At approximately 3 hours and 5 minutes into the film, a Jewish mill-worker has his golden tooth extracted that is carefully melted to form a ring. The smile on his face reflects satisfaction and ecstasy synchronised into one expression, while his hand rests on his painful jaw.
Cut to the next scene. Around 1200 Jews, inclusive of men, women and children stand outside a factory to bid farewell to the businessman and present the same ring through the hands of the factory’s accountant, Itzhak Stern. The latter hands over the ring to the protagonist, while mouthing the quote of a generation:
’It’s Hebrew. It’s from the Talmud. It says, whoever saves one life, saves the world entire’
Oscar Schindler, the protagonist, takes the ring, and at once, speechless from the gratitude showered upon him by over a thousand Jews whose lives he had saved, breaks down. Words come reluctantly out of his mouth as he struggles to speak back.
’I could have got more out. I could have got more. I don’t know. If I’d just... I could have got more’
The ever so reliable and loyal accountant tries to make him feel good about himself. He says that there would be generations because of him. Schindler, however, overburdened by his past guilt of being one of the war profiteers, sobs uncontrollably, while a number of Jews crowd together to hold him.
It wasn’t long before I realized that my own tears were flowing unceremoniously.
And that, my friends, was just one of the many speechlessly magical moments inundated upon us by the living legend Steven Spielberg, in arguably his most accomplished directorial work known by the name of Schindler’s List.
Spielberg, known to a wider audience as the man behind record-breaking blockbusters like Jaws, ET, and Jurassic Park, narrated a poignant tale back in the early 1990s, which shook the world, especially cinema-loving audiences. Although it wasn’t as big a commercial success as some of his other works, it remains in history as one of the crowning glories Hollywood must be proud of.
For a layman, the era that the film represents is the Second World War. The story begins when the German Army defeats the Polish forces and take over Poland, while all the Jews in the country are relocated to the big cities. They are then confined in an enclosed area or a ghetto, as per the orders of the Nazis.
In the meantime, Oskar Schindler, a German businessman belonging to the Nazi party, arrives in the city and bribes the major officials to set up a factory so that he can benefit by employing a large number of Jews for manufacturing purposes. However, he is profoundly affected when he begins to witness innumerable Jews being shot to death and killed without mercy by the hands and orders of the SS Lieutenant of the area, Amon Goeth.
The rest of the film follows Schindler’s transformation from a mean-spirited, cunning businessman to a noble and selfless soul who ends up going to any lengths to save his Jewish workers from being one of the millions who were unabashedly killed in the Nazi Concentration camps.
Along with being evenly paced in the narration despite its runtime exceeding 3 hours and 10 minutes, the film is richly authentic and technically just about perfect. Every little attention to detail is taken care of and not once does it appear superficial or shallow in tackling the sensitive subject of the cruelties inflicted upon the Jews. The holocaust and the killings that were replicated over a period of five long years were arguably the most terrible thing to have happened in history, and its always risky and controversy-prone to tackle a subject as this one. However, the master filmmaker that he is, Spielberg not only pulls off everything that he wanted to convey exceedingly well, but also makes a film that is widely regarded as one of the best films ever produced.
There are graphic scenes of violence and disturbing images that evoke extreme reactions of hatred, pity, sadness and fear from the viewer. However, they have been interwoven seamlessly in the script. Honestly, the film wouldn’t have registered the same impact without the inclusion of them. Although it sounds awkward, these sequences were very essential to highlight how cruel humans could be, and why we should never forget what brutalities over 6 million Jews in Europe had undergone before being relentlessly murdered.
One of the striking highlights was the cinematography. The film is shot entirely in black and white. The decision was perhaps taken to give the film a real feel of the era. Although it might have sounded risky on paper, it’s the execution that makes it work, along with the long-lasting effects of low lighting and black and white characters that are symbolically synonymous to a black chapter in history. The background music complements the mood of the film exceedingly well, and its ironic usage in many portions was a high point. It assists in building up the atmospherics and develops just the right emotions in the mind of the viewer.
Any film, no matter how well-made it is, cannot achieve the status of a cult classic unless duly aided by the performances. The film essentially belongs to two of its major actors, Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes. While the former lives the legendary role of Oskar Schindler and is a knockout in the different shades that he represents through his character, the latter instils immense hatred and fear through his portrayal of the sadist and corrupt Lieutenant Amon Goeth. More than his dialogue delivery, his facial expressions speak volumes. Unfortunately, he missed an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor despite being a worthy nomination.
Ultimately, what you take back from the film is an air of overwhelmingness. In spite of all the horrors that surface through the film that may even bring back memories of a deadly past, the film still makes one believe in humanity. It puts forth the viewpoints how one act of kindness can change the world, how choosing good can create lives, and how placing others before you can make all the difference to you as a human being.
It’s a film that makes you marvel at how well-made it is, as much as it makes you lose your self-control to cry out loud at different junctures. It’s a rare work of art that needs to be experienced by everyone with a pure heart and an open mind. Above all, it’s a splendid effort that pools dedication, hard work and sheer ingenuity to create a spectacular masterpiece.
Spielberg and Co, Take a Bow!