The doubtful masterpiece

Rating: 5/10 (8 July 2013)

Very difficult to make a generic and objectively assess to this movie, which there are some righteous doubts in the authenticity of the historical background in. But Steven Spielberg, preferring to take on faith a history of the German businessman Oskar Schindler, with his characteristic royal scope, built his own «spielberg's» version of the story, that impressed him, editing the storyline, characters and types of the main actors in accordance with his personal and commercial considerations.
Only abstracting away from the doubts in plausibility filmed story, I can appreciate enjoy a film with unbiased perception. It is possible even to seek assistance with a particular extent of delight under such stipulations. A beautiful and moving story of selfless and honest German businessman, member of the Nazi party, Oskar Schindler, a brave, daring, going against the system.
But importunate and suspicious taste of something unnatural and inedible prevents obediently to chew and swallow the product prepared by Spielberg,having never choked.
What was guided by Steven Spielberg, forcing him to stop his choice on a candidature of Ralph Fiennes for the Amon Goeth's role? Maybe his diabolical sexuality? But, pardon me, the real Amon Goeth evoked a completely different impressions! He inspired fear and trembling! Make-up artists vainly tried to abundantly dye in a dark the reddish color of the face's «vegetation» of the actor; the actor vainly rehearsed in front of the mirror the most disgusting and frightening cruelty's «symptoms» on the his face; he vainly stuck out his unnaturally drooped, due to excessive «Guinnes» consumption, belly, - Ralph Fiennes was hopelessly far from a real Amon Goeth. The Spielberg's idea was realized! The Director's idea to draw the increased attention to historical-biographical drama of the female audience with the help of the charming «bad boy», who gracefully shoots, as morning exercises, the Jews, frightened to death, from his villa's balcony, - is failed to cheer him. It was successful so well, that we don't feel fair disgust and loathing for Fiennes's character. On the contrary, sometimes we laugh over his comic remarks and ridiculous pomposity. So where disgust will undertake from, if the adventurous Director turned cruel, mentally unbalanced alcoholic into polished glamorous SS-dummy!? Women are thrilled and fall into a hypnotic trance from his painted bottomless black eyes, men delightedly appreciate elegant SS-uniform, perfectly tailored fit, and negligent, but so graceful possession of firearms. That's a truly excellent and win-win move! It's hard to call the real Goeth even a little attractive and charismatic. Especially in the years when he became a commandant of Plaszow. Overweight, with a huge shivering belly, with a bloated of regular alcoholic libation, lop-eared, balding guy with the loathsome appearance, he doesn't distantly even remind the noble thoroughbred appearance of the British actor. The question is, why Tim Roth's candidate, originally proposed for the role of Plaszow's commandant didn't please Spielberg? That's really who would fully embody this odious image, having forced the audience to feel hate and contempt for his character. Having conveyed the impeccability and truthfulness of the story, the Director wouldn't receive delights and falls of thankful sobs. His ennobled and presumptuous Oscar Schindler had to be pleasant to the audience by all means, having excluded any suspicions in decency and unselfishness of his true outbursts. His glossy and dandified Amon Goeth, also should not have caused the unanimous disgust among spectators, but finely contribute to the commercial success of the film. And these characters were undoubtedly successful! With the only one amendment: they are hopelessly far from their real prototypes.
Why the eminent director so responsibly and meticulously approached to selection of the skinny and too exhausted men and women, participating in the crowd of prisoners of concentration camp, but so ridiculously missed with the main embodiment of the evil in the movie? Just only one Steven Spielberg knows, why the main characters and story lines of the screened story are so mercilessly deformed, while the secondary moments are scrupulously and meticulously closed to the reality But as a result, everybody remained happy: the Director didn't manage to count the box office and receive enthusiastic praises of film critics choking with impressions, actors "coin boxes" were replenished with new characteristic roles, and the audience that believed in a fairy tale of good and unselfish German businessman, didn't manage to change handkerchiefs, become impregnated through with their fluids of snot and drool.
What in general to create the caricatures on tragical, historical and biographic dramas for? The talented Spielberg has many excellent movies in different genres, from the same military And to science fiction, so it is possible to turn around in the full extent of his inexhaustible and rich imagination within the screenplay. But no, he prepared his project for years, diligently and concentrated studied biographies of heroes, met with eyewitnesses of events, carried out an actor's castings, so the audience saw the upside down turned story in the end. The story, where we with equal degree of sympathy treat both charming Oscar Schindler, and deliberately comical and not less charming Amon Goeth, with manicured fingers and porcelain face from the excess of make-up. And, by the way, «Schindler's List» - is one of the movies-the Champions of the number of absurd and rude goofs. Alas, it often happens, that the grandiose plan is realized in the same grandiose project, it interferes the deep perception with it's coverage and the grandiloquent announcement, programming the «consumers» for quite expected unanimous, just weak-sighted admiration.
By the way, Roman Polanski ignored the search of weedy and bony actors for his crowd scene in his «The Pianist» , but he is fully focused on the main thing, creating almost identical to the real cinematic images. The Director honestly conveyed the authenticity of the story, without romantic embellishment and alternative finals.
But Steven Spielberg believes that he has all the reasons to rewrite the history.