Viewed in
2010
Premise
Liam Neeson stars as the German businessman who protected hundreds of Holocaust Jews. Based on a novel I never read.
Loved
The emotional punch, the acting.
Liked
The black-and-white cinematography.
Hated
A certain false ending scene.
Thoughts
Truly a powerful, emotional masterpiece worthy of its accolades.
Clocking in over three hours, there was barely a dull moment. While the main story was about Oskar Schindler's financial and political maneuverings, it interweaved with frightening, harrowing accounts of hunted Jews in Krakow. It was hard to keep up with all the names, but each scene was taut with portrayals of humanity at its worst and best.
Liam Neeson was perfect as Schindler. His performance reminded me of George Clooney's in Up in the Air. Both appear to never reveal their characters' motives or emotions onscreen. Here, I could never tell when Schindler decided to be more than a businessman. One could argue that he was altruistic from the start, or one could argue any one of numerous Schindler scenes as the turning point. Everyone else was fantastic, especially Ralph Fiennes with the daunting job of drawing the audience's sympathy for an abusive Nazi.
My favorite moment was Schindler's last factory scene. Everything was pitch-perfect as Schindler finally acknowledged the enormity of the situation, and revealed his guilt and perceived failures. It was absolutely heart-wrenching to see him tormented and I was bawling pretty much the rest of the film. After three hours of unimaginable risks and horrors, it was one of the best emotional payoffs I have ever witnessed.
Director Steven Spielberg's choice of black-and-white cinematography was excellent. He was able to not compromise on showing the racial humiliation of Jews, the dehumanization of a race, and the horrors of genocide. The film portrayed graphic violence without overloading the audience with disgust. Since most pre-1960's footage was black-and-white, this visual style added authenticity to these tremendous, terrifying tales.
While I loved his choice of black-and-white, I thought his execution of it was sometimes ineffective. Occasionally, he threw colors into the scene, and I did not understand the symbolism of such moments. Also, the shadows sometimes obscured too much of characters faces. It felt most careless than artistic.
But the part that I really did not like was a certain false subplot ending in the second half. Perhaps my rhythm was knocked off having changed discs. It just felt forced. I assume it was in the film because that was how it happened. The stranger-than-fiction vibe did not jive with me.
It's never fun to watch a three hour long Holocaust film, but it was far from depressing and was in fact inspiring. I was inspired by the man, but also by the storytelling. I don't know how true this film was to the novel or to history, but what a heroic character to aspire to.
What I would change
Removed the little color moments.
