Schindler's
List
(1993)
Rated: R
Runtime: 3 Hours and 17 Minutes
Reviewer: Dale
Grade: A+This is easily the most powerful film I have ever seen. A film of raw, uncompromising power, a film that will get under your skin and plant images in your mind that will never leave. It will get under your skin. There is no way that it can't. That is the power of the film, and the reason that it is Spielberg's most astounding achievement.
Spielberg has made mature films before. Those who know him only as the man behind such rollicking entertainments as "Raiders of the Lost Ark" or "Jurassic Park" have no idea the level of the man's skill. He can affect a viewer in a way that most other filmmakers only dream of. And in "Schindler's List" he puts all of his gifts to work at the service of a story that will chill you to your very core and make you sad. Not cathartically sad in the way that movies like "Terms of Endearment" or "Steel Magnolias" make you, but in a way that will weigh heavily upon your heart.
The film is the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German factory profiteer. At the beginning of the movie we see him walk into a restaraunt in Poland where no one knows him. By the end of this evening, Oskar has the entire room gathered around him. He has that sort of presence.
Schindler is a vulture. He knows the war is coming and he sees a way to make a buck. So he takes advantage of it. He hires Jews because he can get them cheaper than any other laborers. Plus, they really have no other choice.
During the course of the film, however, Schindler begins to care. This is done so elegantly that it does not feel like a plot device. After all, this is a true story. It is not the result of a screenwriter trying to fashion a feel-good story. "Schindler's List" is not about making you feel good. It is about throwing away the curtains of time and making the horrors of the Nazi regime evident to you. It is about reminding you that there truly is evil in this world and that to forget what evil looks like and what it can do is to run the risk of having it happen all over again. This is an important statement, and it makes this a movie that demands to be seen. It should be mandatory in high schools, although I don't think a high schooler would truly appreciate the craft behind this haunting film.
I know that I didn't.
What works? Everything. The performances are all top drawer. But the best of the best is Ralph Fiennes terrifying portrayal of the Nazi untersturmfuhrer Amon Goethe. This is the most chilling and human and pathetic portrayal I have ever seen of the true face of evil. The scenes between Goethe and his housekeeper are almost unbearable in their building of suspense. The editing is totally remarkable. Every shot is edited to give it its ultimate amount of punch. The tone is brilliant. It is a film that feels immediate and alive, like a documentary.
These cease to be actors, and this ceases to be a movie. It is a filmed record of horrible things and experiences. Spielberg does not go for easy sentimentality as he has in other films.
That would diminish this film's impact. When this film does show the nobility and resilience of the human spirit (among its lesser virtues), it has earned its every point with hard moments.
This is truly a triumph. It has earned every honor it received. If you haven't seen it, you must.
It is not an easy movie to sit through, even though it is crafted with startling skill. But it demands to be seen, nonetheless. And it was not even as depressing as I remembered.