Spielberg and the 6 Million

[Tom Evans]

At 03:48 PM 6/11/96 EST, Aaron Yeater wrote:

>Whereas it seems Spielberg is most comfortable with images and 
>stories that lack symbolic value--even Schindler's List is "one man's 
>story" and lacks the broad reach and potent message of a Shoah or 
>Nacht und Nebel.  This is not to condemn him, btw.  I think that a 
>comparison between Reifenstahl & Spielberg is specious, for 
>historical reasons if no others...
>
I don't think that Spielberg can be accused of being too literal.  There is
symbolism all over the place.  In fact, he seems symbolic where T.K. seems
literal.  But it is not symbolism that puts Spielberg's film in a different
class than "Shoah" or "Night and Fog" (I'm an unreconstructed monophone).
It is the popular narrative treatment he gives the material.  T. K.'s cool
ironies--mascquerading as objective reporting--are replaced with an
emotionalism that makes me, at least, too aware of having my button's
punched.  But then, if he had adopted the dispassionate voice, the film
would have played to art houses and public television, and, for good or ill,
it wwould have lost its public impact.