Schindler's List (1993)

Have you ever cried so hard that afterward you were dehydrated? Both times I have watched Schindler's List that has happened to me. I even had to wait a day after watching it to write this entry so I wouldn't be so depressed. What I am driving at is don't expect to see much humor in this review because let's be honest, how do you joke about such a serious movie and topic? "Seinfeld" did it, but Jerry Seinfeld is Jewish (if you think that makes a difference).

Before I get into details about the film, let me warn you of a few things. These warnings are in no way excuses to not see this movie. There is no excuse because EVERYONE MUST SEE THIS MOVIE. This warnings are just so that you don't watch it under the wrong circumstances.
1) This movie is very long (over 3 hours) so don't start it before work or something like that.

2) This movie is extremely depressing so don't watch it at a party or something like that.

3) This movie will make you cry (unless you don't have a soul) so have tissues close. If you are watching this movie with a female (or you are a female) you'd better get two boxes just for her. I'm serious about this one. I was bathing in my girlfriend's tears.

4) This movie is very graphic at times, but it is so the viewer can better appreciate just how bad it was. Take it from someone who has stood in the furnaces of two concentration camps; the next best (if best is the right word) thing to actually going to a concentration camp is watching this movie. You just can't understand what they went through without such a depiction.

Consider yourself warned.

Schindler's List is a true story about a German factory owner that saved the lives of 1,100 Jews, during WWII, in Krakow, Poland. His main goal in life was to be rich, and exploited Jewish slave labor to accomplish that goal. As time went by he had a change of heart and used his political ties, and all of his money, to save 1,100 Jewish workers from a concentration camp thereby saving them from death.

This film is absolutely brilliant. It was shot in black and white to both somber up the mood of the film, and to put you into the time period. The only color in the movie is a little girl in a red coat. She enters the film at a very significant and depressing moment in the film. The red is used to show significance. I don't want to give too much of the movie away so I will only mention part of the significance. The significance is that the scene is the beginning of Schindler's change of heart. You see the girl in the red coat again later, and that shows the moment when Schindler is fully changed. It is a great display of human emotion.

I really have nothing bad to say about this movie. I also can't say anything else without giving too much of the movie away so I will stop there. Let me close by saying that Schindler's List is not the only amazing Holocaust movie. The Pianist starring Adrien Brody is also a great film. It isn't quite as good as Schindler's List, but it still should be seen in your life.

The bottom line:
Rating: 4.8
Would I own it? It is one of those movies you can only watch every once in a while so I don't think I will ever own it. I'll just rent it when I want to see it.
Would I recommend it? I think this review speaks for itself. EVERYONE MUST SEE IT!