There have been movies which are lost in a blink of an eye and then, there have been movies which have the power to stay with you, make you sit and think long after its all over. And even after years, the visions are so deeply ingrained in your mind that it makes you want to sit through it again and again and still left wanting for more... One such epic saga is Schindler’s List. And the master of the game...Steven Spielberg!
I am a sort of a person who could never understand why people get emotional watching fictionalized love stories, crying for the characters as if they really cared for them. Obviously, its a director’s forte, if he can make his audience shed tears for his characters but I could’nt remember a single movie which made me say, ’Man, how could you do this to me..’
Until I watched Schindler’s List..telling you, that was the first and possibly the last movie that made me go week in my knees...
Anyways, coming back to Schindler’s list, I dont think I have the experience or the guts to review a movie such as this or even comment on the events that occurred during the holocaust..but i’ll try to give my honest views..
The Storyline :
Schindler’s list is a real life incident about the will and determination of one single german businessman’s desperate fight for the lives of thousands of ill fated jews destined to die in one of the most shameful events of the human history..the holocaust.
The story begins in September, 1939 in Krakow, Poland. Nazi Germany has defeated the Polish army in a matter of weeks. The jews from all around Poland are asked to register their names for the records. Thousands of jews keep coming to Krakow from the Polish countryside unaware of their destiny. Along comes a tall imposing businessman from Germany. He is Oskar Schindler(Liam Neeson). Seeing the business opportunities in Poland, he is keen to obtain a jewish backing to raise funds for a factory he wants to build to earn profit.He pursues a Jew accountant, Itzhak Stern(ben kingsley) to take care of the financial matters of his proposed enterprise.
In March 1941, the jews from Krakow are forced to empty their homes and live without even basic amenities in a confined blocks of quarters, infamously known as ’the Ghetto’. There is nothing to separate the rich from the poor in the ghetto. Oscar Schindler pursues some jews to invest money in his enterprise and the DEF (Deutsche Emailwarenfabrik), Oscar’s dream is realised. DEF is a quantity utensil manufacturing unit and Schindler hires jews for the labour. He uses all his business tactics to gain access to the highest German Military officials and finally wins the tender to make products for the German Military.
By 1943, Germany starts to mobilise its forces for future expansion and in the course of action seeks to utilize the jews in whatever way they can. By march 1943, Germany’s intentions towards the jews is an open secret. The jews wait for an uncertain future. The nazis start liquidating the ghetto and the remaining survivors are herded to the Plaszow forced labour camp. The ghetto liquidation scenes are masterfully crafted and the feeling of being there is too much for taking. You start to feel the boots tapping on doors, waiting for a certain death..The terror striken faces of the small jewish kids is brilliantly captured. Thousands are killed in the process and thousands are shipped by train like animals to different labor camps around poland and austria. Meanwhile, Oscar Schindler manages to befriend a Nazi commander, Amon goeth, a merciless guy who likes to kill jews for fun. But Goeth has this strange love for his jewish maid, Helen Hirsch.He portrays both the roles very well.
Schindler’s character is complex and we see the transition from a profit seeking business man to a man who starts to care for the helpless jews. He bribes his way through the Nazi Army officials and also uses his friendship with Goeth to secretly help the jews saving them from their illfated deaths. Schindler’s list is a real life story of this man’s unrelenting fight to save the jews from this ghastly massacre which left 6 million jews dead worldwide. He was not influential enough to save all of them but he did all he could to save the lives of more than 1200 jews many of whom he had worked with in his factory. He used all the influence and bribed the highest officials to keep the last of the jews from being executed.Its an irony as the lone person the jews could believe in was a german himself.
In between there are stories of a few jewish families, the sufferings they go through and you start to relate with them so much that it feels terrible to see them die. All these stories are so intricately woven into the larger matrix of events that it leaves a lasting impact on the viewer. The scenes are almost in your face and merciless.I think that is the power of the movie.
Steven Spielberg chose to use black and white for the entire film and I couldnt say if the movie would have had the same effect if shot in color..Its truly awe inspiring and goes a long way in making you feel as if you are really in that era.Only the starting and last shots have been done in color. One particular scene in which a girl child’s dress is shown in red color against the black n white backdrop is truly amazing. The girl is seen running away and hiding from the german forces. That, I think, is one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. It brilliantly portrays the apathy of the nazis towards the helpless
jews.
Spielberg reminds us of the horrors of the holocaust in all its visual forms and doesnt spare us any relief when it comes to gore.Its all black and white but you could see the blood spilling out of the head as the nazis shoot the jews at point blank range. The hues of blood is inky here but nevertheless has the same impact.
The movie is three hours long but you hardly feel the time as its a complete edge of the seat motion picture. The movie ends when the germans are forced to back off from their positions and the soviets come looking for the remaining nazis to try them for war crimes.Now being a nazi beneficiary himself, Schindler is on the run. It is one of the most sad scenes of the movie as his jewish employees try to help him flee in the wee hours just before the soviet forces come looking for the nazis. Oscar schindler never got to meet the people he saved from the clutches of the german army ever again.. The last surviving jews honoured him by calling themselves ’Schindler jews’...
The Actors
The movie belongs to Liam neeson all the way. His transformation from a nazi beneficiary and a shrewd businessman to a caring and sympathetic human being is amazing.He portrays it perfectly.
Ben Kingsley(Itzhak Stern, you might recognise hime from his earlier role as Gandhi) as the accountant is very effective and I dont think anybody else could have done it any better.
Ralph Feinnes (amon goeth) does a great job with his role of a blood thirsty nazi commander. His character is very complex and is not downright evil. He has a good side too. He has portrayed it with great panache.
Verdict
There have been numerous accounts on the holocaust but what sets Schindler’s List apart is a story of a lone man’s sacrifices for a community destined to get incinerated in the inferno of hatred and war. But its more about the hope that is born amidst the sea of human sufferings and tragedies. To cut the long story short, Schindler’s list is one of the best movies hollywood has ever produced. Hats off to you, Mr. Spielberg!! As for you all, all I can say is...go watch it...what are you waiting for??
Caayotee Out..