Schindler's List

I am thankful that the Holocaust was part of my elementary school education. That included "The Diary of Anne Frank" and an awkward moment when our teacher read another book about a fictional child in a concentration camp. It was awkward because the book was more intense than she expected and she didn't finish reading it to us. In university while earning my film degree, I felt it was time that I watched the two films for which Steven Spielberg won his three Oscars. After watching "Schindler's List", I was left with a feeling of gratitude that the film was made but that didn't mean the experience was a purely positive one. Watching "Schindler's List" should never be a positive experience of course due to its subject matter and I applaud the historical accuracy of the film but the swearing and sex scenes were unnecessary. Other than those aspects, this film deserved to win Best Picture in 1994 and should be seen by everyone at least once in their lives. It is the film depicting the Holocaust and that is not just because of the story but also because of the decisions of the filmmakers during production. It is apparent that Spielberg was not making this film for profit and when filmmaking becomes personal, success becomes even more possible.

The first list we see being made in the film is not at all like the list Schindler will later create. Whereas Schindler's list is a list of life, the first list of the show is the start of death for many on it. The true story of the Schindlerjuden or "Schindler's Jews" represents the treatment and plight of all Jews in Nazi Europe and that makes for an ideal film to preserve this horrible part of world history. These people went from having to register with the government all the way to the concentration camps (even though the transfer of Schindler's Jews to the camps was a mistake and had to be corrected). The party scene where the audience is introduced to Oskar Schindler is important because it shows his ability to charm people and his attraction to the act of presentation. When he meets Itzhak Stern, the scene implies that Oskar is not necessarily racist like the rest of the Nazi party. When Stern by law must report to Schindler that he is a Jew, Oskar replies promptly that he is a German. Still, Schindler sees how Jewish discrimination can help him make money. Stern however sees how Schindler's factory can be a salvation for his people. Schindler profits even more so from Nazi prejudice as he moves into a house that was previously owned by evicted Jews. The line shouted by the former Jewish male owner, "How...could it possible be worse", is a prime example of dramatic irony. When Oskar's wife comes to Krakow, Oskar expresses his desire that everyone remembers him. Here is more dramatic irony because Oskar will be remember for something a lot better than his success in business. The foreshadowing of Jewish fate in Nazi Europe throughout the film is almost overdone but the sincerity of the moments and the sense the tragedy is why we don't get tired of the foreshadow. "Schindler's List" exhibits many of the quirks that Spielberg is known for but when used in a documentary-style film, the quirks almost seem more potent in their ability to tell the story and affect the audience. For example, there is the series of shots where Oskar is auditioning pretty typists. With each new applicant, he moves closer until we humorously get to the final applicant. Subsequently, there is the montage of his letter that accompanies his gift baskets being read to his Nazi friends. We see others reading the letter but the images are synchronized to Liam Neeson's voice as his character dictates it. This kind of creative storytelling through editing and sound work is appealing to the audience and makes for a more poignant experience than otherwise. There are also the usual applications of reflections and light flares by Spielberg.

