Schindler's List, the acclaimed 1993 film directed by Steven Spielberg, will be broadcast on BBC2 tonight. The film tells the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and Nazi Party member who saved over 1,200 Polish Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.
The film follows Schindler's transformation from a greedy opportunist into a selfless humanitarian who bribed officials to protect his workers from concentration camps. It highlights the horrors of the era, particularly through his relationship with sadistic SS officer Amon Göth, and culminates in the creation of his famous 'list' of essential workers.
Schindler's List has been hailed as a masterpiece of cinema. It won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Spielberg. The film is shot in black-and-white to evoke 1940s documentary footage and enhance historical realism.
The star cast includes Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern. The film was produced by Holocaust survivor Branko Lustig, who also appears as a maître d' hotel.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film scores 98 percent on the Tomatometer. One five-star review called it 'the genuinely emotional film ever made' and 'one of the 10 masterpieces in cinema.' Another viewer described it as 'Spielberg's Heartbreaking Masterpiece' and 'a very powerful description of how one man saved others' lives from death.'
