Perfection.
There are films, admittedly few,
that transcend themselves. In fact, they
transcend even the art of filmmaking. Sometimes,
these films are simply grand on a scale not
before seen...films such as "Titanic" and "LOTR"
may well qualify here...other times, these films
achieve such utter perfection that they simply
take on a life of their own...still other times,
the films become a symbol of the times. These
are the films that make the perfect statement at
the perfect time in life. Finally, there are
films such as "Schindler's List." Films such as
these, perhaps the most rare of all, are films
that touch the soul of all humanity with a
universal truth that is so profound and so
vividly presented that it becomes an icon unto
itself. "Schindler's List" is, indeed, an icon
of American cinema.
Steven Spielberg's 1993 story of Oskar
Schindler, a man whose greed, vanity and
self-indulgence is somehow transformed during
the Nazi Holocaust into a self-sacrificing,
humanitarian existence saving the lives of 1100
Jews from the Auschwitz death camp, is a
powerful, deeply insightful, brutally honest and
constantly moving film that transcends itself by
bringing to light with great clarity one of the
most troubling times in global history.
"Schindler's List" is not necessarily a
comfortable film to watch and I dare say the
casual filmgoer might not rate it highly. It is
not, to the casual eye, an entertaining film.
Only the filmgoer who is well versed in cinema
and dedicated to the mastery of filmmaking will
most likely consider this film entertaining,
though many others will still appreciate it.
There are, quite simply, films that are not
meant to entertain. They are not designed for
our pleasure, but for much grander purposes.
"Schindler's List" is a challenging film but a
deeply healing one.
Virtually every aspect of "Schindler's List"
achieves perfection from performances to
production quality to script to direction. It
would be most challenging to find a film that
achieves such balanced perfection.
As Oskar Schindler, Liam Neeson presents a
multi-faceted performance of great depth with a
unique balance of self-indulgence and
self-sacrifice, shallow materialism with
generous offering. Neeson offers a Schindler who
is confident yet often indecisive. What makes
this performance remarkable is its pacing...So
often, in these humanity films we get a
"superhero" approach or a man who suddenly and
immediately transforms into Mr. Wonderful.
Schindler's transformation here is a quieter,
more subtle transition that allows the audience
to watch him change...watch him struggle with
this change. It's a remarkable, controlled
performance in what could have been a
stereotypical "tour de force."
While Neeson clearly takes the lead here, the
supporting roles are simply outstanding
including Ben Kingsley as accountant Itzhak
Stern, a man who works with Schindler yet
remains wary of him and the Nazi's. Ralph
Fiennes offers, perhaps, the "tour de force"
performance as Amon Goeth, a sadistic Nazi whose
callous brutality is disturbing yet, in many
ways, very complementary to Schindler.
The list could go on and on in terms of
exemplary performances...yet, it's so hard to
single out individuals when truly every aspect
of this film is perfect. The score of John
Williams is magnificent, blending perfectly the
desperation of the situation with the moments of
great life and the moments of great rage...the
cinematography of Janusz Kaminski utilizes
perfectly the use of color (largely black and
white) with tremendous shading and just the
perfect mix of brutality and hopefulness.
The film's attention to detail is astounding,
including the music, costuming, language and
production design.
Yet, in many ways, watching "Schindler's List"
makes me not want to comment on any of its
production values. This film is so much more
than its acting or its writing or its anything
else...It is a film that transcends, truly, the
art of filmmaking and becomes a story and a film
and an experience for the entire world. Yes, it
truly is that grand.
"Schindler's List" inspires, and yet,
simultaneously horrifies. It is, in my opinion,
Spielberg's finest work and one I doubt he will
ever top. "Schindler's List" is more than a
film...it is a life experience of such depth and
beauty and greatness that I think it almost
calls out for an 11th Commandment...Thou Shalt
See "Schindler's List."
© Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
Cinematic
perfection! This film transcends the
medium of film and reaches a higher plane... One
where I feel a simultaneous gratitude, anger,
sadness and bliss for being given the
opportunity to live in this world.
People often
mistakenly call this film depressing. I
call it the most hopeful film ever made... One
that treasures a single human act of kindness
and records it for future generations.
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
