I am interested in the question of HOW an artist or story-teller portrays the story.
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I regard as kitsch any representation of the Holocaust that is incapable of understanding or unwilling to understand the organic connection between our own deformed mode of life (current western society) and the very possibility of the Holocaust
Versus
He depicts the evil of the Holocaust, and he tells an incredible story of how it was robbed of some of its intended victims. He does so without the tricks of his trade, the directorial and dramatic contrivances that would inspire the usual melodramatic payoffs (box office payoffs). Spielberg is not visible in this film (Schindler’s List). But his restraint and passion are present in every shot.”[154] Filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, criticized the film for its weak representation of the Holocaust.
Also in 1993, Spielberg directed Schindler’s List, about Oskar Schindler, a businessman who helped save 1,100 Jews from the Holocaust.[142] Based on Schindler’s Ark, Spielberg waited ten years to make the film as he did not feel “mature” enough.[143] He wanted to embrace his heritage,[144][145] and after the birth of his son, Max, he said that “it greatly affected me […] A spirit began to ignite in me, and I became a Jewish dad”.[146] Filming commenced on March 1, 1993, in Poland, while Spielberg was still editing Jurassic Park in the evenings.[147] To make filming “bearable”, Spielberg brought his wife and children with him.[148] Against expectations, the film was a commercial success, and Spielberg used his percentage of profits to start the Shoah Foundation, a non-profit organization that archives testimonies of Holocaust survivors.[149] Schindler’s List won seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Spielberg’s first as Best Director.[150] It also won seven BAFTAs, and three Golden Globes.[151][152] Schindler’s List is one of the AFI‘s 100 best American films ever made.[153]
Spielberg has collaborated on numerous projects with actor Tom Hanks since Saving Private Ryan
Ebert wrote, “Flaubert once wrote that he disliked Uncle Tom’s Cabin because the author was constantly preaching against slavery. ‘Does one have to make observations about slavery?’ he asked. ‘Depict it; that’s enough.’ And then he added, ‘An author in his book must be like God in the universe, present everywhere and visible nowhere.’ That would describe Spielberg, the author of this film. He depicts the evil of the Holocaust, and he tells an incredible story of how it was robbed of some of its intended victims. He does so without the tricks of his trade, the directorial and dramatic contrivances that would inspire the usual melodramatic payoffs. Spielberg is not visible in this film. But his restraint and passion are present in every shot.”[154] Filmmaker Claude Lanzmann, criticized the film for its weak representation of the Holocaust.[155] Imre Kertész, a Hungarian author and concentration camp survivor, also disliked the film, saying, “I regard as kitsch any representation of the Holocaust that is incapable of understanding or unwilling to understand the organic connection between our own deformed mode of life and the very possibility of the Holocaust.”[156] Thomson calls it “the most moving film I have ever seen.”[74]
In 1994, Spielberg took a break from directing to spend more time with his family, and set up his new film studio, DreamWorks, with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.