Schindler’s List is a must see film as it not only tells the story of Oskar Schindler but helps chronicle the events of the Holocaust during World War II.
Film making 5/5
Video 4/5
Audio 5/5
Bonus Features 2/5
Recommendation 5/5 Stars
Schindler’s List is one of those rare films that is so important that it is used as an educational tool in many schools around the world. In Israel the film is aired publically during the Holocaust Memorial Day unedited, uncensored and without commercial breaks.
The film chronicles the Holocaust from the viewpoint of Oskar Schindler and the 1,100 Jews he rescued by employing them in factories that Oskar bought using money he received from Jewish leaders. The first factory Oskar purchased manufactured pots for the German army while his second supposedly manufactured artillery shells.
Oskar bribed many German SS and others to open a sub-camp to allow him to keep his factory open and later has the thousand plus Jews assigned to him instead of being sent to Auschwitz. Oskar Schindler runs his second factory saying he is making artillery shells for the war effort but only buys shells from other factories to pass off as his own when he can’t even manufacture any.
His factory never produced a working artillery shell during its operation and at the end of the war Oskar talked the German guards into leaving the Jews alone and to leave in peace. The Jews gave Oskar a gold ring made from some dental work and a letter saying that Oskar is not a war criminal and has saved over a thousand Jews.
While many may know the tale it is an important part of our world history but also a much better way to catch a glimpse of that history. Steven Spielberg and the other talent on his team create a work of art that many have appreciated along with the numerous awards it has won.
Schindler’s List on Blu-ray is great for both audio and video with attention paid to both but audio does surpass video in quality for the DVD and Blu-ray editions that the newest release contains. The audio is fantastic with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track that is perfect for this film and sounds just great without any problems.
The film is mostly in black and white filming with an occasional bit of color to highlight a certain event that really brings the emotion and moment an impact that you will not soon forget. Schindler’s List is not going to be forgotten and the Jews who were rescued and others who also survived are being remembered because of the film and its impact on the world.
Steven Spielberg used the proceeds from the film and subsequent releases of the DVD’s and Blu-ray editions to fund the USC Shoah archive to chronicle the testimonies of survivors of the Holocaust. No film has made such an impact on the world as this and for this very reason it is one that everyone should watch for its historical value.
The Survivors of the Shoah History Foundation at first chronicled the 52,000 survivors of the Holocaust from World War II but has gone on to record other survivors of genocide worldwide. The foundation has gone on to record survivors stories not only of the genocide taking place in other parts of the world but up to today that many people may not be aware of.
Steven Spielberg does not want too many making of features created of the film itself as he believes it will take away from the main story he is relating and its importance. For that reason he has limited the bonus content on the films DVD and Blu-ray releases to the three bonus features and no more.
The three bonus features are the documentary of actual survivors talking about events of their survival in the Holocaust and about Oskar Schindler himself. This feature is a great companion to the film and really brings the films story to heart with personal moments from the people who were there.
The other two features are quicker looks at the USC Shoah foundation and the IWitness website that allows visitors to watch other stories of survivors and has other educational content. The bonus content may only be the minimum that Steven Spielberg wanted but it is not enough to warrant a decent rating for the extra content.
No matter the bonus features the film itself is not only a great movie but an important film for our history as it shows the tale of Oskar Schindler as it should be told. Schindler’s List is a must see film for everyone and one that is a must have for any film collection, the 20th Anniversary Limited Edition is a great way to enjoy this film.
