To my way of thinking, Spielberg's movie brilliantly captures experiences representative of those of millions of European Jews during the Holocaust. I find the scene unforgettable where the prisoners at a forced labor camp must run naked before Nazi doctors. Those inmates judged sufficiently healthy will continue to be slave laborers; the rest will be loaded into cattle cars and shipped to death camps.
But I believe Spielberg wanted to make a film attuned to mainstream moviegoers' sensibilities, and he succeeded by weaving the horrors of the Holocaust into an inspiring story about how 1100 Jews survived because of the efforts of German entrepreneur Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson). A member of the Nazi Party, Schindler became a war profiteer by operating subcamps that used Jews as slave laborers. Initially, he seemed content to merely treat his laborers humanely while he accumulated a fortune. But eventually, at great personal risk, he chose to embark on a scheme to pump his money and influence into saving as many Jews as he could.
The movie is based on a true story, and that enabled Spielberg to end the film with a powerful epilogue that never fails to bring tears to my eyes: decades after the Holocaust, people who survived because of Schindler’s actions file past his grave at the Catholic cemetery in Jerusalem, and each places a small rock on his tombstone. Just before the movie's closing credits roll, the words appearing on the screen read: "In memory of the more than six million Jews murdered."
I’m very impressed with the way Spielberg was able to use his enormous talents to make a film about the Holocaust that mainstream audiences can connect with. The location shooting in and around Krakow is memorable, and the stunning black-and-white cinematography featuring a lot of hand-held camerawork gives the movie the appropriate historical feel. Also, the music, which includes evocative period pieces and the melancholy violin of Itzhak Perlman, sets the proper tone. The performances are strong as well, particularly those of Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as cruel commandant Amon Goeth, and Ben Kingsley as accountant Itzhak Stern.
"Schindler's List" tells a compelling tale about intolerance, and it has been widely used for educational purposes. However, parents should be advised that the MPAA has rated the film "R" for language, some sexuality and actuality violence.
The "Schindler's List" DVD is a two-sided disc. Side A contains the first 2 hours 14 minutes of the movie, and Side B contains the remaining 1 hour 1 minute plus a few bonus materials. The best extra by far is the hard-hitting 77-minute documentary titled "Voices From the List," which contains interviews with a dozen people who survived because of Schindler's efforts, along with fascinating historical still photos and archival footage. Below I have given a complete list of the special features found on the DVD.
Selected Special Features:
- Anamorphic Widescreen (1.85:1) or Full-Screen (1.33:1)
- English 5.1 Dolby Digital
- English 5.1 DTS Surround
- Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital
- French 5.1 Dolby Digital
- English Captions
- Spanish Subtitles
- French Subtitles
- Documentary: “Voices From the List” (77 min.)
- Promo: “The Shoah Foundation Story” (12 min.)
- Cast and Filmmakers (Text Only)
- About Oskar Schindler (Text Only)
- DVD Release Date: March 9, 2004
