Schindler’s List Perspective 2007

After watching this Oscar-winning movie, a dozen years after its debut, I feel as though I had not missed too much (No, I’d never seen it before). My experience was already shaped by Life is Beautiful and The Pianist, besides all the Holocaust literature from school.

Through the first disc (2 hours), I kept waiting for the point where Schindler steps in and makes a change in history, a stand against the brutality. When does this list start saving people already? I realized that, more than just Schindler’s sliver of silver lining, this story is one of tragedy. There’s nothing good about it. Prejudice. Ostracism. Forced eviction and migration. Slave labor. Gross degradation. Target practice. Ovens. Even as Schindler wins the audience over at the end, wishing he could have saved just one more person even after such sacrifice and intrepid leadership, I’m forced to deal with my agreement, that he should have saved one more person with that golden Nazi pin of his. These are, after all, lives of people we’re talking about, not just a winning speech.

I liked the black and white: the fact that I know this is a current movie, with contemporary actors who I recognize, drives home how deliberate the concept is, forcing to me to immerse in a world where I can’t control what people in the movie are doing. Perhaps that would have been true of any modern big budget black and white movie, but it also makes the black and white striped uniforms stand out, and it puts a delay on my realization that the feathery powder landing on Schindler’s summer jacket is not snow. Why did Spielberg have to be so good? Then, of course, the black and white created the contrast of the little girl in the red dress and of memorial candles.

I liked the supporting cast, especially Ralph Fienes and Ben Kingsly. I love how Kingsly’s character frequently approaches Schindler with real problems, keeping his cool as Schindler slowly realizes his concern. It’s impossible not to admire his glaring restraint as Schindler takes advantage of him toward the beginning. Human feeling seemingly becomes an intellectual study for Ralph Fiennes. I was slightly surprised at his unwavering Nazi conviction when hanged, but then, he really didn’t change, despite his intimate relationships with several strong-hearted Jews who fought themselves and their tyrant to try to get him to understand how twisted he’d become. Fortunately, Schindler’s character does change, and hope surfaces, not that there won’t be a tragedy, or that these people won’t have to feel this tragedy, but that people do change and that sacrifices people make are not in vain.

I can't figure out if the man whose shadow places roses on Schindler's grave is Liam Neeson or Steven Spielberg. It feels like Spielberg, but it looks like Neeson. Maybe it was vicarious.

So of course this movie is worth seeing. Seriously, you should see it. Just once.