Rating: 
Summary: Amid Darkness and Despair, A Ray of Hope and Love
Review: SCHINDLER'S LIST is a masterpiece of the highest order, a monument to Oskar Schindler, to those he saved and to goodness and humanity everywhere. It's a testament to the genius of Steven Spielberg, to screenwriter, Steven Zaillian and to novelist Thomas Keneally, on whose book, SCHINDLER'S ARK, the film is based.The hero of SCHINDLER'S LIST is, of course, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), although, at the film's beginning, it seems as though a hero is definitely what Oskar Schindler is not. SCHINDLER'S LIST opens in Krakow, Poland in 1939. Schindler, a shrewd businessman and Nazi party member, wants to build a factory that will produce enameled cookware for the Nazi army. Of course, Schindler employs Jews; their wages are the very lowest, leaving Schindler more money to pocket for himself. The recruitment of Jewish labor and the business of running the factory are left to Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), a Jewish accountant. Somewhere, sometime, Oskar Schindler stopped being a Nazi sympathizer and became, instead, a Nazi hater. Instead of spending the millions he made on his own comfort, Oskar Schindler spent his fortune rescuing Jews from certain torture and death. What prompted Schindler's transformation? Apparently, no one knows for sure and, wisely, Spielberg doesn't attempt to tell us. SCHINDLER'S LIST is a harrowing film, but, in some ways, it's a very subtle one; there's more that's not said than is, and this is, I think, a large measure of this film's magnificence and brilliance. When it comes to depicting the horrors of the Holocaust, however, SCHINDLER'S LIST, and Spielberg, don't back away. The portrayal of executions is brutal and definitely not for the faint of heart as their ghastly images will haunt you for months, probably for the rest of your life. Yes, the film is that powerful. Spielberg also shows us the face of evil in the character of Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), a self-serving prison camp commandant who shoots Jews for sport yet keeps a Jewish mistress. To their enormous credit, however, Spielberg and Zaillion endow Goeth with true depth and complexity. He's a study in evil, yet he's no mindless monster. All of the actors, even the most minor ones, give mesmerizingly brilliant performances, but the best belong to Neeson and Fiennes, I think, in part because their roles are so complex. No one involved with this film was self-serving; no one seemed to think that his or her work should overshadow the importance of the film, itself. Surprisingly, SCHINDLER'S LIST was filmed in black and white. I didn't think I'd like this until I saw the actual film, then I realized it was really the only choice and actually added power to the film. Color is used only a handful of times, and when it is, it takes on special significance. Perhaps the most moving part of the film occurs at the end when some of the real "Schindler's Jews" make an appearance, along with the actor who portrayed him or her in the film. SCHINDLER'S LIST is, arguably, the greatest film ever made. It's uncompromising in its portrayal of evil, but it's also unstinting in its portrayal of love. Amidst unspeakable darkness and despair, SCHINDLER'S LIST offers a ray of love and hope. This is definitely a DVD to own.
Rating: 
Summary: No enough explosions
Review: This is a true-to-life war movie like "Saving Private Ryan" and "Kelly's Heroes." The only problem is that for a wartime pic there aren't enough explosions. It's about the persecution of Jews and some guy who cared enough to write a list. Director Steven Spielberg is Jewish and helmed this exercise in self-indulgence. I mean, Schindler was an O.K. guy but this is the movies and I want more explosions. So if you dig explosions, you'll find more elsewhere. Also, Spielberg was too cheap to use color film stock and the movie is in black and white. Explosions look better in color anyway!! Private Ryan had explosions.
