I caught SPR last night. I will buck the trend in this thread by
prominently inserting a SPOILER WARNING here *before* I discuss
the details of the film. The movie was a straightforward,
episodic war movie, with verisimilitude, some technical
virtuosity by Spielberg, and a solid cast. I agree with Kurt that
the film spent way too much time trying to convince the audience
how important this all was, and agree that the sparing of the
German soldier was annoying, and that Hanks' sudden revelation of
his past, the framing device, and William's intrusive score were
eye rollers. I am a strong Spielberg defender. While he does frequently wallow
in sentimentality, so do I, and so do most people I know who
aren't cynical movie critics. I thought Schindler's final speech,
and the epilogue with the Schindlerjuden to be some of the best
parts of what was a great film. I admire his ability to find hope
and inspiration in the middle of the greatest tragedy of the 20th
century, without diminishing the impact of that tragedy. I also
happen to have Jaws and Raiders of the Lost Ark as two of my
favorite films, and have an indefensibly high opinion of Jurassic
Park.
Where he goes wrong in SPR is in not having the courage of his
convictions. If he had taken a strong stance one way or the other
on the appropriateness of the mission, I think he would have had
more focus in how he dealt with it, and when he used some of the
more manipulative tricks up his formidable sleeve, they may not
have been undercut by other aspects of the film. I don't have a
whole lot of respect for the technique of "admiring the
problem".
That said, I think the film is quite good anyway for what goes
right. I disagree vehementy with Kate that it is worse to try to
depict war inadequately than it is to not try at all, and the way
the film demythologizes much of the most romanticized (largely
due to other films) war in history is an achievement worth
praising.
