Search - Schindler's List [Fullscreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Watch With Your Teen Movie Release: 1993 DVD Release: 03/09/2004 Format: DVD - Black and White,Pan and Scan Edition: Dual Layered Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 3 hrs 16 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 46 Genres: Drama, War, Biopic [feature], War Drama See Also: Schindler's List [Widescreen], Schindler's List [Collector's Gift Set], Schindler's List [Widescreen] [Limited Edition], Schindler's List [Limited Edition]

Based on a true story, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman in Poland who sees an opportunity to make money from the Nazis' rise to power. He starts a company to make cookware and utensils, using flattery and bribes to win military contracts, and brings in accountant and financier Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) to help run the factory. By staffing his plant with Jews who've been herded into Krakow's ghetto by Nazi troops, Schindler has a dependable unpaid labor force. For Stern, a job in a war-related plant could mean survival for himself and the other Jews working for Schindler. However, in 1942, all of Krakow's Jews are assigned to the Plaszow Forced Labor Camp, overseen by Commandant Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), an embittered alcoholic who occasionally shoots prisoners from his balcony. Schindler arranges to continue using Polish Jews in his plant, but, as he sees what is happening to his employees, he begins to develop a conscience. He realizes that his factory (now refitted to manufacture ammunition) is the only thing preventing his staff from being shipped to the death camps. Soon Schindler demands more workers and starts bribing Nazi leaders to keep Jews on his employee lists and out of the camps. By the time Germany falls to the allies, Schindler has lost his entire fortune -- and saved 1,100 people from likely death. Schindler's List was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven, including Best Picture and a long-coveted Best Director for Spielberg, and it quickly gained praise as one of the finest American movies about the Holocaust. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Liam Neeson - Oskar Schindler
Ben Kingsley - Itzhak Stern
Ralph Fiennes - Amon Goeth
Caroline Goodall - Emilie Schindler
Jonathan Sagall - Poldek Pfefferberg

After years of anticipation, Schindler's List finally comes to the DVD market thanks to Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. For some, the prolonged wait will no doubt stem disappointment, as Steven Spielberg's personal triumph is presented without any insight into the filmmaking process or more into the actual events. Your initial enjoyment of the disc will depend on your expectations going in, though it should be noted that what is included is quite something. Technically, the double-sided disc with digitally enhanced picture and sound is nothing short of spectacular. The stark black-and-white contrast in the full-screen image is heartbreakingly beautiful, as are both the 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS audio tracks, which underline John Williams' powerful score during the film's most hushed and tragic moments.

The main extras on the disc are split up between the "Voices from the List" documentary and a featurette on the Shoah Foundation, the organization Spielberg helped create to give voice to Holocaust survivors. Clocking in at 77 minutes, the "Voices" piece is a soul-wrenching account of the Nazi invasion up to the end of the war from various surviving members of Schindler's list. Their incomparable tales of hate and despair create a gripping piece that gives unparalleled humanity and first-hand insight to what exactly Schindler did for these people, making the documentary the perfect companion to the film. As a bonus, the story of the Shoah Foundation has also been included. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, the featurette explains the genesis of the group and its goal to educate and document any living survivor of the Holocaust. While the documentary does tend to beseech its viewers by the end for additional monetary support (in addition to the fold-out donation certificate inside the booklet), the clip offers a fine view of the importance of the group in an educational and historical context. Rounding out the features are a collection of cast and crew bios and additional information on Oskar Schindler. The packaging comes in a book-like case that's also available with the recommended widescreen edition and the Collector's Gift Set (which comes complete with a bulky Plexiglas casing, photo book, certificate of authenticity, and a film slide). ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide