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.
Copyright © 1995 Steve Rhodes
out of 4
