Schindler's list for Amerika (cinematheque)

Rating: 7/10 (2 April 2012)

As someone said it in the movie, the slaves had nothing to fear from their masters because as they work for them, they wouldn't be killed. So for me the only difference between slavery and holocaust is the lack of genocide. Besides this, it's the same oppression, the same racism: just see the way of how slaves were treated during the crossing and they are similar to the future extermination camps. But it's true that somewhere condemnation of slavery isn't as known as holocaust. Maybe the unfortunate explanation is that the masters are not beaten ones like Germany but as the movie shows the entire enlightened nations. As Tocqueville wrote, slavery was a shameful thorn in America democracy and Spielberg as a humanist American filmmaker couldn't avoid the subject. And he did in his own way, the same than in "Schindler's", that is to say showing that courage and hope are more powerful that the darkest time, the worst atrocities. Foretelling his later "Minority reports" or "Munich", he throws a very critic look at authorities and for the first apparition of POTUS in his work (a real plague in a lot of American movies) and whispers critics that could have pleased his colleague Stone. But his optimism is also visually contagious: compare the first terrifying look of Cinque and his latter appearances and you can see an happy hand. The only flaw of the movie is finally his title because it's doesn't tell very much what's about: "Amistad vs the people of America" would have been better...
Pairing: "Schindler's list": before it, the allies were also evil forces...