Schindler's List (1993)

Director: Steven Speilberg

Cast: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Embeth Davidson

Stars: 5

Schindler's List has been one of those movies that have been on my list for many many years, and only now have I gotten around to seeing it. This movie is considered an all time classic. It was ranked number 9 on AFI's greatest 100 movies and moved up to number 8 ten years later. Even the 1990's sit-com Seinfield used the movie as a joke in an episode where Jerry and his girlfriend were caught making-out during the film. And it certainly has lived up to all the hype.

Schindler's List takes us into the disturbing, emotional, and controversial topic of the Holocaust. It follows the businessman Oskar Schindler (Nesson) who becomes an unlikely humanitarian. Schindler runs his own business in Nazi Germany and is a member of the Nazi Party. He begins to use Jewish slave labor. Instead of hiring Germans to work in his factories, he uses the Jews in the ghetto's and internment camps. He can pay them cheaper or nothing at all and make pure profits during war time. He forms a relationship with one specific man, Itzhak Stern (Kingsley), Schindler's accountant and business partner, and a Jew. Stern begins to hire extra, unneeded people to save them from death camps, at the reluctance of Schindler. Soon, Schindler begins to use his business as a safe-haven for Jews. When his business is moved deeper into Germany he is allowed to take workers with him, and he creates a list of nearly 1,200 people, who says are all "essential workers," who will be saved from horrors of the camps.

It is difficult to do a movie on the Holocaust and not stir up emotions from anybody, even if you have no connection to it. Speilberg is able to sir up even stronger emotions than typical. The director captures the pure terrifying feelings of the people living from day to day wondering if this day would be their last. From a scene of a group of women being shaved and brought into the showers and an 8 year old child jumping into a cesspool to avoid capture from the Nazi's. The cinematography is great. It is shot in black and white and color is only used to highlight candles and a girl in a red coat. The contrast is incredible.

The only issue I have with this movie is the length. Just a shade under 200 minutes this movie takes a while. However, there is never a dull moment, nor does the movie drag. But, it is my opinion any movie that breaches that 3 hour mark, is generally too long. With that being the only real tarnish on an otherwise fantastic movie, it lives up to its reputation. A deeply moving and classic piece of American cinema.