Review of Schindler's List (1993) by Alexander Z — 02 Apr 2013

Schindler's List is a powerful film, no doubt about that. Its critical acclaim is well-deserved. The final scene with Schindler is heartbreaking.

However, there were times when I felt the violence was more than necessary. I'm not saying that the audience should not be exposed to the extreme horror that the Germans perpetuated upon the Jewish people. This is something that should not be swept under the rug. However, I felt that at times the violence approached being stylized. Now I've read accounts of The Holocaust. What is portrayed is not even a fraction of the kinds of brutal things the Nazis did during those years. And I understand that showing too much of that would have desensitized the audience and devalued the meaning. It is a fine balancing act that Spielberg mostly gets right. Yet still, after a while, you get the feeling that each scene is meant to drive the point home that the Nazis were absolute murderers with not a shred of humanity. And that's not the truth. While some reveled in it, like Goethe, the truth is far more frightening. Normal human beings did this. Human beings like you or me, pushed by fear or propaganda or just plain indifference to committing these crimes against humanity. This behavior is not foreign or psychopathic. It is a sinister force that lurks within mankind, and that idea, if Spielberg had dared to touch on it, would have made Schindler's List far more compelling, for eternal vigilance is the only way we can prevent such horror from ever happening again. Genocides have happened far too often in our history for us to fool ourselves into thinking the Nazis were a fluke in time, and that they were somehow worse than human. It's all too easy to say that the average person is not capable of such things, and that is a rationalization that is based in denial.

Also, it was a bit surprising to see random boobage in Schindler's List. I'm not talking about the death camp shots of Jews being forced out of their clothes and herded, but rather the random sex scene with Schindler and his wife or the excessive frontal nudity of Goethe's mistress. Seemed unnecessary.

But, I will not deny the effect. Schindler's List is well-shot, respectful, and a loving tribute to the millions who lost their lives. Not to be missed.