With Oskar's change of heart, Spielberg wanted it to be slow and uncertain. I believe this was smart because with the audience constantly guessing Schindler's true intentions, the ending becomes more moving. At first, Schindler isn't too sympathetic towards his workers. He is critical of Stern for letting a one-armed man work in his factory and after the worker is shot, Schindler demands compensation in order to take advantage of the situation. I think it is obvious that Schindler's change of heart begins as he gets an overhead view of the liquidation of Krakow ghetto and this is due to the use of color. In fact, every appearance of the little girl in the red coat throughout the film comes to represent Oskar's shift in priorities. Another reason why Spielberg chose to show a red coat in a black and white film was to be symbolic of how the Holocaust should have been apparent to Allies in high places but yet if they did know, they did nothing to stop it. Spielberg made the ghetto liquidation scene longer than was originally planned and portrayed it as "almost unwatchable". The worsening situation for Jews motivates them to seek work at Schindler's factory all the more and Oskar confronts Itzhak about this. He doesn't want his enamelware factory to be viewed as a haven because it would be dangerous for everyone. Oskar could lose his business and his workers would lose any amount of safety they enjoy working for him. It is in this moment though that he accepts the employment of the Perlman couple. This is proof of the change he is undergoing. Towards the end of the film, we see depicted the accidental imprisonment of the women at Auschwitz. This part of the story inadvertently allows us to see the final destination of Jewish racism by the Nazis. There is a lot of suspense during this part of the movie as we wonder whether Oskar can bribe and negotiate in time to save these women. While our observations of the concentration camp is limited to that of Schindler's female workers, we are still shown other people arriving at the camp who will most likely never leave. I was surprised to learn by watching this movie of female guards herding with whips as if they are handling animals. One part of the true story not shown in the film was that the men spent a week at the Gross-Rosen concentration camp. Once all of his workers are in his hometown factory, Oskar's change in priorities is apparent. For example, he basically produces nothing usable in his factory for the war effort. Here we see another use of color in a black and white movie. The candles during Sabbath worship is to represent hope. Oskar's ending scene of the film is fitting because despite his good deeds, he feels a fairly dealt sense of shame. This scene towards the end of the film makes the entire film worth watching and even though Liam Neeson has a successful career following this breakout role of his, this is still his best scene from any movie because I cry every time. Oskar could have done even more if not for his love of wealth and success. Oskar Schindler found a way to use slave labor to save lives and this should be what everybody remembers him for. He had to do something criminal as part of an evil government in order to do the most good he could. Oskar may have lived a lavish lifestyle while his workers lived in poverty and practical slavery but towards the end of the war, he gives up his wealth to save over a thousand Jews. He is the only member of the Nazi party to be buried on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. The biggest piece of criticism I have with this film is the sex scenes and the swearing. You'll note that I made no mention of the nudity at other moments of the movie. I am not all that critical of these scenes because Spielberg is showcasing all atrocities committed by the Nazis. That includes the humiliation that Jewish people were put through. These scenes are hard to watch and that is on purpose. As for the sex scenes, I see no reason why nudity is necessary. If you're trying to portray the Nazi party in a negative light, I don't think they need any more help. Come to think of it, these sex scenes are a little disrespectful considering the movie is about the Holocaust. The same can be said for the swearing. I guess I should be thankful that the movie wasn't made decades later as swearing in R-rated films has increased over the years.

At first director Steven Spielberg wasn't ready to make a Holocaust film. Other directors were considered including Roman Polanski (who later made "The Pianist") and Martin Scorsese but such factors as neo-Nazism and Holocaust deniers changed Spielberg's mind. He agreed to direct "Schindler's List" but Universal had him film "Jurassic Park" first. Spielberg later said that it was the right move considering the experience he went though making "Schindler's List" and how he could not have made "Jurassic Park" after such an experience. As a side note, Spielberg didn't direct another film until four years after "Schindler's List". You might think that a film like this was given every chance to succeed but this was yet another underdog story in the career of Steven Spielberg. What makes that so surprising is that Spielberg was already a Hollywood directing legend by the early 90's, not to mention a very successful producer. Despite that, "Schindler's List" was given a low budget due to the unsuccessful track record of this genre from a financial standpoint. Nobly, Spielberg worked without pay for obvious reasons. The filming took place at or near actual locations. For example, exterior shots of the enamelware factory were shot on location. For Auschwitz, they filmed at the entrance of Auschwitz-Birkenau but not in the camp out of respect. Spielberg, as well as many of those involved in the movie, became very emotional during the filming of some scenes. The director got through the shoot by having Robin Williams (who stared in Spielberg's "Hook") call him to tell him jokes. Spielberg also watched TV's "Seinfeld" (after learning of this fact, the TV show made a reference to "Schindler's List" a year after its release in Part 2 of the episode entitled "The Raincoats"). Spielberg also used his evenings to edit "Jurassic Park".

