friend!

On Thursday I travel to Kansas City to speak at one of the world’s greatest museums, the Nelson-Atkins. This speaking engagement, part of their annual Mary Atkins Series, has sold out for the first time ever — more than 550 people are expected to attend. I am excited about speaking to audiences anywhere, especially groups this large. The Question and Answer portion of the evening always unearths interesting stories and contributes to the information we continue to gather about this important part of our world heritage.

I hope to see you at the University Park United Methodist Church on October 28. The address is 4024 Caruth Blvd at Preston Road (click here for map).

The film opened today in New York City at the Paris Theatre and Angelika Film Centre! I had the opportunity to introduce the film at the 2pm showing this afternoon. A Q&A will follow each of the screenings today and tomorrow at both theaters. One of the film’s directors, Richard Berge, is also with me in New York City to introduce this adaptation of Lynn Nicholas’ wonderful book of the same name.

It’s a busy week next week as I travel and lecture in Nashville and in Chattanooga (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) along with some important meetings interspersed throughout the week.

For those of you who haven’t had the opportunity, I hope you will take 3 minutes to click on each of the links below and
see these new videos recently posted of footage we shot this summer with the Monuments Men.

Senator Hillary Clinton visits with Monuments Men and Robert M. Edsel

Monuments Men Sergeant Harry Ettlinger and his acceptance speech at the Senate.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend…stay tuned!