Rating:
Summary: **Schindler's List **
Review: This film from Steven Spielberg was shot in black and white and is very effective as a film to portray what happened to the Jews in Germany/Poland etc.. from the ghettos to the concentration camps. The film is very realistic in its portrayal and the environment of that time in history of the 1930's and 1940's. This is a film that you may only want to watch once. It is an excellent film. The acting is very good, the reality of the killings is very graphic. The cinematography is excellent. The only reason I think that is a film to viewed once or twice in one's life is due to the depressing nature of the film. I think it is a film that younger generations (teenagers and some people in their 20's) should see because many are coming out of school without even knowing who Adolf Hitler was and what he had done. I think it's important that they see what occurred so a repeat of history does not happen. This is an important film, but not necessarily one you want to view over and over again. Some other reviewers on this forum start bringing up that "other genocides occurred in history" and how come only this one is made into a film. I'm afraid folks that Spielberg didn't make an all encompassing film to include all of the past atrocities that happened in the past 1000 years. He focused just on the Holocast. Also it is just pure ignorance to deny that 5-6 million Jewish civilians were killed/murdered. Even if it was 10,000 Jews, it does not make it any better. It doesn't really matter if they were Jews or any other religion. The fact is that 6 million PEOPLE who were civilians were murdered. They were Germans, Polish, French and many other nationalities. It just happened they were of the Jewish faith that was targeted by the Nazis(Jews were used as a scapegoat to blame all of Germany's economic ills as a country on. The Nazis also killed and murdered gypsies too. The people (men, women and children) killed were white people (Jewish is not a race. It is a religion).
Actual documentation of what the Nazi's did is on film shot by British news cameras as the American and British soldiers entered these concentration camps throughout 1945. Disease was rampant in these camps due to all the mass graves and thousands of bodies that were left to rot (by the Germans) as the British bulldozers needed to bury these corpses. My father and grandfather were in the 2nd World War as part of the American and British invasion of Germany and witnessed it first hand. That's enough proof as far as I am concerned. Yes. Not all Germans were bad people, but there were enough of them to throw the world into a World War in 1939 and to allow this to go on just a few miles from their towns and villages. This is a good film. Good coverage of a very bad time in world history.
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Summary: The Most Heart-Wrenching Movie Ever And Steven's Best Film!!
Review: Steven Spielberg's ("JAWS," "Indiana Jones Trilogy" [fourth one coming soon], "Jurassic Park," "E.T.," "Jurassic Park II," etc) adaptation of Thomas Keneally's moving account of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson, "STAR WARS Episode I," etc; in the role that should've garnered him the Oscar for Best Actor), war profiteer, womanizer/Nazi party member and his fight to save as many Jews as he could from the Holocaust. The movie also stars Ralph Fiennes (brother of Joseph) as the evil Amon Goeth, exuding pure malice as one of the most sadistic German captains of the evil Nazi regime (should've won Best Supporting Actor; no disrespect to Tommy Lee Jones, who won for "The Fugitive.") Oscar-winner Ben Kingsley ("Ghandi," etc) also stars as Itzhak Stern, Schindler's secretary. The movie is very sad in its hard-hitting account of the suffering the Germans put the Jews through during "Six long years of murder" and the man who fought to rescue them. The movie was filmed in black and white, not only because the violence would have been too graphic in color, but because that was Steven's vision of the film. The film's most poignant moments came at the end (I'm not spoiling it). John Williams' magnificent and heart-wrenching score (accompanied by Itzhak Perlman's heart-felt violin solos) resonates with you long after the end credits roll. Recently honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, Itzhak Perlman played John Williams' score from "Schindler's List" after saying a few things, looking up and saying "John, this one's for you," before a medley of his most popular film scores was played ("Raiders Of The Lost Ark," "E.T.," "Superman" and of course, "STAR WARS"). Special features include a "Voices Of The Holocaust" documentary hosted by Steven Spielberg, cast and crew bios/credits and more. What's really lacking is a making-of documentary, cast/crew interviews and trailers. The film earned the seven Oscars it won in 1993, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Score. The DTS 5.1 track on the DVD is excellent, as it allows you to experience the grittiness of the picture exactly as Steven intended. The anamorphic widescreen enhances the quality of the picture even more. This movie is DEFINITELY NOT FOR CHILDREN!! Rated R for intense thematic elements involving the Holocaust, graphic violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and nudity.
Rating:
Summary: Left me depressed for weeks
Review: This is truly one of the most powerful films of all time. ONe cannot help but be impacted by the raw reality that Spielberg reveals. Liam Neeson is the character whom Spielberg wants us all to be identified with. Neeson's character, underneath all the the seemingly inpenetrable disguise which he puts on, has a soft heart. This is especially seen in the scene whcih he drops to his knees and weeps knowing that he should have done more to save lives. Spielberg intertwines authentic Holocaust footage with personal character studies. THis is truly one of the few films that will not only stay with you many days after it is seen, but prompt you to do a little heart searching of your own. ONe cannot be unaffected by the showing of this absolute disregard for humanity and the atrocities which was committed by the Nazis. Spielbergs central character, Schindler, is one whom he and we all can identify with. Throughout the film, we can feel and understand every action and emotion which he goes through. The final scene in whcih some valuable stats are provided will absolutely shock you.
