There has been a constant argument lately that the work of entertainers and visual storytellers is to simply entertain people. We should take politics out of the movie theaters and recording labels and sporting arenas and all other places. If someone makes art, it should be simple and pleasant for anyone who comes to watch it. But art is not designed to be simple, nor is it designed to simply entertain. Art, especially the art of telling stories, is sometimes required to be brutal, and make us feel for those we could truly never understand.
Schindler’s List is one of the most harrowing and brutal looks at arguably the greatest global tragedy in history. The Holocaust is a violent, damaging, traumatic subject. And in the times when movies had come out to glorify the American triumph over the Nazi party, or showcase the power of humanity overcoming, Steven Spielberg instead chose to show a more intimate and dangerous side of this horrifying conflict. He chose to show it from the view of those who were most directly affected.
And while yes, our title character is an affluent German who is absolutely not having to go through the same torment as the Jewish characters, we see him breaking as he comes to see the truth: his country is committing genocide, torture, and dozens of other inhumane war crimes, and he is powerless to stop them. But while he can’t stop them, he can do something else, and that is what helps us connect.
Frankly, many of us in the United States are currently more like Schindler than we are like the Jewish captives. We’re barely affected by the events of horror unfolding around us, and when we are it is usually more of a minor inconvenience than a life altering experience. And so, when we watch a movie like Schindler’s List, we actually find ourselves empathizing with multiple characters because we are forced to reckon with the way our choices affect more people than we may realize.
And then you get into the other side of this movie, which is that Spielberg doesn’t censor anything. The Nazis are absolutely barbaric. They are not portrayed as these villains from a cartoonish depiction, or monstrous in a wildly inhuman way. The Nazis are human beings who commit inhuman crimes constantly and take pleasure in doing so. And we still see this today. We still see people who choose to assault others and treat them like they are less than human because of nothing more than their culture or religion.
So if you say that movies should simply entertain, then I am afraid that you don’t truly understand the value of movies. These are not pure escapism, these are stories meant to hold a mirror up to our faces and demand that we reckon with our own brokenness. And the movies do this by not censoring, sugar coating, or hiding anything. Schindler’s List is brutal, but that brutality is much needed because we need to see how our own actions on the world can do so much more than we realize.
So, let’s break everything down.
All Spielberg movies will be judged based on the same five pieces of criteria.
Acting – Are the performances good and do they serve the story or are they distracting and awkward?
Story and Dialogue – Does the story being told make sense and is the use of dialogue allow it to succeed or does the story struggle and/or the dialogue drag it down
Shooting and Editing – How is the camera used, how are the shots arranged, what other elements are used to enhance the movie?
Design – How does the movie look? Does it help the movie or hurt the movie?
Iconic Moment – Spielberg has made several big iconic moments throughout cinema, what are they, how many of them are there, and which ones stand out the most?
All these criteria will be judged on a score of 10 for a total score of 50.
So here is my breakdown of Schindler’s List:
Acting – Liam Neeson’s Schindler is phenomenal, and yet it somehow still pales compared to Sir Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes as they take on the roles of Itzhak Stern and Amon Goth respectively. The three men give some of the best performances of each of their careers. That being said, it feels like many of the other cast members are shoved aside and forgotten at times. There is more of something longing to be heard behind the leads. (9/10)
Story and Dialogue – This is a 3 hour and 15-minute-long slog through brutality and horror. And it needs to be that way, this movie doesn’t feel nearly as long as it is, and each agonizing moment just hits you over and over until the ending just slams into you and makes you realize how much you needed to see the sheer ferocious storytelling of this movie. (10/10)
Shooting and Editing – This might be Spielberg’s best-looking movie. The black and white coloring really does wonders, and the choice of specific low angle shots makes Neeson look larger than life and Fiennes look imposing beyond reason. That combined with his usual talent for carefully edited moments and taking his time just makes this really powerful. (10/10)
Design – Along with the filmmaking, the design really makes that feeling of living in a concentration camp come to life. It’s harsh, unrelenting, and squalid in the camp, while being elegant, tasteful, and impressive in higher society. And the comparison just helps further build this powerful emotional connection because we want those in the high places to be there for those who are living in absolute filth. (10/10)
Iconic Moment – While we all know the girl in the red coat, I think the final shot of the real Schindler’s grave being visited by the surviving Jews he helped save is such a tender and powerful moment. It goes on a while and it feels like it overstays its welcome a touch, but that doesn’t mean that you still can’t appreciate the truly touching reminder of just how close to history we are. (9/10)
Total Score: 48/50
Current Ranking:
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Jurassic Park
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Schindler’s List
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jaws
Hook
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Duel
Empire of the Sun
The Color Purple
Twilight Zone: The Movie
The Sugarland Express
1941
Always
This would be Spielberg’s first Oscar for Best Director but it would not be his last. However, we’ve got a few things to see before we get there starting with a return to one of the biggest and baddest monsters out there. If you thought we were stepping away from the blockbusters, then you were sorely mistaken!
So until then, thanks for taking the time to get Ploominated!
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