Shocking, to say the least

Rating: 10/10 (29 January 2001)

In 1993 I saw this movie in the theater the day it opened here in Holland, and it made such an impact on me that I was afraid to watch it ever since. Now, seven years later, I watched it again, alone, on a saturday night, and again it was one of the most harrowing movie experiences of my life, even on the small screen.
This one is up there among other movies about the Holocaust, such as Night and Fog (Resnais, 1956) and Shoah (1985). I think that when you watch these three movies you can catch a glimpse of what these have gone through during WW2, although this of course can never be established through film, this horror.
All during this movie you are bombarded in a Spielberg-fashion speed with images that are so gruesome that they bring you on the verge of tears. It was only till the last scene of the real Schindler Jews and the actors laying stones on Schindler's grave that I broke. The music, the imagery, the sensitivity with which Spielberg handled this subject was so convincing and staggering that it truly made me cry. I don't think Spielberg will ever make a more personal movie than this.
During the screening I attended seven years ago some people found the imagery too much to handle, and walked out of the theater. It was just too much.
I think 1,000 words are not nearly enough to express what I felt and still feel about this movie, so I will just say:
If you haven't seen this movie yet, see it. If you've already seen it, vote for it and go see it again.
10/10