Schindler's List [M]

War is horrific for many: the soldiers on the fronts, the women in the factories, but for the Polish Jews living at the time of World War II, life was a waking nightmare. Amidst the thick reign of terror and death, German businessman and member of the Nazi Party, Oskar Schindler, managed to save the lives of over 1,100 Polish Jews by putting them to work on his factory floor and paying bribes to many Reich members with the profits. But this haven can only last as long as the war continues, so what will happen to Schindler when it ends? 

Another heart wrenching triumph for Steven Spielberg, based on the non-fiction novel by Thomas Keneally, Schindler’s List is a harrowing yet beautifully crafted look at the horrors of the Holocaust, which manages to perfectly walk the tightrope between graphic war epic and elegant drama. 

War is horrific for many: the soldiers on the fronts, the women in the factories, but for the Polish Jews living at the time of World War II, life was a waking nightmare. Amidst the thick reign of terror and death, German businessman and member of the Nazi Party, Oskar Schindler, managed to save the lives of over 1,100 Polish Jews by putting them to work on his factory floor and paying bribes to many Reich members with the profits. But this haven can only last as long as the war continues, so what will happen to Schindler when it ends? 

Spielberg does have a knack for depicting stories of great spirit, inspiration, and admiration without going in for the sugar-coated allure of such stories. This movie superbly treads that fine line between beautiful and tragic and it’s a wonder to behold. Shot, for the most part, in grainy yet elegant black and white, aside from the odd cheeky element of colour (the red of a little girl’s coat and the red of the heart of a candle flame), the cinematography is breathtaking with the elegance of the black and white lessening the gore and horror of the film’s more graphic scenes e.g. Jews being mercilessly and seemingly randomly shot in the head at close range. 

Apparently the book is a lot worse and it seems that the film tones down on the vast material somewhat, leaving out certain narrative elements such as the work that Schindler’s wife did in saving Jewish lives as well as the fact that Oskar continued to cheat on her with other women. Whilst these things would have brought another level of complexity and intrigue into the film, which admittedly is already strained (sitting at 3 hours long), I suppose Spielberg’s sacrifices can be overlooked when we consider that he manages to hold our attention for the entire duration and manages to depicts something so beautiful and tragic, tugging at the fear-strings and heartstrings of our beings. 

The elegance of the film’s cinematography becomes further heightened when we consider just how wonderful the performances are from the central cast. Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler is wonderful: charming, kind, yet authoritative and somewhat weak at times. His climactic breakdown is heartbreaking and tears cannot help but promptly spring to the eyes. Add to Liam’s performance the silent and captivating performance from Ben Kingsley and psychotic yet malleable performance from Ralph Fiennes, and you’ve got a winner of a recipe. 

Starring Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagall, Embeth Davidtz, Malgoscha Gebel, Shmulik Lev, Mark Ivanir, Beatrice Macola, Andrezej Seweryn, Friedrich von Thun, Krysztof Luft, Harry Nehring, and Norbert Weisser, Schindler’s List is a stunning movie filled with drama, romance, horror, and hope. Armed with its beautiful cinematography and captivating performances, it’s ready for battle and will meet it head on. Beautiful!