Schindler’s List was directed by the legend himself, Steven Spielberg, and was released the same year as Jurassic Park, another classic Spielberg flick. The movie stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, and Ben Kingsley, and it tells the true and very impactful story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman and industrialist, who was for the Nazi-Party, that saved the lives of more than a thousand Jewish lives, particularly the Polish-Jewish refugees from the Holocaust and had them working in factories during World War II.
The thing for any Spielberg movie is that a lot of movies have recurring themes that play put through every movie he’s directed and that’s the idea of our main character finding himself/herself in an unbelievable situation. And if you’ve seen the majority of Speilberg’s work, you’d notice that most of his movies are much more optimistic and light-hearted; ones that have a happy ending. Schindler’s List takes a different approach. Much like 12 Years A Slave or The Passion of the Christ, Schindler’s List is a historical drama, that’s epic in terms of its weight and substance. One aspect of the movie that Speilberg decided to do was to shot the movie, predominantly, in black & white because when watching it again, the creative choice to shot this movie in that format not only speaks for the Holocaust itself but the atmosphere for the movie. I also believe it captured the horrors of the movie, and even though this movie is not classified as a straight-up horror movie, the vibe and feeling of it were horrific in its subject matter and the graphic imagery. all this has to be credited to Steven Spielberg for telling this story with precision, while not having a strong agenda.
Like I stated at the beginning of this review, Schindler’s List is not my favorite Steven Spielberg movie, but damn it might his made movie to date. While this a rough and tragic movie to sit and watch, this is a beautifully made movie with a delicate and passionate sense of direction, while featuring some stellar and breathtaking performances, especially from Liam Neeson. We all know Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills from Taken or Aslan from The Chronicles of Narnia. but the arc and the performance he gives in Schindler’s List might be the best performance he’s ever given. He’s not that way at the beginning of the movie. When we’re first introduced to his character, he’s this man who only cares about the business and making money. In other words, he was simply a capitalist. Neeson’s performance in Schindler’s List is not only his greatest but also his most empathetic and complex. He displays his wide range of acting abilities as a womanizing man that slowly realizes he could help the Jews throughout World War II. His performance affects your heart and soul as you cannot help but feel for his perspective. You see what he sees and come to understand how someone can transform over time.
Liam Neeson’s character in Schindler’s List symbolizes the goodness in humanity, but it’s where you get to Ralph Fiennes’ character who symbolizes the terrible nature of humanity. Amon Goth, a slimy and brutal Nazi General for the Nazi Alliance, is played terrifically by Ralph Fiennes. While you never condone the man’s actions, his performance is haunting, daunting and offers the most accurate depiction of evil that I’ve ever seen. The contrast between Liam Neeson’s character and Ralph Fiennes’ character is what I think the movie is trying the address on a thematic level. Once the two characters finally meet, it’s at that point where Schindler starts evolving into a better individual and gradually becomes a hero rather than a Nazi supporter.
Ultimately, Schindler’s List is about the exploration of good versus evil. Schindler’s List is easily one the most well crafted and significant movies of our lifetime, however, it’s not the type of movie that you’d want to watch again. The movie is primarily for mature audiences, and while it’s not the most violent movie ever made it’s the subject matter that’s being covered that make’s it a tough experience. Beautifully shot and expertly played, Schindler’s List is a remarkable and moving film that will no doubt be part of a larger monument to an atrocity that must be remembered to ensure that it is never, ever repeated. The result is a deeply moving and powerful human drama and an example of filmmaking at its best.
My grade for Schindler’s List: A+
Zane's take at the Cinema's 