An Excellent Movie Adaptation of a BIOGRAPHY of A Man

Rating: 10/10 (31 January 2016)

Judging a 1993 movie in 2016 &Especially that's been adapted from a Book is somewhat unfair to the Director Steven Spielberg(Who,being a Jewish,to my mind,will in anyway show Jewish in better light & Nazis as ultimate evil).World & Cinema & presentation of stories has changed a lot since 90s after all where producers & directors played to the Audiences & for their thrill rather than cater to an actual storyline. The fact that this Biography is set in backdrop of World War II & how HE viewed the events is somewhat taken away is overlooked too in light of the persecution of Jews & tragedy that a war is."Things are omitted" or "It looks a simplistic version of a complicated,deep thing" is often heard but it remains one of the best representations of Holocaust on movies ever.Point is,things get lost in adapting a book into a screenplay & Spielberg DOES add his own tidbits to make it more dramatic.If you want to explain how main characters, Oskar Schindler(Neeson),Amon Goethe (Fiennes)& Itszhak Stern(Kingsley) suddenly change colors or how they thought is explained better in the book rather than any movie that adapts the book.This review is keeping that in mind. It's a largely Black&white movie that attempts to make movie look bleak with Greyscale colors in 1993 to take viewers back to 1939 & that's an innovation worth commending.It also tries to make the story of the book into an narrative documentary about the people in it(not quite there,but does well enough). Story takes central character Schindler from Krakow,Poland to Auschwitz,Germany to his hometown,Zvitaw-Brunnlitz.He arrived in Krakow as failed businessman &with nothing & a member of Socialist Nazi party & a can-do attitude.He saw World War as a great profiteering opportunity with cheap Jewish labor from Ghetto settlement created after Blitzkrieg demolition of Polish armies.His investment in metalwork&enamelware is run by him after ruthless bargaining in goods instead of cash from ghetto&bribery of occupying SS officers & he employs his Jew accountant Stern to keep them in line with a similar philosophy.From there on,he changes a little&protects Jews in his employ,initially to protect his workforce & profits &later after imploring of his valued Stern(who uses Schindler's factory as cover to get "essential" workforce from oppressed helpless Jews,thus making them indispensable) &pleaders who approach him,once he's perceived as a hero & haven-provider due to Stern's efforts.His actual & final transformation into a sympathizer occurs when he witnesses violent liquidation of Krakow Ghetto by SS Army,in particular,by a little girl in Red in all the Black & white he sees running around & later on die once ghetto residents are ordered to move to Auschwitz.This is Liam Neeson at his best acting skills even if story itself seems to be cliché towards the end. Best acting is however,by ever-underrated & great Ben Kingsley(overshadowed by other actors in native India as well as Hollywood) as Stern & a young,expressive Ralph Fiennes as SS Kommandant Amon Goethe.Only a book explains how stern was a real hero in background while giving credit to Schindler & escaping attention but Kingsley does that implied part justice.Also,Fiennes in a role of sadistic butcher who made a sport of hunting Jews is outstanding.His cruelty & hedonistic pleasure is even apparent in his hitting,yet protecting&loving a Jewish maid,Helen(Embeth Davidtz) who he wouldn't send to concentration Camp or wear a star. Apart from these central characters,story itself moves to given bleak series of events & cinematography which is excellent.It's a movie that deserves it's place & prizes in spite of better contemporary movies & as one of all-time greats out of Hollywood.That faceless "Girl in Red" is highlighted just to underline what it was that changed Schindler &Jews placing stones on his grave in the end to pay tribute in vibrant color(&thus out of bleak scenario)is a very 90's Spielberg idea to just simplify it to audiences & catch their attention.Deliberately put even if unneeded.An attempt to make a bleak movie lighter since it can't really be enjoyable.I liked it. Music&props in the movie are understandably full of gaffes if you nitpick.A 50s Billie Halliday's song playing in 40s or Krakow with post-war invented stuff is something producers will simply have to turn back time for.90s Krakow can't have 40's stuff lying around everywhere even in makeover.Most glaring one is the Railway with electric lines being used to transport Jews in prominent scenes.So,forget nitpicking & just see how great acting using those props & movie is.Kudos for a great movie & acting all round otherwise.