Entertainment? No. Informative and heartfelt?.Yes

Rating: 10/10 (12 August 2019)

Well, what an incredible piece of work from Spielberg. The subject, of course, is a matter of posterity. Probably the darkest moment of recent human history, the film is presented in a flat, matter of fact way. This isn't a criticism. The usual flair for storytelling that Spielberg shows, wouldn't have been appropriate here.
The one moment that the director indulged himself a little too much, was the much talked about shower scene. In this sequence, it felt as though the emotions of the audience where being wrenched in an artificial way. I have heard a story of something similar happening to some escapees, but not at Auschwitz. Anyway, it's a small criticism.
The character of Schindler is masterfully played by Liam Neeson, someone who I have always felt is a capable, but not remarkable actor. He displays an earnestness and dignity here which I have never seen him replicate in his career since.
Ditto for Ralph Fiennes as Goth, who far from being a typical film villain, is both heinous and banal. A vile, hideous creature, but a well rounded, three dimensional one to boot.
I would like to have seen one or two of the Jewish character's, more at the forefront. It seems a little trite to portray a major event in the Holocaust/Shoah and have the Jewish characters be almost fodder in the backdrop. The girl in the red, the little boy who hides in the toilet and the mother and daughter are all memorable, but more due to circumstance, rather than resolve. And screen time.
The violence and tention on screen is masterfully achieved. For me though, the most harrowing scene features no violence at all. It's the moment when the parents at the camp see the jeeps taking the children away, and the blissful unawareness as they wave at their adults, (who react with understanding horror and rush the jeeps) that punched me straight in the heart.
Overall it's a work of art, that is seminal, and will rightly stand the test of time. I can highly recommend the BBC mini-series, Auschwitz, as a companion piece to this, for those who wish to dive deeper into this horrendous time period.
Let us hope we never see the likes of it again..