Schindler’s List: 20th Anniversary Limited Edition
Rated: R
Genre: Drama
Street Date: March 5, 2013
Available On: Blu-ray/DVD Combo
The Film: The story of Oskar Schindler, a businessman who was responsible for saving the lives of more than 1,000 Jews during the Holocaust, brought to life by director Steven Spielberg
The Extras: “Voices from the List” feature and “USC Shoah Foundation Story” and “About IWitness” featurettes
Recommendation: “Schindler’s List” is a rare film. Not only is it an important story that needs to be told and remembered it is also a finely crafted piece of art. The performances by Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Embeth Davidtz , Caroline Goodall and the rest of the cast, the black and white cinematography by Janusz Kaminski, John William’s score, Steven Zaillian’s adaptation of Thomas Keneally’s book and Steven Spielberg’s direction are all first rate. It’s simply one of the greatest films ever made.
Universal’s Blu-ray release of “Schindler’s List” is quite strong. The picture highly detailed and displays a pleasing amount of depth and clarity without scrubbing away the cinematic qualities of the image. The audio is a little subdued, but that’s to be expected from a character-driven drama.
The bonus features, which are featured on the second DVD disc, are from the original DVD release. No new material was produced for this set. It would have been nice to have something new, but Spielberg has never been one to invite audiences behind the scenes. Thankfully the one major bonus feature, a 77-minute documentary featuring interviews with Holocaust survivors entitled “Voices From the List,” is excellent.
-Ryan Michael Painter
