Schindler’s List (1993)

In this article, we will be looking at 2019’s book “1001 Movies to See Before You Die” and going through each film in a random order that I have chosen. We will be looking at what constitutes this film to be on the list and whether I think this film deserves to be here at all. I want to make perfectly clear that I won’t be revealing details from this book such as analyses by film reporters who have written about the film in question, so if you want the book itself you’ll have to buy it. But I will be covering the book’s suggestions on which films should be your top priority. I wouldn’t doubt for a second that everyone reading this article has probably watched many of these movies anyway. But we are just here to have a bit of fun. We’re going to not just look at whether it should be on this list but we’re also going to look at why the film has such a legacy at all. Remember, this is the 2019 version of the book and so, films like “Joker” will not be featured in this book and any film that came out in 2020 (and if we get there, in 2021). So strap in and if you have your own suggestions then don’t hesitate to email me using the address in my bio. Let’s get on with it then.

Schindler’s List (1993) dir. by Steven Spielberg

Directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian, this film is based on the non-fictional novel by Thomas Keneally named “Schindler’s Ark” - which is a very, very good book if you are thinking about reading it. I remember watching this film in my early teens when it was on television and then being made to watch it at school as a part of our short study into World War Two. It is one of those films that as hard as you try and as many films as you watch on the Second World War, you will not be able to forget, get mixed up with anything or have it slip out of your mind. It makes such an emotional impact. Personally, I love the ending when he dresses in the pyjamas himself and the one where he has this near-nervous breakdown about how many more he could have saved.

Everyone from film critics to television personalities and even to world leaders lauded this film with praise stating that it was one of the greatest historical dramas ever made. On Rotten Tomatoes, the consensus reads the following:

"Schindler's List blends the abject horror of the Holocaust with Steven Spielberg's signature tender humanism to create the director's dramatic masterpiece.”

Roger Ebert would refer to it as Spielberg's best stating the following on the way the film was seen by audiences and the individual scenes working in the movie:

“What is most amazing about this film is how completely Spielberg serves his story. The movie is brilliantly acted, written, directed and seen. Individual scenes are masterpieces of art direction, cinematography, special effects, crowd control. Yet Spielberg, the stylist whose films often have gloried in shots we are intended to notice and remember, disappears into his work. Neeson, Kingsley and the other actors are devoid of acting flourishes. There is a single-mindedness to the enterprise that is awesome. At the end of the film, there is a sequence of overwhelming emotional impact, involving the actual people who were saved by Schindler…”

I remember this end part as well where they all visit his grave and it is one of those scenes which just makes you cry of joy to see these people still alive in the face of utter adversity because of their strength and because of this one man who saved them.

Roger Ebert also stated the following about Spielberg’s intentions for the film, which I think is very important to read and understand either before or just after watching the film:

“He depicts the evil of the Holocaust, and he tells an incredible story of how it was robbed of some of its intended victims. He does so without the tricks of his trade, the directorial and dramatic contrivances that would inspire the usual melodramatic payoffs. Spielberg is not visible in this film. But his restraint and passion are present in every shot.”

And to this day, it is one of the most important films ever made in the history of cinema.

Here is the full review by Roger Ebert