One of the greatest and most important films ever

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2007)

Without a shadow of a doubt, Schindler's List is the finest film Spielberghas ever made; it is also, comfortably, the most important and is a movie everybody should make an effort to see, not just because of it's quality as a film but because of the message it carries with it. Everyone must surely now know the basis of the film - war profiteer OskarSchindler, a Nazi party member, works to save the lives of over a thousand Jews during the Holocaust, risking his own life in doing so. It is a story that, told incorrectly, could have been overly sentimental or that could have failed to make the points it needed to make about the Holocaust.Instead, it is told so well, it transcends the boundaries of it's media and has become both a vital historical document, cataloging the terror of the Nazis in a way everyone can understand, and a salient warning for our future. The strength of the film lies in the fact that it makes no attempt to preach to the person watching it. The primary characters are painted in shades of Grey. Schindler is a womanizer, a drinker, a profiteer who seemingly puts money before morals much of the time. He laughs and jokes with Nazis, including the primary villain, Plaszow commandant Amon Goeth,who himself is never presented as entirely evil. Throughout, the viewer is presented with a document of the actions of the characters and left to make up their own mind. Spielberg shot the film in black and white, often using hand-held cameras,to give it the appearance of a documentary, and it works. Coupled with the realities of the characters, and the fact that Spielberg neither draws back from the brutality of the Nazis nor uses the script to preach about it, this gives the film "the ring of truth". One of the hardest things in film-making is to take the truth, make no major changes to it and then make it believable on the screen; here Spielberg succeeds in this totally. The central performances in the movie are immense. Liam Neeson, RalphFiennes and Ben Kingsley give utterly convincing performances in the lead roles and the scenes where they appear with each other pin the film together and carefully chart the development of Schindler's sympathies.They are the final link in a film that has no weaknesses. This is a dark film though - how could it be otherwise with it's subject matter? It is upsetting and deeply moving and anybody who watches can'help but be changed in some way. The emotional climax of the film, in Auschwitz itself, is one of the most harrowing scenes ever put on celluloid. Spielberg handles the ending wonderfully as well, avoiding cloying sentimentality but still managing to provide some hope after all the darkness that has come before. The final scene, involving some of the people Schindler saved, is profoundly moving. If you haven't seen this film and are considering buying it, do so. Quiteaside from the fact that this is one of the finest movies ever to come out of Hollywood anyway, it also stands alongside books like 1984 and TheGrapes of Wrath, and films like The Battle of Algiers, as being"entertainment" that is far more important than the genres which spawned them. The 2-disc set is beautifully packaged, and somehow this seems important for once. There is a deeply moving documentary included featuring interviews with survivors from Schindler's List. The transfer of the film to DVD is excellent as well - clear, bright and smooth. The choice of starting point for the second part of the film on the second DVD is also well made and poignant. For those who wish to further their knowledge of history's darkest hour,the best starting place is Martin Gilbert's book The Holocaust. Alsorecommended are Primo Levi's books If This Is A Man, The Sixth Day and IfNot Now, When; Roman Polanski's film The Pianist and, in music, Gorecki's3rd symphony and Shostakovich's Babi Yar. Equally important is another Martin Gilbert book, The Righteous, which catalogers the actions of some of the 17,000 other people so far recognized by the Council of Yad Vashemin Israel as righteous people who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust. All these works help further tolerance and understanding,as does Schindler's List and that, surely, is the film's greatest credit and testimony.