Schindler's List

Written by: Steve Zaillian Starring: Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes

It is truly hard to believe that the man behind Jurassic Park also made this devastatingly powerful picture. To say it is the best picture of the year might be trivializing it; it is so far ahead of the competition in terms of scope, conception and execution that it needs to be considered on its own terms. More than just a movie, it is a powerful document, a testimony, and a memorial. That description sounds somber and off-putting, but not to fear; the message is wrapped in a film of riveting dramatic intensity. It's over three hours long but you will not blink. I really cannot find fault with any aspect of the picture, from the brilliant script by Zaillian, to the stunning black and white cinematography, to the flawless editing and the masterful direction of Spielberg himself. To say he has matured as a filmmaker is a serious understatement. It is as if a completely different person made this picture. Eschewing even a hint of sentimentality, he presents this most horrific of historical episodes in a manner that is at once intimate and relentless.

He does not flinch one iota in portraying the horrors, yet he does not preach, and, incredibly, he mines real humor out of some of the situations. The situations speak strictly for themselves, and we are left alone, as it were, to take what meaning we can from them. The film is as objective a representation of pure evil as we are ever likely to see, yet we cannot help but look. Its near documentary character, with the stark tones and hand held camera (elements that would look trite in the wrong hands) commands our attention every instant, yet without alienating us. Spielberg does all this, of course, by wrapping the historical perspective in the story of Schindler, a story so nearly unbelievable that it makes the events of that dinosaur movie seem like the driest Associated Press release. That Schindler existed at all, that he arrived from nowhere to do what he did, then disappeared back into obscurity--if not outright failure--seems to speak of an almost divine intervention. The story would almost have to be invented if it had not happened in real life. And yet Schindler was not a saint; the movie makes that clear. And in truth, the underlying reason for his "conversion" is never fully explained, though to do so is probably impossible.

Suffice it to say that it happened. Schindler's story gives us an anchor, a point of reference from which to view the events of the era, and a surrogate participant. Neeson, Kingsley, and Fiennes are all brilliant in the principal roles--Spielberg directs the actors as well as every other aspect of the film--but all of the actors (even those in the smallest walk-on parts) are spellbinding. Spielberg simply does not strike a false note at any time, and every face, every movement, every line, is as real as if we were there. Thankfully we are not. Ultimately, Spielberg's picture tells us that evil happens--coldly, brutally, matter-of-factly--and when it does, in real life there are no Schwarzeneggers, no Stallones, no Seagals to burst in with guns blazing to save the day. It simply does not work that way in real life; the horror goes on and on until hopefully it is ground down by a massive outpouring of effort and sacrifice.

But by some astonishment of grace, there is sometimes a Schindler, whose acts of redemption, so small relative to the overwhelming events that surround them, create ripples that live long beyond the day at hand, echoing for years, for generations, forever. You will not leave this movie the same as when you walked in, and you will see it in your mind for a long time to come. (12/30/93)