Opening February 7, The Monuments Men is the true story of how a group of art historians and museum curators risked their lives to rescue masterpieces that were in the hands of the Nazis. The project stars and was directed by George Clooney, who assembles an all-star cast (Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, Cate Blanchett) for his latest venture.
During a recent press conference to promote the film, Mr. Clooney talked about how he has evolved as a filmmaker since his 2002 debut effort Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
“Directing and writing, they seem to be infinitely more creative,” says Clooney, whose last directing endeavor was the 2011 release The Ides of March. “As far as how I’ve changed, all you’re trying to do is learn from people that you’ve worked with. I’ve worked with the Coen Bros., Steven Soderbergh, Alexander Payne…I’ve worked with really great directors over the years, see what they’re doing, and just steal it.”
The “steal it” comment was obviously in jest, but one of the reasons why I’m pretty psyched for The Monuments Men lies in Clooney’s description of the film as a “mix between Kelly’sHeroesand The Train.” Clooney also cited the films of director John Sturges (The Great Escape, The Magnificent Seven) as an influence, and hopefully this new film reaches those stratospheric heights.
To hear George Clooney talk about how his directing has evolved over the years, click on the SoundCloud bar media:
