 Tagline: The List Is Life. --- Spielberg's most powerful film --- Schindler's List, a Stephen Spielberg film, is a cinematic masterpiece that has become one of the most honored films of all time. Winner of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, it also won every major Best Picture Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the National Society of Film Critics, the National Board of Review, the Producers Guild, the Los Angeles Film Critics, the Chicago, Boston and Dallas Film Critics; a Christopher Award; and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Golden Globe Awards. Steven Spielberg was further honored with the Directors Guild of America Award. The film presents the indelible true story of the enigmatic Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nazi party, womanizer, and war profiteer who saved the lives of more than 1,100 Jews during the Holocaust. It is the triumph of one man who made a difference, and the drama of those who survived one of the darkest chapters in human history because of what he did. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film, which also won Academy Awards for Screenplay, Cinematography, Music, Editing, and Art Direction, stars an acclaimed cast headed by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, and Embeth Davidtz. Storyline: Oskar Schindler is a vainglorious and greedy German businessman who becomes unlikely humanitarian amid the barbaric Nazi reign when he feels compelled to turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. Based on the true story of Oskar Schindler who managed to save about 1,100 Jews from being gassed at the Auschwitz concentration camp. A testament for the good in all of us. Written by Harald Mayr Editor's Note: Based on a true story, Schindler's List is Steven Spielbergs epic drama of World War II Holocaust survivors and the man who unexpectedly came to be their savior. Unrepentant womanizer and war profiteer Oskar Schindler uses Polish Jews as cheap labor to produce cookware for the Third Reich. But after witnessing the violent liquidation of the walled ghetto where the Krakow Jews have been forced to live, Schindler slowly begins to realize the immense evil of Nazism. When his employees are sent to a work camp, they come under the terrorizing reign of sadistic Nazi Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes). With the help of his accountant, Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), Schindler creates a list of "essential" Jews. Bribing Goeth, Schindler manages to get 1,100 people released from the camp and brought to the safety of his munitions factory in Czechoslovakia. Spielberg's glorious film is wondrously evocative, visually stunning, and emotionally stirring. Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Kenneth Brown on February 15, 2013 -- Only a select few filmmakers can say they've made an important film. Not a great film, or a critically acclaimed film, or an award-winning film, or even a meaningful film. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of talented directors who share such claims to fame. But an important film? Those are in a category all their own, and it's a very, very small category. Schindler's List is one such rarity, and its importance to cinema, history and an entire people can not and should not be understated. Much has been made of Spielberg's resistance to issuing documentaries or featurettes detailing the production of Schindler's List. Some feel the movie would be better for it, others simply relish special features, still others believe the Blu-ray edition of the film is a lesser release because it doesn't include any new supplemental content. I can't deny I felt the slight sting of disappointment myself. But I soon realized Spielberg understands how easily the mechanics and minutia of a production can distract and in fact distance the viewer from the experience. And if any film -- any important film -- is an emotionally consuming experience that should be free of distraction, it's Schindler's List. Ben Kingsley's quiet despair as horrors unspeakable unfold before him. The clearing of the Ghetto. The young boy hiding beneath a pit toilet in an outhouse. The gas chambers. Ralph Fiennes' sudden outburst and violent beating of a Jewish woman. The little girl in the red coat. The real Plaszow survivors gathering in the present to place stones atop Schindler's grave. And, yes, Liam Neeson's breakdown, a scene some have criticized as overly melodramatic but most consider a heartwrenching moment of overwhelming grief, realization and regret. In all, there are too many affecting scenes to list. Rather than attempt to convey the raw narrative and emotional power of Schindler's List, though -- much less the impact of its performances, the immeasurable value of its historical accuracy and authenticity, the technical mastery of Spielberg's craft, the haunting beauty of Janusz Kaminski's cinematography, the longing of John Williams' score, or the stunning achievement of the end result -- I'm going to take my cue from Spielberg and simply allow one of the finest films of our lifetime to speak for itself and, more crucially, to allow those whom Schindler saved to have the final word on the man and his legacy. The following is a letter written in 1945 by Oscar Schindler's former workers, signed by Isaak Stern, former employee Pal. Office in Krakow, Dr. Hilfstein, Chaim Salpeter, Former President of the Zionist Executive in Krakow for Galicia and Silesia: Brothers! We, the undersigned Jews from Krakow, inmates of Plaszow concentration camp, have, since 1942, worked in Director Schindler's business. Since Schindler took over management of the business, it was his exclusive goal to protect us from resettlement, which would have meant our ultimate liquidation. During the entire period in which we worked for Director Schindler he did everything possible to save the lives of the greatest possible number of Jews, in spite of the tremendous difficulties; especially during a time when receiving Jewish workers caused great difficulties with the authorities. Director Schindler took care of our sustenance, and as a result, during the whole period of our employment by him there was not a single case of unnatural death. All in all he employed more than 1,000 Jews in Krakow. As the Russian frontline approached and it became necessary to transfer us to a different concentration camp, Director Schindler relocated his business to Bruennlitz near Zwittau.Schindler's List is a film that in many ways defies analysis. The experience is as moving and transformational as the movie itself is masterfully constructed and intimately made. Its story, performances, cinematography and unflinching portrayal of the horrors of the Holocaust so demand personal investment that it transcends entertainment or drama and becomes something else entirely. Universal has responded in kind, delivering a Blu-ray release befitting a film of its caliber and legacy. With a magnificent restoration supervised by Spielberg himself and a top tier AV presentation, Schindler's List is a must-own release that belongs on every cinephile's shelves. Cast Notes: Liam Neeson (Oskar Schindler), Ben Kingsley (Itzhak Stern), Ralph Fiennes (Amon Goeth), Caroline Goodall (Emilie Schindler), Jonathan Sagall (Poldek Pfefferberg [as Jonathan Sagalle]), Embeth Davidtz (Helen Hirsch), Malgoscha Gebel (Victoria Klonowska), Shmulik Levy (Wilek Chilowicz), Mark Ivanir (Marcel Goldberg), Béatrice Macola (Ingrid), Andrzej Seweryn (Julian Scherner), Friedrich von Thun (Rolf Czurda), Krzysztof Luft (Herman Toffel), Harry Nehring (Leo John), Norbert Weisser (Albert Hujar). IMDb Rating (07/01/13): 8.9/10 from 507,194 users Top 250: #8 IMDb Rating (10/15/07): 8.8/10 from 165,586 users Top 250: #6 IMDb Rating (03/09/04): 8.8/10 from 76,461 users Top 250: #7
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