If I'd just I could have got more

Rating: 8/10 (16 May 2018)

Steven Spielberg's horrifically harrowing Schindler's List isn't just a critically acclaimed, award-winning masterpiece. This is almost a documentary of real life events, a truly terrifying picture which chronicles The Holocaust, within the most destructive period of our time. A time that must never be repeated. Captured masterfully in black-and-white celluloid with hand-held cameras, Schindler's List follows Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who begins to feel concerned for his Jewish workforce, leading to an emotionally captivating story that evolves continuously as Steven Zaillian's beautiful screenplay culminates to one of Schindler's final heartbreaking lines: "I could have got more out. I could have got more. I don't know. If I'd just I could have got more."

The decision to shoot the film in black-and-white only catapults the 'documentary tone' that Spielberg sets out to achieve (but still it is just a plaque of documentary as it shows only Schindler's life and describes a little bit about war), and in doing so creates an eerie experience for viewers. There's one scene in particular that uses colour for a little girl's red coat, as she stumbles through a disturbing site of bloody murder whilst Schindler keeps a close eye. This scene essentially serves as the brutal realisation for Schindler, and becomes one of the most iconic scenes in film history. A simply breathtaking use of colour within a black-and-white picture. Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski expresses his enduring adroitness with excellent execution.
John Williams' haunting score captures the horrors of war as violinist Itzhak Perlman performs every single note with intricate skill. The main theme is pleasing to the ears but when paired with Spielberg's picture, it's painfully distressing, traumatic, even disturbing.
Maybe it is not the best movie in the world, you will definitely find flows, but Schindler's List is a film to be seen by all.
8/10