Rating:
Summary: Bad packaging
Review: I am extremly dissappointed by amazon.
Im from Germany and ordered this Box few days ago.
I got the Gift Set today and the case was damaged.
Amazon should use better packaging for Items like that when they send it to Europe.
I hope i will get a replacement for that.
Movie 5 Stars
Amazon & Packaging no Stars
Rating:
Summary: Spielberg's greatest accomplishment
Review: Stephen Spielberg's "Schindler's List" is probably one of the best movies ever made; that it is the best 'Holocaust messege' movie goes without saying. It is the real life story of how Oskar Schindler, a German industrealist, started a cooking utility plant in WWII and used Jewish slave labor to make more money off it. But eventually he had a change of heart and used all his influence, his con artist-like skills, and his personal fortune to rescue some odd 1,000 Jews from Nazi death camps. Spielberg wants the film to feel as authentic as possible, so it was shot on location in Poland and it was shot in black and white (this is one of the few times I support B&W films after the 1950s.) The violence in the movie is gory, but never gratuitous; it shows the brutality and madness of the Nazis and their complete and utter indeference to human life brought on by years of hateful and racist attitudes. The cast is indeed exceptionally brilliant. As Schindler, Liam Neeson plays Schindler at first as a snake charmer, an oppertunist who sees his chance. He is never played as purely a saint. He is also a womanizer and has no problem with profiting on slave labor. But after the Krakow Ghetto Massacre (which Schindler and his wife witness) he has a change of heart and decides to simply use all his influence to save as many Jews as he can. The final scene of him braking down at his car, figuring up how many lives his car could have saved was a very powerful moment; a lesser actor would have blown it. Ben Kingsley has the monumental task of being humble in the face of descrimination and abuse. Kingsley plays Itzhak Stern, a Polish Jew that Schindler hires to run the day to day tasks at his factory. His is the quiet hero, the brains behind the plan (not that Schindler has no smarts, it's just that Itzhak has the purity of heart). So, with these two fine heros, who is the villian? Well, that would be Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes). He is the commander of the labor camp that Schindler gets his workers from. He is the extream example of Nazi hate and violence, able to thoughlessly order a woman's death who was arguing to her guard about how to lay the foundation of a barracks floor, even though she was right. He also uses Jewish children for sniper practice on his balcany. Fiennes plays Goeth with an insainity that I believed in all the way. This is a pretty brutal movie, as the subject demands it must be, so use caution when showing it to your children. But this is an important movie, and Spielberg should be very proud of it.
Rating:
Summary: A remarkable testament to a brave man
Review: As someone who is not European or Jewish, I will leave comments and criticisms about certain facts or depictions in this movie for someone who "knows the territory" better. As an involved movie-watcher, though, there can be no doubt about the picture itself: Steven Spielberg's SCHINDLER'S LIST is, and perhaps always will be, a remarkable testament to a brave man, one who found it in his heart to take all the money he had made during WWII and use it to try to save hundreds of Jews from mass extinction at the hands of the evil Nazis.
You wouldn't know that Oskar Schindler would become such a revered man in history the way he is in the early stages of the war. He is rich, he is a womanizer, and he is only concerned with making money. That's why he sets up his munitions factory in the first place: to make money for himself, to profit from the war. It is only later, when the Jews who work for him are to be sent to Auschwitz, does he do something truly selfless and heroic: he uses his charm and knack for bribery to try to save the Jews who had worked for him from inevitable extermination. One of Spielberg's great achievements in SCHINDLER'S LIST is not necessarily that he sticks with Schindler and shows him going through his change of heart---in fact, his change of heart is comparably sudden, as depicted in this film---but that he does it so subtly. Schindler sees and hears terrible things, but Spielberg and screenwriter Steve Zaillian (adapting from a book by Thomas Keneally) never try to beat it into our heads or over-sentimentalize things (as Spielberg is wont to do in some of his movies) with extraneous voiceovers or any such cheap devices. Spielberg trusts the material, as well as his lead actor, Liam Neeson, to basically tell itself, to make its properly sobering effect on the viewer without the need for slobbering hysterics.
