Schindler's List Review
The mood in Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List is gloomy at best. Of course, considering the subject matter, this seems to be precisely what was intended for the atmosphere of this film. The choice to film this in black and white definitely created a more poignant emotional effect as well as developing a more historical feel for the movie, but it is in the more subtle mise en scene that the dramatic impact of this movie is truly felt. The opening scenes create a precedent of crowding that is carried thro
These scenes are, for the most part, shot with deliberate sharp contrast between the light and the shadows, with the shadows being the predominant element. In addition to these physical elements, much of the movie is shot from a rather low camera position when showing almost all of the Nazi characters. There's also a decisive lack of decoration throughout the movie, creating a stark, "naked" feeling that generates a feeling of vulnerability and imminent violation. This is seems to be a deliberate attempt to make the "bad guys" bigger than life and to generate a feeling of intimidation in the audience. Though it is very rare for an open, outdoor expanse to be used as a setting at all, in the infrequent times it is show, it is inevitably filled with a crush of people. More common in the film are scenes indoors. The viewer feels almost suffocated by this constant press of people on the screen, and it is quite effective in achieving a sense of tragedy. All of the elements that have been described not only lead to that conclusion, but are also extremely effective in generating a powerful emotional response of fear, sadness and intimidation. It seems safe to assume that Spielberg's intention was to have the audience feel as though they were part of the Jewish population in the film, not the Nazis. This seems to be trying to communicate not only the sheer numbers of Jews that were slaughtered during this dark age of history, but also the conditions in which they lived in the concentration camps.
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