This film made a number of people famous including Janusz Kaminski, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. Kaminski is from Poland and in hindsight seems like he was born to direct the photography of this movie. This was his first film with Spielberg and Kaminski's goal was a timeless look that was reminiscent of Expressionism and Neorealism. This way, the audience couldn't tell when the movie was made and it would have lasting value. The black and white was integral in this goal to achieve that period footage feel. Spielberg wanted unknown actors to perform in "Schindler's List" so that star power would not be a distraction. The exception was Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, who was amazing as Stern. Liam Neeson made sure to portray Schindler as a buffoon in the eyes of his fellow Nazis so that his character in the story could believably take advantage of this persona. My first film with Ralph Fiennes was the animated movie "The Prince of Egypt" (another film that Spielberg was involved with). Fiennes was one of the few movie stars in that ensemble voice cast I had not heard of before but after seeing "Schindler's List" in university, he is no longer a stranger on that list. Fiennes resemblance to Amon Goth was such that an actual Schindler Jew visiting the set was quite affected at the sight of him. German actors at first were uncomfortable wearing Nazi uniforms but later on, some of them felt the experience was therapeutic and expressed thanks to Spielberg for the opportunity. It is no surprise that Spielberg once again used his long-time collaborator John Williams to compose the score. Williams was in awe of the film even before he began work on the score and felt that another composer was more worthy of the job. To this, Spielberg replied, "I know. But they're all dead." Because Williams had composed original music for the film version of "Fiddler on the Roof" in 1971 (for which he won his first Academy Award), he was not unqualified. The use of a folk song during the liquidation scene was quite noteworthy. Jewish violinist Itzhak Perlman has a noteworthy part of the score. He first became familiar to me by way of his performances at the Oscars and his appearance in "Fantasia 2000".

The legacy of "Schindler's List" is unquestionably long lasting. Twelve Oscar nominations were garnished such as for Best Actor (Neeson), Best Supporting Actor (Fiennes), Best Sound, Best Makeup and Best Costume Design. Editor Michael Khan won his second career Oscar for his work on this show (his first win was for Spielberg's "Raiders of the Lost Ark"). Kaminski won for Best Cinematography and his only other career win to date was for Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" in 1998. Just as Williams won his first Academy Award for composing a score for a Jewish-themed film, his last win to date came from composing this Jewish-themed film. Spielberg himself won two of his three career Academy Awards to date for "Schindler's List" (Best Picture and Best Director). Other Oscars won that year included Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Art Direction totaling seven wins. With "Jurassic Park" winning three Oscars that same year, it equates to ten Oscars won by Spielberg films in 1994. The American Film Institute has this movie on its lists for Top Movie Heroes (Schindler at #13), Top Movie Villains (Amon Goth at #15), Most Inspirational Films (#3 behind "It's a Wonderful Life" and "To Kill a Mockingbird") Top Epic Films (#3 behind "Lawrence of Arabia" and "Ben-Hur") and for Top 100 Movies (#8). Kaminski has been Spielberg's cinematographer for every movie of his since "Schindler's List". For the remainder of the 90's, Liam Neeson enjoyed success in dramatic acting until "Star Wars" proved that he could also excel with action roles. Ralph Fiennes also found his way into pop culture via 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire". In Krakow, Poland in 2010, Oskar Schindler's actual enamel factory was turned into a museum. For Universal Pictures' 100th anniversary, the company released 100 of its greatest movies and 13 of those films underwent a complete film restoration. The two Spielberg films that were included in that list of 13 were "Jaws" and "Schindler's List". I have both restored versions on blu-ray but part of me wonders if the restoration of the later film was necessary. Preservation is very important but restoration might take away from the timelessness that is so vital to the story of Oskar Schindler. Then again, with Spielberg's high involvement with the restoration process and with even Kaminski being consulted, I should respect their love and affection that they have for their own movie. I played the musical theme from "Schindler's List" in high school concert band and I have heard it played at many subsequent Holocaust memorial services. After twenty-five years since "Schindler's List" and with over fifty career nominations, I think John Williams is long overdue for another Oscar but time is running out.

I got to see this movie on the big screen in Dolby Atmos surround sound for its 25th anniversary. That was again a powerful experience but it made me sad that its anniversary release was caught up in the wave of political activism happening in Hollywood at the time. I have always maintained that a powerful message sticks when audiences discover it for themselves. Relating "Schindler's List" to current examples of racism and discrimination is obvious enough and as grown people, we don't have to be told what to take away from a movie. You can feel the emotional investment put into this movie, especially from Steven Spielberg. This is a hard movie to watch but it was a horrible part of the 20th century after all. I would like this movie a lot more though if not for the sex scenes and the F-bombs. The success of "Schindler's List" did not depend on those elements. The legacy of the movie is such because it preserves a moment of genocide in world history that must be remembered and never repeated. There will always be evil in the world and that is something that mankind by itself can't eliminate. We are not all as wealth or as powerful as Oskar Schindler but if a lot of people each did a little bit to help rid the world of evil, that would be an impact to be sure.

4 Stars out of 5