an 'Oskar' winning list.......

Schindler's List.......director Steven Spielberg's haunting masterpiece on the holocaust. Brilliant movie, this. Each of the actors outdoes himself in this movie. they all tapped into that innermost reserve of brilliance. everybody, scriptwriters, director, producer and actors....everybody. And Schindler's List was the result. One of the few movies based on true incidents to have turned out so beautifully.


For those unfamiliar with the holocaust, during World War II, under the orders of Adolf Hitler, millions of jew were massacred in Germany. it was during the holocaust that a rule was passed. Because of the war, predictable, Germany's economy faltered. And whoever owned an industry was seen as wokring for the improvement of the economy and certain priveleges were granted to them. Also, all they could employ Jews rather cheaply to work for them, thus solving the problem of labour and workforce. there was one tiny little flaw in this rule that was soon to become the driving force behind one man's actions. The Jews that were on the payroll of an industry were exempt from termination by the military.


Schindler's List is about an industrialist. Oskar Schindler. initially seen as somewhat greedy and profit-minded, though essentially a good man. He recognizes the flaw in the above mentioned rule, and bribes his way into the good books of the german officers and thus starts employing Jews so that he can make bags and bags of money for little effort. He soon establishes a Utensil industry. he takes on a man called Izhtak Stern, a jew, as his accountant. Schindler becomes friends with a German officer, Amon Goeth. Goeth turns out to be an evil, ruthless, utterly cold-blooded man. He's in charge of a concentrated camp. He can be seen killing a lot of jews in the camp for sport. gradually, Shindler realizes the inhuman traetment the jews face, and with the help of the kindly Izhtak stern, proceeds to get as many jews off the terminal list as possible by taking them under his employment. it all makes up to be a riveting movie. the sketchy outline i've provided hardly does justice to the movie, but thats the best i can do without reducing my readers to a sleepy stupor.


Liam Neeson plays Oskar Schindler. He plays the character with his considerable charm. and it shows. We find ourselves drawn to this enigmatic man with all his irresistable charm. He is initially self centred, not bothered about the plight of his employees, namely, the jews. but as the days pass by, he is increasingly tormented by the sight around him. he gets desperate to save as many jews as possible by employing them. And for this, he has to bribe a number of officers with a lot of gifts. All this anguish is brilliantly put forward by Liam Neeson in a truly masterful performance. There's a heart-rending scene towards the end where Schindler laments that he couldnt save more Jews. he looks at his watch, his car, his various other possessions and gives out a heart-breaking cry, that he could've given these off and bought more jews off. this scene would move the hardest of us to tears.


Ralph Fiennes has shown us over the years what a versatile and brilliant actor he is. he plays a gentle, lovesick character as deftly as he plays a murderous villain. he'll most probably be remembered for playing Lord Voldemort in the harry Potter series. here, he plays another murderous, evil man, Amon Goeth. Fiennes' performance here is perfectly, brilliantly evil. His very presence is evil. Yet, there's something in his manner that's disarmingly charming and innocent. He commits atrocities with the innocence of a child. you cannot help but despise him, but, there's a corner of your heart which forces you to like him, if only a wee bit. there's a scene where he's in bed with his mistress. he casually gets up, lights a cigarette, picks his rifle up and shoots dead four jews in the concentration camp. if you're a jew, and u sneeze in front of Amon Goeth, u're shot dead. If your shoulders are not upright, you're shot dead. the only reason Amon Goeth needs to kill is a Jew. And Ralph Fiennes does a brillaint Job here.



Ben Kinglsey plays the demure, dimmunitive clerk, Izhtak Stern. there's always an impression throughout the movie that Ben frequently underplays himself. In a few scenes, there's a few brief flashes of Ben's "Gandhi". but the overall performance is strikingly effective. he is very effective indeed as the gentle, very sharp clerk, who silently manipulates Oskar Schindler, changing him from a money driven man to the man who would go on to save hundreds of jewish lives. so in a way, Izhtak Stern is one of the heroes, along with Schindler. You feel sorry for him. You feel sorry for the jews. you feel sorry for everyone in the movie except the germans.


the music is brilliant. every note, every piece of music is brilliantly written. it carries the sombre mood of the movie to the end. its powerful, slow and melancholy, exactly what was required for a movie this serious. the brilliance of the director in the choice of the Black & White, which, perfectly sets the mood for the period the movie is set in, as well as gives it a Film Noir touch to it, very nostalgic indeed. Steven SpielBerg is a director, who, when he can think beyond CGi and computer generated special effects, is brilliant. Proving that point, movies like Schindler's List, Catch Me Is You Can, the recent Munich are in evidence.


All in all, Schindler's List, for me is one unforgettable movie. it is tragic at times, deeply moving and totally rivetting.

until i write again, Adios!