DVD Review HTF Review: Schindler's List (Highly Recommended!) (1 Viewer)

[MarcoBiscotti]

HOLY CRAP!!!

I was just watching the bonus features on this disc where they are interviewing people and talking about the Shoah Foundation, and my grandmother's best friend after her husband died, who passed away 7 months ago, was interviewed on camera! I couldn't believe it, I've been calling my grandmother all day to let her know what I found!

 

[dmt]

i love the whole thing even after reading all 15 pages!

one little problem i saw was it said in the film that the tree was planted in 1958, but in the dvd's "about oskar Schindler" text part it says 1961, and online i read somewhere it was planted on his birthday in 1962! not really any biggie but whats the real date?

 

[Chris Will]

Has anyone found a keepcase anywhere other then an online store? Why would they release different cases but not send them out to stores? I'm only going to buy if I can find a keepcase, I hate the other one.

 

[Phil Carter]

Somebody else remarked on this so I took a close look when I watched it last night (first time I'd gotten the chance to watch since picking it up on release date). The text onscreen in the movie says that in 1958 Schindler was declared a righteous person and INVITED to plant a tree. It could be that three years passed before he took them up on their invitation, or there was a delay because of red tape and paperwork, or something like that happened -- in any case, perhaps the tree wasn't actually planted until 1961, three years later.

Not saying that's what happened, just that it's a possible explanation. As for the 1962 date, I don't have a brilliant suggestion to explain that discrepancy.

cheers,
Phil

 

[Jefferson Morris]

And if a frog had wings, etc., etc...

Not sure how Peter Jackson's name got dragged into this. Is it morally acceptable to be a fan of both Schindler's List and The Lord of the Rings? Gosh, I hope so.

At any rate, I picked up the SL disc on release date. Haven't watched it all the way through yet (I watched the film on laserdisc just a few months back), but from what I've seen it looks like a very good presentation (forced DTS trailers aside). I did watch Voices from the List and found it a powerful experience in its own right.

--Jefferson Morris

 

[Dave H]

This is the most irrelavent statement I have heard in quite a long time.

 

[Billy Fogerty]

We speak english in the USA. Why have foreign soundtracks? When the films are presented in the theaters, they are in english. I am sure many foriegners see them, why waste disc space on other language tracks?
He makes a valid point.

 

[Randy A Salas]

As I noted before, Yad Vashem (the group that bestowed the honor) says it all happened on July 18, 1967 (not 1962). According to the organization, it didn't even start its Righteous Among the Nations program until 1963. Considering that, I don't see how either the 1958 or 1961 date on the DVD could be correct, since they predate the actual program.

You can see the tree and a full account of Schindler and the honor here:

http://www.yad-vashem.org.il/visitin...schindler.html

 

[Richard Kim]

Region 1 includes Canada as well as the US, which is why many Region 1 titles include French soundtracks.

 

[Julian Lalor]

Certain friends of yours obviously have no idea. The Passion of the Christ has about as much chance of being nominated for a Best Picture Oscar as "A Guy Thing". You really need to let go of this hatred you have for ROTK. It permeates every thread you participate in.

 

[Brian_Johnson]

Personally, I have no problem with the movie being split.
The only reason I don't like double sided discs is for two reasons:
1)They seem to be more prone to defects based on my experience.
2)You have to be extra careful when handling them since there are two sides with data on them instead of one. And even if I am careful, other people may not be. So I have two sides to worry about getting scratched or getting particles or fingerprints on.
I also have to worry about the insert rubbing against the face up side of the disc when the case is closed.

I used Goo Gone to get rid of the glue on the back of the case, so that isn't a problem anymore.
Unfortunately, Universal didn't think that we would want to actually close the case, so they made it impossible to close. If I don't want dust on the disc side facing up, I guess I'll have to scotch tape the side to keep it closed while it is sitting on my shelf. I have already made sure that taking the tape off will not rip my case, so I guess that is my solution.

 

[MatS]

that glue on the back side was a joke
they could have easily used a small dab of glue at the top of the insert but instead make a damn squigle line down the whole paper, which in turn left a residue on the entire back of the package.
The insert as it was is pretty useless (obviously they forgot to print the additional info on the case) and could have been inserted without even glueing it considering the product is under shrink wrap.

there is an easy solution to keeping the case closed
you can simply create with a piece of paper (and a minor amount of glue ) a band to slide on and off the case (much like a paper ring around a napkin holding silverware). I'm sure a rubber band would work just as well

great movie
great presentation (would have perfered not to flip and that silly DTS trailer on side 2 but what can you do)
piss poor packaging once again

 

[MatS]

well said

 

[Colin Jacobson]

You're right. However, occasionally we did get a fun side break. For Raiders of the Lost Ark, it's right after Indy locates the Well of Souls and goes "that's it!" Cut to black - perfect!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Duplicate!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

So what about those of us who've always been huge Spielberg supporters who don't like List? You don't know how badly I wanted to be moved and dazzled by this movie both times I saw it. Didn't happen either time. I felt curiously UNinvolved by it both times, mostly because of... the manipulation.

I don't think the fact that Schindler saw a girl in a red outfit somehow makes her use in the film less manipulative. Whatever the reality was, in the movie, it seems like a cheap attempt to milk emotion. The same goes for the Auschwitz shower scene. It may have happened, but as presented, it feels like a crass way to toy with the audience.

I think Spielberg is a brilliant filmmaker, or at least he used to be one - I can't recall a flick of his that's really worked for me in quite a while. Empire of the Sun may have been his last truly impressive film, though Jurassic Park and Lost World are lots of fun. If Spielberg had applied more of the lack of sentimentality he brought to Empire to List, it might have been great. As it stands, it simply fails to do anything for me - I wouldn't even put it in his top 10 best films. It may be the most important TOPIC, but that doesn't make it a great flick...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I'd argue that Kubrick largely avoids manipulation in some of his films - I think they're incredibly objective.

But that's a different topic. For me, I have absolutely no objection to manipulation - in the right place. ET jerks us around relentlessly, and virtually every horror movie ever made relies hugely on manipulation. That's A-OK with me - it's really part of the genre, and ET is a movie that strongly benefits from the emotional point of view.

But List? It loses impact due to the manipulation. The subject matter is so inherently powerful that manipulative tactics cheapen it. A more straightforward and less pushy approach would have made the movie more effective.

It's not a BAD film. The acting IS excellent, and it certainly looks great. The production values across the board are impeccable, though I don't care for the score at all. It all comes down to Spielberg, and I think he didn't convey the material well. In the past, he took iffy material and worked wonders with it. Cripes, Raiders just reworked old serials but it made them feel incredibly fresh and new, and ET is just a story about a creepy space monkey. Spielberg was amazing with those flicks and others, but his approach dampened the impact of List - at least IMO...

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Yeah, but it lists them as "Film Highlights". He really liked those flicks, so they were highlights for him!

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Perhaps. But each of Jackson's three films about hobbits and magic rings surpasses the "achievement" of List.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

The film actually offers more than a few gently comedic moments in its first act - it's not unrelenting tragedy from start to finish...