The Worthiness Of Praise Distains His Worth.

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 2004)

Spoilers herein.
For some strange reason I find it difficult to talk about `Schindler's List', which is strange as I could talk for hours about any other Spielberg film. Stranger still considering the immense acclaim and debate surrounding the film. Perhaps it's because `Schindler's List' is a film that reaches beyond the limitations of its celluloid to become a cultural and historical institution. Perhaps it's because the film is so perfectly mounted that it is hard to zoom in on a select number of topics. Or perhaps it is simply because I can not fathom the impact `Schindler's List' had on me.

I disdain the aura surrounding this film. I disdained watching my parents viewing this film simply because they heard it was `important' to do so. Yes, the film is important and yes, everyone should see it. But no one should view this film based in the mindset that they are doing so only because of its subject matter. It destroys the cinematic experience. It destroys objective thought. And it blinds people from what Spielberg is trying to say with this film. `Schindler's List' has been labelled a Holocaust film. However, I do not see it this way. I see the Holocaust as merely a backdrop for a morality play  which `Schindler's List' is.

Spielberg films have often been criticised for their supposed black/white characters. The good guys and the bad guys. In `Schindler's List' Spielberg has blurred the lines more than he ever has done. Our title hero is a womanising adulterer whose prime goal is to make money  exploiting his workers to do so. He doesn't hire Jews because of sympathy. He hires them because they are cheap and expendable. There is a scene between Schindler and Goeth  it's one of their first meetings. They sit and drink, they casually talk about business and the war like one would talk about sport or the weather. In this scene we see how alike our hero and villain are. We see that Schindler is only a step left to Goeth's path and Goeth a step right to Schindler's. Later on in the film we see two pivotal scenes that keep each on their own path. After flaunting his new found sympathising routine, Goeth looks in the mirror and sees the man he really is. He then shoots the boy he pardoned mere moments before. Similarly, Schindler looks out a window before deciding how his fortune should be spent. Both have `power' as Schindler defines it, both use it in different ways.
The film itself is an awe-inspiring goliath of cinematic perfection. It seems Spielberg has studied the master of the epic  David Lean  well. The film is over three hours, yet it is never boring. The film is as absorbing as any you care to mention. Not one frame is wasted. The film is shot in black and white by Janusz Kaminski and is proof, if nothing else that black and white films should still be consistently made. The film is beautiful. No matter how harrowing the subject matter may be, it seems impossible for Spielberg to frame an ugly shot. Backlights, shadows and smoke are all used magnificently to create atmosphere. One of the most controversial aspects of the film has been the use of colour  specifically the red coat used to highlight a girl Schindler watches during the Liquidation of Krakow. This is not Spielberg being pretentious. This is not Spielberg trying to pull the heartstrings. This is Spielberg's spin on the old saying, `One death is a tragedy. One thousand is a statistic'. During the most horrific of genocides, the individual must not be forgotten.
The acting is phenomenal. Neeson, Fiennes and Kingsley give career bests. Neeson is able to evoke the multiple facets of Schindler with merely a smile, a laugh or a wink. We are never certain what is on Schindler's mind nor his motives or reasons for his actions until their affects have taken place. His performance is similar to Kevin Spacey's in `The Usual Suspects' which both require repeated viewings to fully appreciate. Fiennes is his direct opposite. What you see is what you get. His performance is in-your-face and visceral. Yet, despite his evil, Fiennes is able to evoke a certain likeability about Goeth and when he is executed at the end I actually felt some sympathy for him. Kingsley again shows that he can perfect any ethnicity by playing Schindler's Jewish accountant Stern. He is the voice of reason and solemn dignity in the film. They are all so brilliant it is impossible to pick a best actor from this film. In fact the strongest compliment I can pay to any of them is that no one attempts to steal the show. It is clear that everyone involved in the film are working uniformly to make it as good as possible. John Williams is also on top of his game  the violin and piano solos of the main theme are both hauntingly beautifully and heartbreaking.
Many have criticised the film for bowing to Spielberg sentimentality when Schindler breaks down at the end. People say it would have been uncharacteristic for Schindler to do so. I consider this to be tripe. Schindler has completed his arc. He has gone from a shameless money grabber to a man who would give anything to save another life. He has learned the price of human life and so have we. It is neither the price of a car nor the price of a gold badge. It is priceless. At the end of the film we learn there are 6,000 descendants of Schindler Jews. This means that for every life Schindler saved, five more lived. "Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire." `Schindler's List' is not a film about the horror of war. It is a film about the beauty of the human spirit. The film is timeless. It is a masterpiece of cinema.