In fact, I am tempted to say that SCHINDLER'S LIST is not necessarily just about Schindler himself. Schindler's story is typical "triumph-of-the-human-spirit" stuff; what makes this movie special is that Spielberg is attempting to honestly portray the experience of being a Jew in the hell that was the Holocaust---how friends can turn on other friends all in the name of survival, how neighbors can suddenly become enemies, how people can lose their sanity and become heartless murderers...and even how one man can rise above the madness and do a heroic deed, as Schindler did. In trying to encompass as much as possible of the Jewish experience during this terrible time in history, Spielberg has created a film that is probably one of the most complete, all-embracing portraits of the effect on personal lives of the Holocaust that I've seen or read (although I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, by any means).
That, and it is as invigoratingly dramatic a movie as you could want from one that runs for a little over 3 hrs. Spielberg retains some of his instincts as an entertainer, and he also has the brilliant editor Michael Kahn on hand to make sure that this movie is always paced judiciously---this movie never drags. And he coaxes a great, charismatic, authoritative performance out of Neeson, one that helps you realize how he was able to get his way during the war (and why many women probably found him attractive, hehe). Ben Kingsley is no less impressive as his loyal accountant Itzhak Stern. And Ralph Fiennes, as the evil Nazi Amon Goeth, gives a surprisingly fascinating performance; Fiennes never downplays his character's baseness, but neither does he overdo it either---there's always something convincingly human (if nothing necessarily redeemable) to this monster.
SCHINDLER'S LIST is not a perfect movie, but perhaps perfection is too much to ask for for such an ambitious work. I must admit, though, that I occasionally winced at some of the film's more heavy-handed gestures. The worst offender is a scene towards the end, when Schindler starts to sob about how he felt he didn't do enough while Stern blatantly extols the virtue of his act. Spielberg cannot resist trying to milk tears from his audience at that point, and the result strikes me as false and perhaps a bit out of character for the normally stoic (at least on the outside) Schindler. And, to be hypercritical, I suppose I would have preferred John Williams' score to be a little less obviously solemn all the time, as beautifully as Itzhak Perlman performs the impassioned violin solos. (Spielberg rationed the use of an underscore in his 1998 SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, an approach that might have worked here, too.)
There is so much to honestly praise about this movie, though, that those faults hardly matter. SCHINDLER'S LIST is a motion picture that does full justice to such a harrowing subject and a remarkable act of bravery. This is a must-see if I've ever seen one (and believe me, I rarely say that about a lot movies).
Rating:
Summary: When the talent and the commitment join its forces!
Review: You have a spectacular masterpiece . It will seem you exaggerated from my position , but never before in Hollywood you could watch a peaceful , artistic and extraordinary well made film , with detailed minuteness , intelligence and good taste .
The cast is simply superb . Liam Neeson gave the performance of his life as Schindler the man who broke in his business but helped more than one thousand Poland Jews from being exterminated Ben Kingsley is the conciliate factor and obviously what else can you add to this actor who actually is one of the twelve giants actors in the world . And finally Ralph Fiennes who grew up one thousand steps with this role as an abominable and hated Nazi all along the film without falling in overacting .
The locations in Poland are first rate , the sinister atmosphere, the ravishing handle camera , the splendid photography and a fine script make of this film to my mind the Best American Film of the Nineties , one of the three most ambitious and compelling films which dealt with this theme and the supreme masterpiece of Steven Spielberg .
And this happens only when the camera is an eye in the mind of a poet .
Spielberg followed his bliss and won for ever . You can forget all his previous works , because with Saving Private Ryan , Spielberg has been one of the few directors capable to give a tragic and epic vision of the War in less than a decade among both films. .
Pitifully these giants films are not the rule but the exception .
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Rating: 
Summary: Great Movie, Substandard Presentation Case
Review: The movie is, obviously, moving and powerful. Nobody should doubt that the movie itself is other than exceptional. However, the "special edition" features are laughable and are hardly worth the extra money. First of all, Spielberg makes no commentary. How can the director of a movie of such epic proportions remain silent? Secondly, the "plexiglass" display case is cheap and shoddy. I have seen three of them so far and all of them have multiple cracks in various places that were not, obviously, the result of mishandling in shipment.
Save the money and buy the normal version.
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