Schindler’s List

Plot: What’s it about?

This is the last of Steven Spielberg’s “great” movies to be released on DVD, though some would argue which of his movies are great and which are great. For my money, I prefer the horrific “Jaws” (which made me afraid of nearly any water, even when I swim laps in a pool I feel that some shark might bite me in half), which played on our most basic fears; and the rather light-hearted “Raiders of the Lost Ark”. Harrison Ford was never more amicable than when wearing his trademark fedora and with a fourth installment on the way, we just hope that they didn’t wait too long to make it. Regardless of your opinions of Spielberg, he has made some interesting and unforgettable movies. Not only that, but like Martin Scorsese, he’s committed to films in general and the preservation of them. I guess when you have so many millions of dollars, you can do what you really want to instead of focusing on paying the bills. He’s purchased old Academy Award statues and returned them to museums (Clark Gable’s for “It Happened One Night” to name one) and was one of the founding members of directors to get films named to the National Film Registry, an organization that takes our most important and honored films and preserves them. Yes, Mr. Spielberg had about done it all, yet he hadn’t earned a Best Director Oscar, something which had eluded him. With “Schindler’s List”, he not only got that out of the way, but it took home a statue for Best Picture as well. More importantly, this is when Steven Spielberg became Steven Spielberg. This is the movie where he finally grew up.

“Schindler’s List” tells the horrific, yet true, story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) as the savior of over 1000 Jews in Nazi Germany. This is the type of movie that feels like a documentary and more like something we “have” to see. Like the recent and controversial “The Passion of the Christ”, we see it because we feel it our duty to see and experience it. If I remember my old high school writing classes (yes, believe it or not I had them), there were three themes when it came to stories. Man vs. himself, man vs. nature and mans inhumanity to man. Given that these are true, “Schindler’s List” would certainly qualify as the latter. Schindler was not an honorable man, he was a member of the Nazi party and owned a factory that employed Jews as forced labor. It wasn’t until he witnessed the mass destruction of the Jewish people (and what is happening to them and what will happen to them) that his heart begins to change. His main nemesis is the ruthless Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), the person in charge of the camp. Through random acts of violence, he keeps the fear alive and exploits Schindler for his money. Schindler impoverishes himself in the process as he expands his operation to employ more Jews, but he feels that he hasn’t done enough. To complicate matters, he must keep up the charade to Goeth that everything he is doing is good business. Like all the great movies, certain images and words stay with you long after the credits roll.

To say that “Schindler’s List” is a great movie is a bit of an understatement. It exists on a plane where only few others reside. Spielberg managed to nearly capture this again in “Saving Private Ryan”, but the story of an entire people is far more of an undertaking than that of one man. The movie ranks as a seminal favorite with audiences and critics alike. It currently “ranks” as the #6 best movie on the Internet Movie Database and even placed in the Top Ten when the American Film Institute ranked their Top 100 movies of all-time (and this was compiled in 1998, just five years after the movie came out). Featuring one of the greatest heroes in American Film (Schindler) and one of the greatest villains (Goeth), there is more to it than meets the eye. The movie is brutal in a way that most other movies aren’t. We’re seeing a work of fiction, but on the other hand we’re seeing history. Nudity abounds, but when done right (tastefully), we don’t think of it as nudity for the sake of being there; it all has a purpose and reason. I’ve probably missed out on numerous insights and details, then again I’ve only seen it a few times. It’s not a movie you can sit down and watch time after time as it stays with you. Like so many other great movies, it will change the way you have viewed history and might make you question what kind of world we’ve lived in. Very few movies can do that.

Video: How does it look?

The movie was understandably shot in black and white, unconventional now, but a logical choice for the subject matter. Spielberg used a 1.85:1 ratio for his masterpiece and the quality is near perfect. When we see black and white movies, we associate them with older films; but “Schindler’s List” looks razor sharp with only a few imperfections to its credit. The lack of edge enhancement gives the movie a very sharp look and the contrast between the tones gives the film a 3-D effect. There are a few scenes that have a bit of grit to them, but I feel it was intended that way. Naturally, this was a big budget film and with Spielberg at the helm, we can expect nothing but the finest in terms of video quality. It was transferred from a new high definition master and the result is nearly flawless. If you’ve been waiting to see this movie on DVD, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how this looks on disc.

Audio: How does it sound?

As we might expect, the disc contains both a Dolby Digital 5.1 track and a DTS track as well. Spielberg, who invented DTS (yes, really) earlier that year with “Jurassic Park”, has given us a pretty good soundtrack here. Naturally “good” varies when you compare it with dinosaurs running amok, but nonetheless this is a very strong track. Dialogue is very clean, providing a depth that many movies don’t have. The surrounds do come into play every now and then, but the majority of the action takes place in the front three channels. Overall, this is just about what we’d expect given the subject matter of the film. Regardless of which track you choose, suffice it to say you’ll be satisfied.

Supplements: What are the extras?

The movie came out in two versions, the standard edition and a collector’s set. This is the single disc and though it lacks on supplements, the movie itself is what most people will be after. The supplement of the most substance is the 80 minute documentary entitled “Voices from the List”. This is pretty self-explanatory as actual survivors are interviewed and recount their own stories. Emotional and well-made, this is a worth addition to the disc (the only question being if you could handle this after the movie). Next up is a 12 minute promo for the Shoah Foundation, created by Steven Spielberg. This is narrated by Morgan Freeman and the point is to show and use the “survivors as educators”. Some brief cast bios are included as well. Overall, we don’t really have anything to whine about. All of Spielberg’s major releases are now out and though I feel “Jaws” could use an overhaul, it’s beside the point. The supplements on this disc are lacking, but to have it on DVD and looking and sounding the way it does is good enough. After all, with HD-DVD supposedly around the corner, odds are we’ll see this title again. Highly recommended.