Oscar winning ‘masterpiece’ hailed ‘greatest film’ on BBC tonight

The powerful and emotional film that has been highly praised

A ‘masterpiece of cinema’ which vividly portrays the true horrors of World War Two and the Holocaust is set to air on BBC2 tonight.

Schindler’s List recounts the real-life story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and member of the Nazi Party who saved over 1,200 Polish Jews during the Holocaust.

He employed them in his factories, transitioning from a self-serving opportunist into a selfless humanitarian who bribed officials to shield his workers from concentration camps.

The film, which hit the screens in 1993, traces Schindler’s transformation, spotlighting the atrocities of the era, particularly through his relationship with the cruel SS officer Amon Göth, and culminates in the creation of his renowned “list” of essential workers, sparing them from extermination.

The film lays bare the true horrors of WWII and the Holocaust and has been widely lauded for its depiction. It bagged 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director for Spielberg.

Many cinema enthusiasts have commended it for being shot in black-and-white to mimic 1940s documentary footage and enhance historical authenticity, reports the Mirror.

The film boasts a stellar cast, including Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as SS officer Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern. The film was also produced by Holocaust survivor Branko Lustig, who makes an appearance as a maître d’ hotel in the movie.

On film ratings website Rotten Tomatoes, it boasts a staggering 98 per cent on the Tomatometer alongside numerous five-star reviews.

One five-star review said: “The genuinely emotional film ever made. One of the 10 masterpieces in cinema.”

Another viewer added: “Can’t really find my words to describe how i felt the first time i saw this movie . I was young and couldn’t really imagine how cruel the human can be. The movie is a pure beauty and the music couldn’t fit better.

“It’s hard to rewatch it but the timeless part of it makes the movie watchable at any time any year with every kind of public.”

A third reviewer wrote: “Spielberg’s Heartbreaking Masterpiece is a very powerful description of how one man saved other’s lives from death during one of the darkest moments in human history. I remember crying a lot,”.

Meanwhile, a fourth fan said: “To be honest I think this is the most important movie ever made. An absolute masterpiece.

“Where do you start? The score? The writing? The acting? The direction? Everything is 100% on point. Fiennes performance shames unworthy Oscar winners before and since-incredible.”

A fifth added: “Neeson gives the performance of his life. Spielberg delivers arguably his greatest film. And it’s black and white apart from the little girl in that red dress.

“The ghetto liquidation is one of the most harrowing scenes in mainstream cinema history. Always as relevant as it is brilliant.”

Another recommended, saying: “Heartbreaking, Tragic, Tear Jerking, but also Fantastic, Realistic, Well Written and Acted, and Phenomenally told. Schindlers List is an example of a perfect movie, and deserves all the praise it gets. If there’s any WW2 film to watch, this is it.”

Schindler’s List airs on Sunday 18 January on BBC2 at 10pm.