‘Schindler's List’ is
still a masterpiece

The notion that one man can make a difference has never been driven home more forcefully than in “Schindler’s List,” director Steven Spielberg’s much-honored 1993 masterwork. The story — based on a novel by Thomas Keneally — by now is familiar: Oskar Schindler, a World War II profiteer and member of the Nazi party, used his money and influence to start a factory that employed Jewish slave labor. Over time, Schindler began to see his mission less as an opportunity to further the Nazi war effort and line his own pockets in the process, and more about saving lives and, eventually, sabotaging the Germans by producing flawed and ineffective artillery shells.

The film won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and best director, but more importantly, it served as a catalyst for a deeper re-examination of the Holocaust by new generations. The horrifying, poignant and ultimately inspirational saga of the “Schindler Jews” connected millions to ideas about the power and resiliency of the human spirit and the ongoing fight against hated and intolerance. Spielberg is one of the creators of the Shoah Foundation, an organization that helped to document the testimony of thousands of Holocaust survivors for an enduring study of the Nazi atrocities and the strength and determination of individuals who persevered even when all hope seemed lost.

The DVD release of “Schindler’s List” has been much anticipated, given that it is regarded as Spielberg’s personal passion as well as a career watershed.  Although obviously considered one of Hollywood’s greatest directors well before 1993, Spielberg had long been shadowed by a reputation for churning out mass-appeal blockbusters laced with sentimentality. “Schindler’s List” put him squarely and indelibly into the category of artist.

The film also won Academy Awards for screenplay, cinematography, music, editing and art direction. Liam Neeson is superb as Schindler, and he is supported by a glorious cast headed by Ben Kingsley, who plays the accountant Itzhak Stern, and Ralph Fiennes as the murderous Amon Goeth.

The DVD is not packed with extras, but what it does have is moving. There is a feature called “Voices from the List,” which contains remembrances by some of the remaining Schindler Jews; a piece on the work of the Shoah Foundation; cast and crew bios, and a look at Schindler himself.

Spielberg does not do commentary tracks, and ordinarily it isn’t a problem on DVDs of his other works, because he usually lends enough filmmaking insight on interview segments to satisfy audiences. In this case, it’s too bad, because there is so much historical significance to this film, especially in the areas of locations and the input provided by actual Holocaust survivors prior to and during the making of it, that a step-by-step explanation of the process would have enriched the experience.

Also, the running time is 3 hours, 16 minutes, so you must flip the disk during viewing to the B side to finish it. And there are not two versions included; there are separate widescreen and full-screen editions available, so make sure you know which one you are buying.

Still, the DVD release of “Schindler’s List” more than does justice to the impact this picture had at the time of its theatrical release, and the educational effect it continues to have.

Check out this special feature: The “Voices from the List” segment offers a fascinating and revealing addendum to the story. Spielberg and his producers mix on-camera interviews with Schindler Jews and incredible archival footage from World War II. Of particular note are some of the photos and remembrances of the actual Amon Goeth,  a Nazi fiend of almost unthinkable evil, who might otherwise come off as a caricature if he wasn’t so chillingly real. Much of “Voices” covers the exploits of Schindler himself, and conveys the overwhelming gratitude survivors had toward him. One major realization you probably will have upon watching this is that, even though “Schindler’s List” was based on fictional source material — the Australian Keneally’s novel — and then made into a Hollywood movie, so many of the most memorable events in the film actually happened just the way they are depicted.

Universal, $26.98

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