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Schindler's List 10 out of 10
Running time: 3:15 MPAA rating: R (Language, some sexuality and actuality violence.) Peruvian rating: Mayores de 18
Cast:
Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph
Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Embeth Davidtz, Jonathan Sagalle. |
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Before 1993, almost everyone considered Steven Spielberg a popcorn director. Even though he had tried to make serious motion pictures before Schindler's List (the underrated and amazing The Color Purple and Empire of the Sun), it was with this tale that he garnered attention from both the critics and the audience. It's understandable. Schindler's List is a really powerful motion picture, the kind of film that satisfies both the mind and the heart. Yes, there had been many movies and television series that focused on the Holocaust, but Spielberg's vision is definitive. Schindler's List is one of the most powerful, better-acted, most masterfully shot and directed dramatic motion pictures I've ever seen, and proved the versatility of Spielberg, the former "pop-corn director".
The film tells the story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) who, in September of 1939, is in Krakow, Poland, with the Jewish community under increasing pressure from the Nazis. He's a Nazi businessman interested in getting Jewish backing for a factory he wants to build. He contacts Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), an accountant, to arrange financial matters. In March 1941, the Krakow Jewish community has been forced to live in the "Ghetto", a place where money has no value. Several elders agree to invest in Schindler's factory, so the DEF (Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik) is born; it's a place where large quantities of pots are manufactured. Schindler hires Jews to do the work, and the German army becomes his biggest customer.
Then comes March 1943. Everybody now knows what the Germans plan to do with the Jews. The Ghetto is "liquidated", with the survivors being translated into the Plaszow Forced Labor Camp. Most are executed, and others are shipped away by train, never to return. It's during these times that Schindler manages to ingratiate himself with the local commander, Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), a Nazi who kills Jews as fun. Using his relationship with Goeth, Schindler beings to try to help Jews, managing to save women, men, children and old people.
Performances in Schindler's List are all excellent; it would be hard to find a single bad - or even average - performance, even in the secondary characters. Liam Neeson's Schindler is the perfect hero, not because he's perfect and invincible, but because he's flawed, complex and believable. His transformation is shown in a credible fashion, not only due to the film's amazing screenplay, but also because of Neeson's excellent and compelling performance. Ben Kingsley is equally great, not because he has a great character arc or great lines, but because he seems natural and believable. He acts like a real human being, and that's more that can be said about many film characters. Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Amon Goeth is memorable and effective. He's a true bad guy; kills for sport and has no mercy, and Fiennes' manages to convey all of this without going over-the-top. Embeth Davidtz's small role as Amon's "love interest", Helen Hirsch, manages to capture the camera and even steal the scene from Fiennes' himself.
Visually, Spielberg and cinematographer Janusz Kaminski manage to impress. It's not tough to see why Spielberg decided to film Schindler's List in black-and-white. Kaminski makes effective use of shadow and lightning, and the film as a whole looks amazing; each scene conveys the right feeling of what's happening, and the movie's look is never intruding nor annoying. The opening and closing sequences are in color and, while not as effective as the rest of the movie, look good too. There are also some moments in which colors make appearances; there's the red jacket of a little girl, and the orange of candle flames. These instances in which color is allowed to appear are effective and, in the particular case of the little girl, manage to convey the right feeling for the scene. It's an instance in which the visual and emotional aspects of the film are mixed in a really effective and touching way.
Many of the images in Schindler's List are powerful and unforgettable, and are shot in a way that most viewers will never forget. The images of the Holocaust are disturbing, and Spielberg doesn't shy away from showing everything that actually happened during this time. Violence is graphic and realistic, and the things that the Jews had to go through are shown without censoring. These are scenes that will remain in the memories of some viewers, and that will emotionally affect others. Schindler's List is a very emotionally and intellectually affecting motion picture, and if that's what Spielberg wanted to accomplished, he succeeded.
But Schindler's List succeeds not only due to Spielberg's direction or the amazing performances. Steve Zaillian's (Gangs of New York, American Gangster) screenplay is excellent, and doesn't rely on cheap melodrama or emotional manipulation to convey its points. It presents events and occurrences in a pretty straightforward fashion, as if it were telling "this it what happened", not "this is what I saw from my point of view." Of course there's an emotional touch in the film, but it isn't manipulative, and the movie presents the tragedy of the Holocaust and the war in a very clear fashion. We experience these events. Additionally, Zaillian has also managed to create compelling and believable characters; even though Schindler is really complex and flawed, we can related to him and root for him.
Schindler's List is a real masterpiece, the kind of movie filmmaking was invented for. Yes, I'm aware it's not a lighthearted, happy kind of film, and that some people don't like to watch tragedies or sad events onscreen. I guess this movie isn't for them. But to the rest of people who are more open-minded, who appreciate great filmmaking, a movie which tells a real-life, moving and emotional tale, I thoroughly recommend this movie. The events in the movie are sad and dark, but the film is about finding hope, finding the light, and about its characters and what the characters feel. Schindler's List is a really powerful movie, a film that touches viewers in a really deep, emotional level. It's Spielberg's most successful movie to date, and one of the most masterful, powerful, effective, passionate and honest motion pictures I've ever seen.
©2008 Sebastián Zavala - GG site