Schindler's List (1993)

Unplayable DVD

Who ever makes these DVD's is putting out a substandard product that does not play reliabley on my equipment which has played every other DVD bought from othere sources reliabley. January 6, 2009

one of the most beautiful movie I have ever seen

Let me just start saying that I'm usually apprehensive about watching Holocaust movies. I think while the Holocaust is something that every person in the world should be educated on, it is also a subject that is overly flooded in the Hollywood movie industry. Most Holocaust movies show lots of images of how people get tortured, killed, gassed etc, all of which make me sick. And I neither wish to watch more of these make-me-sick movies nor think flooding the audiences with brutal images every year would necessarily "benefit" them in terms of education on the subject of genocide, which (I can be no more sensitive about it) merely puts the Holocaust among only one of countless atrocities human beings have committed throughout history. Yet the movie-makers make more genocide movies on the Holocaust than any other. People sometimes don't realize that other crimes against humanity in history, though may not be as systematic, are just as terrible. So I do ask that future film-makers would dwell insights into other aspects of history instead of just doing one thing over and over and over and over.
That being said, I would have to say that Schindler's List is the first "Holocaust" movie (though I do not see it that way) that truly moved me to tears without losing appetite to eat at the same time. And it is not because it is a relatively "feel-good" movie or that there are relatively fewer brutal scenes on the sufferings of the Jews (I'm more okay with watching people getting shot than watching people getting tortured or gassed, pardon me if that sounded terrible), but that the movie conveys powerful and insightful messages that digs deeper than just "racism is bad," or "there are good people in the world." It tells the story of a powerful and wealthy man who understands the importance of human lives. The end scene in which Schindler weeps over not having saved more lives both trivializes and signifies money and property: money and property are worth nothing when compared to human lives, yet they are of utmost importance because "for this...one more person." This powerful message is simply a tear-jerker: a man who did more than anyone else looks around him and weeps shamefully over still having, in his pockets, some potential means to save more lives, little as they are left. From this, Schindler's list teaches something that can be applied to the daily life of anyone, that money and property should be used for those human lives in need to be saved.
The Holocaust aspect of the this movie also shed light on the account much more than other Holocaust movies I've seen. It not only shows madness in the face of evil, but just how inhuman the Jews look to the Nazis. The Nazis would just go about their business and socialize while shooting the Jews like squashing bugs as hobbies. The look on the Nazi's faces are not sadism so much as apathetic, which puts the horror and madness onto a different level, it truly defines the extremities of segregation, to be put on the bottom of the barrel.
the last thing I want say is that the score is simply brilliant. This is truly one of the best films in history in every way. December 7, 2008

Misleading

This was NOT the "feel good movie of the summer" like the box advertised. Or maybe I was thinking of "The Mighty Ducks". Either way, I probably only laughed through about half of this. November 25, 2008

A Classic and Must See

This movie needs to be seen by everyone, and the special features are just as good and informative as the movie. The movie is probably the highly of Spielberg's career. It is about Oscar Schindler who was a Nazi and who saved many Jews during the Holocaust. This movie is shown in black and white, which really draws the audience into the movie and the feel of the 1940s. The only color is a red coat on a little girl, which Spielberg does intentionally so pay attention to that. This is emotionally charged and I usually cry a great deal during this movie. It is an absolute must see by everyone. It is long but is worth it. If you only get one movie this year it should be this one! Amazing from start to finish. November 13, 2008

Review of Schindler's List

Schindler's List is a rarity in contemporary filmmaking. It delivers a heart-wrenching story with Oscar-worthy performances, while demanding a soul-examining response from the viewer. How many movies can make that claim? And while not overtly addressing religious themes, the film leaves no doubt as to the answer to that age-old question: Does evil exist?

Set against the backdrop of World War II Poland, and based on a true story, the movie follows the life of German businessman Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson). Always the entrepreneur, Schindler hatches a plan to start a factory and outfit it with cheap, Jewish slave labor. His idea, while bankrupt in one sense, was anything but in a financial sense as he becomes quite wealthy. Along the way, however, Schindler begins to question the brutality and depravity of the German captors overseeing the prison camp. Spurred on by a silent, inner awakening, he begins a campaign to personally see to the safety of "his" Jews, those who worked in the factory for him. Aided by his loyal accountant Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), Oscar figures a way to "buy" all 1100 of the workers from the camp Commandant Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) and move them to safety. The plan ultimately is successful and the area is liberated by the Red Army soon after.

It must be noted of the cast how moving and riveting the performances are from top to bottom, but particularly that of Neeson as Oscar Schindler. His portrayal is instantly believable on all levels, as you feel personally involved in the events that transpire. Never before have I sat in such rapt attention, waiting to see where he would take me next.

One question that inevitably comes up amid any discussion of the Holocaust is that of where was God during this atrocity? How could He let so many of His people die? Among Jews in particular, the topic is especially sensitive. Some feel, such as survivor and noted author Eli Wiesel, that God abandoned the Jews, allowing the Holocaust in fact as some sort of punishment. Others though insist that God is still sovereign and that it is all part of his plan for the Jewish people.

In any event, Schindler's List is a must-see film that deals with a depressing and horrifying subject in the best way possible. Having reservations about it before I watched it, I can honestly say that I am glad I saw it and am a better person for it.

November 6, 2008

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