Review: Schindler's List (1993)

Wednesday 4 April 2012

Schindler's List
Directed by: Steven Speilberg
Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley.
Genre: Historical Drama / Biopic
Released: 15 December 1993
by Universal Pictures
Running time: 195 mins (3 hrs, 15 mins)
Cert: 15 (BBFC) R (MPAA)
Rating: ★★★★★

IMDb | View Trailer
The true story of Czech born Oskar Schindler, a businessman who tried to make his fortune during the Second World War by exploiting cheap Jewish labour, but ended up penniless having saved over 1000 Polish Jews from almost certain death during the Holocaust.
Before this review, I'd never watched this movie in full. I'd only ever seen the beginning and the Krakow Ghetto Liquidation scene (the red coat part)  but I've always wanted to watch it in full, despite the many warnings that I would cry.

While I didn't cry at this movie, I nearly did. I really have to give Steven Spielberg a lot of credit, because this movie is so beautifully made. One of the reasons why I favour black and white movies over ones in Technicolor is because you're pulled into the plot and not distracted by fancy effects or pretty colours. This movie achieves that so well.

I love Liam Neeson. He is a wonderful actor and can mould into whatever the script demands of him. He made an incredibly believable Schindler and I can't really imagine anyone else doing as good as job as him. One thing that astounded me when the movie started was how young he is here! I have to admit, at the very end when Schindler breaks down and cries because he "could have gotten more" really got to me. When Liam Neeson cries, that's the time for me to cry.

Ralph Fiennes made Amon Goeth look like a complete monster. And that's a good thing, because the real Goeth was a monster. He was quite a few things; he was a sadistic, vile, repulsive, childish monster who deserved to be executed! I don't think that hanging was good enough for him, I should have gotten more, just to show him what it was like to be one of the thousands he had killed. Even his mistressthough that he was childish:

"Amon, you're such a DAMNED FUCKING CHILD!"

There is very little negatives I can say about this movie. I just wish that they would put subtitles when people are speaking in German, or Polish or French (not necessarily Hebrew because those are just prayers) because I would then be able to understand what people are saying.

I never cry at movies. I never have. This movie nearly succeeded in that. A movie would have to be incredibly moving to make me cry and this movie is powerfully moving, I'm glad that I borrowed this from my friend Stu. I'd highly recommend watching this while cuddling into a tissue box.

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