Movie Reviews

Schindler’s List: 25th Anniversary Edition – 4K UHD Blu-ray Movie Review

Has it been 25 years? Steven Spielberg’s gripping and emotional film is now reborn in 4K. In German-occupied Poland during World War II, Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazi Germans.

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Specifications
Universal Pictures
Three-Disc UHD Combo Pack, Rated R, 2160p, Dolby Vision HDR, English Dolby Atmos, English Dolby TrueHD 7.1, Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1, 3 hour and 15 minutes.
Starring Liam Neeson, Ezra Dagan, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
Directed by Steven Spielberg

Rating

Entertainment:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:

Violence: Yes
Sex: Yes
Language: Yes

Commentary

I expect everyone has seen Schindler’s List. It is the story of Oskar Schindler, who observes the horrific persecution of the Jews and becomes increasingly concerned about the fate of his own workers.

The story of the film and the actual history are well known. In 1993 Schindler’s List won 7 well deserved Oscars. The film is a riveting and troubling emotional journey that every person should see and contemplate.

The release of Schindler’s List is a cinematic and cultural event and kudos for Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg for honoring the film with this 25th Anniversary release.

Technical

The film is stunning to watch. Steven Spielberg personally supervised the 4K remaster. Almost all of the film is in black and white and watching in Dolby Vision is like seeing the film for the first time. I haven’t seen Dolby Vision used on a black and white image, but I can say it is very effective. The dynamic range is very wide, with inky blacks and bright whites, but detail holds up beautifully. The original film looked great, and if anything, this new rendering loses nothing and likely gains a bit of quality to what people saw in the theaters.

The disc offers an Atmos soundtrack, but I listened in 7.1. It’s not an audio showcase, nor was it designed this way. While most sound is anchored up front, there are realistic environmental sounds that are subtly directed to the surrounds, and I expect overhead for those who are Atmos equipped.

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Extras

Schindler’s List: 25 Years Later (HD, 40 min): Recorded in 2018 after a special screening of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival, Steven Spielberg, Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley engage in an interesting Q&A session.

Let Their Testimonies Speak – Stronger Than Hate (HD, 4 min): Clips from the Shoah Foundation

Voices From the List (1080i/60, 77 min): An intense documentary with interviews of Holocaust survivors and their descendants with director Steven Spielberg as host.

USC Shoah Foundation Story (1080i/60, 5 min): A very brief history on the foundation

About I Witness (1080i/60, 4 min): A promotional piece lauding the program that offers educators and students access to video interviews of Holocaust survivors.

Mel Martin

Mel spent most of his life working in television journalism in Ohio, Florida, the BBC in London, and in Seattle, WA. He won a few EMMY awards along the way which most people mistake for bowling trophies. Being around all those expensive monitors frustrated him when he got home to his threadbare TV and stereo, so he began to improve things, brand by brand, upgrade by upgrade. He’s got a lovely OLED TV now, flanked by Magnepan 3.6r speakers, and a Home theater with an Epson Projector and Focal speakers. Also scatted about the house are HiFiMan headphones, and 6 Sonos Connect devices that are spraying his rather large music collection from room to room. Other equipment is from Oppo, Sony, Aurender, PS Audio and Emotiva. Musical tastes range from Classical to Jazz to New Age to classic Rock and Roll. Mel has written a biography of film producer Samuel Bronston (El Cid, King of Kings) and is working now on a second film related book. He resides in Arizona where, when he’s not adjusting his home theater, he dabbles in landscape and astronomical photography.

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