Schindler's List

If there is one movie that has captured the intimidation and inhumanity of the Nazis and the sufferings faced by the Jews in totality that leaves you in shock, resentment towards the Nazis and extreme sympathy towards the Jews, it is - Schindler's List.

Today Venki dropped in along with two DVDs, one being Schindler's List and the other being History of the world Part I .The former has left a lasting impression on my psyche.This post will be about that.

The movie was released in 1993 directed by the one and only Steven Spielberg and bagged 7 oscars which include Best Picture and Best Director.The screenplay is wonderful according to me and is by Steven Zaillian.The movie is almost entirely shot in black and white with just two or three scenes in colour.

The actors are simply splendid in their performance and are totally within the skin of the characters they portray.Liam Neeson plays the role of Oskar Schindler with great poise, charm, elegance and flair.Ben Kingsley , who already made a deep impact in our hearts with his portrayal of Gandhi in the 1982 flick once again proves his endowment in the role of Ithzak Stern.The performance of Ralph Fiennes as the ruthless SS officer Amon Goth is simply superb.He really makes you think that you wanna kick his @$$.Apart from these main roles there are many people whose acting and commitment to perfecting this movie are beyond words.There are scenes I still wouldn't wonder in my wildest dreams that were shot unimaginably accurate.All of what we have heard about the extermnation of Jews might have not conjured up an effective image in our minds as this movie poses.This movie isn't definitely for the eat-the-popcorn-enjoy-the-movie crowd.It needs to be watched with patience and a place where you wouldn't have to explain much for some sexually explicit scenes, a few harmless and ineffective calling 'fuck' dialogues and scenes with real-life violence, which of course is what takes us into the petrified scenario.

The movie runs for 3 hours and 15 minutes, I guess approximately and hence requires lot of patience and a friend who can tell you from time to time the past events during the WW2 and patiently explain dialogues when you turn to him with an expression of "uhh..??" and pause the movie.Alright lets get to the story.

Oskar Schindler, is a German businessman who has not had great success with his business in Germany.He comes to Poland during WW2 to cash in the opportunity of getting cheap labour from the Jews, who are otherwise headed to concentration camps and killed on some pretext.He somehow gets to convince a few rich Jewish men for investment in his new venture of producing vessels for the army, where in return he promises to get them a few vessels and also a little money.This Schindler manages to pull off with the help of another Jewish businessman named Ithzak Stern.So he goes about setting up his business and starts the production with over 1000 Jews.In fact, it is Ithzak Stren who runs the business for Schindler, who manages the cash flow and the profits.In the meanwhile, the heartless SS officer Amon Goth who portrays the sadism of the Nazis gives commands to his men to exterminate the Jews and so the cold-blooded killings start where many hapless die.The movie captures these events and emotions amongst the people very vividly.



As a result of this Schindler's workers are all separated and organised into various groups for the mass killings, and so the production stops.Schindler, the clever businessman he is, befriends Amon Goth and reaches a settlement where he pays millions of Reichmarks for around 1100 Jewish workers, all of whom are in a list of workers prepared by him and Ithzak Stern.Schindler succeeds in getting them all together at his hometown in Czecheslovakia, where the production is that of artilleries, for the namesake.He manages to give the army its required artillery, which he arranges from elsewhere and protects his workers for the next seven months with the money he has.By then it is 1945, where the war comes to an end with the Allied forces closing in on Germany and asking them to piss off.Schindler bids goodbye to his people with great regret that he could have saved atleast a few more by selling his car and his Nazi gold pin.This scene is really touching and emotionally stirring.

The movie features a little girl whose orange dress alone is highlighted in orange colour in the otherwise black and white movie.This is the beauty of Spielberg.At first, when Schindler witnesses this lone, innocent girl who moves alone in the milling crowd and goes into a house for refuge without anybody's notice, it stirs a certain guilt within him.The second time Schindler witnesses the dead body of the girl, is when his humane spirit is rekindled.Spielberg proves his forte here with the inclusion of the 'girl in orange dress', in order to show the change in shades of Schindler from a pure businessman to a benevolent and protective philanthropist.

When Schindler departs from his hometown in order to flee from the Soviet army he is presented with a ring made in gold by the Jews as a mark of respect and gratitude, which bears the following quote, that also captures the true essence of the man in Schindler -

Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.