SCHINDLER'S LIST
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1995 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): ****
That people do not learn very much from history is the
most important of all the lessons history has to teach.
-Aldous Huxley
Fellow citizens, we cannot escape history.
-Abraham Lincoln
SCHINDLER'S LIST is a true story about Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who manages to save over 1,000 Jews from death. His Jewish assistant is played by Ben Kingsley. The head of the concentration camp is played by Ralph Fiennes. I will leave the movie to tell the story, and I will concentrate on commenting on the film.
I am not a big fan of black and white, but I am glad this movie was made (Janusz Kaminski) that way. It made it seem more real since we all know after seeing all of the 40s newsreel footage that W. W. II WAS in black and white. Also, the story was so sad that black and white seemed a proper metaphor. Actually, one of the geniuses of the movie was the use very effect use of a small bit of color in it. More great imagery.
I have mixed feelings about Spielberg as a director. I was disappointed by JURASSIC PARK but loved ET. He always tries hard but has trouble hitting the mark. Well, I found SCHINDLER'S LIST just about perfect. The last hour of this movie was uplifting and ultimately very hopeful. He even managed to make a businessman and an entrepreneur, a hero. From WALL STREET to THE JETSONS we have come to learn in the movies that business means profits and profits means exploitation. QED. I also liked his use of graphic violence not to titillate or scare, but simply to be totally realistic. The excellent script by Steven Zaillian based on Thomas Keneally's book must also share in the credit.
The acting is excellent. Liam Neeson is super, as is Ben Kingsley. I thought Ralph Fiennes was especially good; chilling! This show and these actors deserve tons of Oscar nominations and awards.
If I had a complaint, it would be about the overexposed whites in the center of the screen. They frequently made the center unclear. If the movie had any music I do not remember it. Perhaps because the images are still so vivid.
SCHINDLER'S LIST runs a necessarily long 3:07. You will be tired at the end because of the length and the seriousness of what you have just witnessed, but you will think the editing by Michael Kahn was done and be glad of the length. The movie is rated R for some frightening, bloody, and extremely realistic violence. It would be okay for mature teenagers. This movie gets **** in my book, and I recommend that every adult on the planet.
**** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: January 1, 1994
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
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