cult film freak: FOUR PARAGRAPHS ON THE EPIC CLASSIC OF 'SCHINDLER'S LIST'

Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth in Schindler's List YEAR: 1993

Especially before it gets really moving and downright tear-jerking, particularly with the girl-in-red and other exploitation (in a necessary fashion) sequences, SCHINDLER'S LIST is a brilliantly directed film by Steven Spielberg like Francis Ford Coppola's first two GODFATHER movies...

In an opposite manner, the theory of an important subject matter more meaningful than the story... or making the story better for its meaningful purpose... doesn't apply to Spielberg's holocaust classic that, while epic in scope, centers tightly on specific characters, from Liam Neeson's titular Oskar Schindler to Ralph Fienne's worse-than-your-average-evil-Nazi Nazi, Goath (his deserved Best Supporting Actor robbed by Tommy Lee Jones's mainstream FUGITIVE role), which is one of the greatest performances of all time, seemingly inspired by Orson Welles's Harry Lime in THE THIRD MAN: both monsters humanly suffering the effects of an annoying cold when first (physically and audibly) introduced... And the nightmarish scene where a shirtless Goath takes idyllic sniper potshots at random Jews working around the camp, while managing to smoke a morning cigarette without use of his hands, is like watching Satan imitating Keith Richards, contentedly basking in his own perdition between encores and never ridding of his smoke...

Ralph Fiennes in one of many infamous moments LISTScore: *****

Meanwhile, any writeup of LIST can name names of actors since the whole cast fits perfectly within Spielberg's detailed, intimate framework: But Ben Kingsley's meek and mellow "sidekick" to Schindler's alpha male, womanizing, selfish Nazi entrepreneur turned lifesaving hero could only be so effectively peripheral by an actor who can (also) carry a picture with equal strength, and their side-side-characters are just as important...

Of the inmates, around six are centered on, from married couples, young and old, to children, girls and boys, all creating a desperate though somehow hopeful atmosphere within a closely huddled, unbreakable, inseparable and even unimaginable bond (there's even some humor, from everyone including the villain) through the horrendous and palpable, true life tragedy that scriptwriter Steven Zaillian should receive equal significance along with Spielberg (who has failed without proper scripts). Thankfully the finished product, except maybe around fifteen minutes that could've used some trimming during the "I'll miss you most of all Scarecrow" epilogue (the hand-in-hand walking shot straight out of the Clark Gable disaster epic SAN FRANCISCO), makes SCHINDLER'S LIST a great Movie and not just a great Important History Lesson.