A Reel Opinion: The SCHINDLER'S LIST Blu-ray Release

 

In December of this year, Steven Spielberg’s SCHINDLER’S LIST will see its 20^th anniversary. Right on cue, the film, widely considered to be one of the greatest ever made, will finally see high-definition with its blu-ray release this week.

SCHINDLER’S LIST was, and still is a landmark film. It is historically and culturally significant, and marked a major turning point in Spielberg’s career. Its long-awaited arrival in high-definition offers collectors a chance to round out their libraries. However, one has to wonder...how often will that film be taken off the shelf for viewing?

SCHINDLER’S LIST, which told the story of a German businessman who saved the lives of thousands during the Holocaust, was a very difficult watch for many, if not for everyone who watched it 20 years ago. It was a powerful theatre experience, with pindrop-silence by movie’s end and lingering emotions for everyone. For many, one viewing of SCHINDLER’S LIST was enough for an entire lifetime. Despite the fact that it is Spielberg’s finest work, it is ironically the one film that no one wants to watch again…as it certainly does not have the fun of rouge sharks, the whimsy of swashbuckling archeologists, and the wonder that comes with dinosaurs.

So why would anyone want to bring such a bleak and hard-to-watch film home with them? As already mentioned, true fans of film always have that completist urge within them; they simply cannot claim to own the greatest films of all time without SCHINDLER’S LIST in their collection. Diehard fans of Spielberg, who is often regarded as this generation’s finest director, will also have a need to fill in that gap on their shelves; JAWS, RAIDERS, JURASSIC PARK, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN…and SCHINDLER’S LIST rounds out Steven Spielberg’s finest.

There is also the technology angle. Remastered from the original negative, the transfer is said to be stunning; the picture is beyond perfect and John Williams’ chilling and heartbreaking score sounds outstanding. High-definition presents us with our favorite films in the way they were supposed to be seen: flawless. Blu-ray is the glorious format which shows us SCHINDLER’S LIST like we’ve never seen before.

Above all else, watching or owning SCHINDLER’S LIST is a lot like that old saying: what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. No one ever looks forward to watching it, but by the time the credits roll things will certainly be different. SCHINDLER’S LIST deserves to be re-visited, even if it’s just once every 20 years.