This was a beautifully crafted movie. It illustrated many of the complexities of the Holocaust, with all its shades of gray. Perhaps most fascinating was the character of Schindler and his evolution to become a savior to so many. He was clearly rough around the edges. He was a womanizer, often sharp-tongued, and impatient. But despite these character flaws, he was still able to empathize with the Jews he interacted with, and work to minimize their pain and suffering. His ability to work with Nazi officials and camp leaders was fascinating. He manipulated many to great personal danger, but was able to do so successfully and with minimal suspicion. This was acted beautifully by Liam Neeson. I am largely accustomed to seeing him in action roles, so watching him play such a complex character greatly increased my respect for him as an actor.
The movie itself was quite brutal. In traditional movies, a character is introduced, one begins to empathize with them, and then they are placed in danger. Suspense is created, but the viewer knows that the character will escape. Not so in Schindler’s List. Many characters were introduced and brutally killed in an almost secondhand nature. This both enhanced the historical accuracy of the piece while creating true suspense whenever danger was presented to the viewer. One never knew who would live and who would die.
The implementation of the Final Solution was also well done. Rather than jumping right to the concentration camps (which is what many initially think of when the Holocaust is mentioned) the movie chose to start during the detention of the Jews. It then proceeded to the liquidation of the ghettos, then to work camps, then to concentration/death camps. This gave a more complete image of the Holocaust, as well as further details on how it was implemented.