What's old is new. Steven Spielberg is unquestionably one of the greatest directors of our time. But just what makes his works so powerful Taking a look at two of his most successful and stunning films, 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan,' Spielberg uses the grimmest of subjects to force us into examining our world and our consciences.

'Schindler's List' was released in 1993, and went on to win Academy Awards for both Best Picture and Best Director. 'Saving Private Ryan,' released in 1998, captured another Best Director award for Spielberg. There are many similarities, but the films are all the more important for the striking differences between them.

Both take place during World War II: 'Ryan' in 1944, 'Schindler' in 1939, and they each center on one man's efforts to somehow make a difference in a hideous war.

Both are told from the point of view of victims: 'Ryan' examines the U.S. soldiers who bravely fight so they can one day go home; 'Schindler' concentrates on the Jews who bravely die because they can't go home - exiled, tortured and killed simply because they exist.

Both make effective use of close-ups and gorgeous cinematography. Opening and closing scenes are filled with imagery that remains in your mind long after the credits fade. But it's at this point the films diverge. Let's take a look, first at "Saving Private Ryan" and what makes this film classic Spielberg fare, and then at "Schindler's List," a harrowing glimpse at the dark night of the soul.

'Saving Private Ryan' - Giving Voice to U.S. Vets
The action in 'Ryan' starts on D-Day, June 6, 1944. American soldiers are approaching Omaha Beach, one of the five landing sites of the Normandy Invasion. The beach is a killing zone, and the troops are all but slaughtered. The battle scene is intensely graphic, gruesome and realistically portrayed. The shots of soldiers being mutilated and massacred are lasting impressions that are difficult to watch. Occasionally, the action is viewed through a blood-spattered camera lens, a "you-are-there" touch of realism.

Once the survivors make it back, they are tasked with finding Private James Ryan, a soldier whose three brothers have all been killed in combat. Spielberg takes what could have degenerated into dry military propaganda and humanizes it through the eyes of Tom Hanks' Captain John Miller.

War is hell, especially when you are asked to put eight lives on the line to save one. Miller can justify losing men for the greater good, but has trouble coming to terms with the merits of his latest mission. He keeps his company together by being a man of integrity, eventually inspiring heroism even in the most cowardly of men. All the while, Miller keeps focusing on his real goal of getting back home to his wife.

Spielberg uses images of farmland and fields of flowers to underscore the loss of innocence; sheep are seen running through meadows, and carcasses of dead cattle are used as hiding posts. In one powerful piece of footage, Miller and his company head out to start the hunt for Ryan, and are filmed marching over the crest of a hill. The scene evokes a feeling not unlike the Pied Piper leading the children out of Hamlin. It also brings to mind the famous memorial of the fl ag being raised at Iwo Jima.

Another trick Spielberg uses to keep our interest is his recurring shots of Captain Miller's shaking hand. It's that same hand that becomes steady at the end of the story to bring the film to an amazing climax. As he has done so many times before, Spielberg gives us striking images, without distracting us from the heart of the tale. And the heart of this tale is the moral dilemma of a man versus his own humanity.

'Schindler's List' - What profit a man if he loses his soul
From the poignant opening image of a man lighting candles, to the affecting ending, Schindler's List is destined to become a cinematic classic. The film is shot primarily in black and white, which lends it an artistic, yet starkly dramatic feel.

The story focuses on Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who capitalizes on Poland's Nazi occupation by hiring Jews as low-wage workers in his cookware factory. The action takes place in Krakow in 1939, and follows the growing horror of the Holocaust.

Schindler is not a likeable character; he is a user who sees an opportunity to get a good deal of work for free, and his business thrives in the early days of the occupation. His accountant, Itzhak Stern, begins to recruit more and more displaced Jews of varying skill levels. Schindler, played brilliantly by Liam Neeson, reluctantly agrees to this arrangement, concerned about reprisals from the Nazis.

As time goes by, Schindler is faced with the realization that the Jews he has employed are not just being "relocated." He witnesses some frightening acts of execution, and begins to grow a conscience. This man, realizing the enormity of the situation, slowly discovers his humanity and does his part to affect history. Schindler becomes an unlikely hero, using his factory as a refuge for over 1000 Jews.

It is first startling, then devastating to witness the killings shown in this film. While not as graphically intense as 'Ryan,' 'Schindler's List' depicts each situation with tense emotional impact. Filmed in the manner of a documentary, Nazis overrun neighborhoods and ransack apartment buildings. Families are torn apart, neighbors hide in the tiniest of crawl spaces, children become soldiers. People are shipped on crowded freight trains to their next destination. Camps overflow with suffering humanity. Men and women alike are executed for no reason other than their heritage.

And in the midst of all of this, Spielberg commands his cameras to explore the lives of Schindler, Stern, and a ranking Nazi officer named Amon Goeth. It is a stunning undertaking, leaving us breathless. Effective close-ups reel us into the raw emotion of these individuals as we try to understand their motivations and watch their evolution.

The film is a masterpiece of subtlety. No fantastic special effects are needed to depict the suffering and destruction Spielberg shows us. Understatement and restraint are used throughout the three-hour run time, building to an emotionally crushing ending.

Modern Movies - Troubled History
Steven Spielberg is a master at making us aware of our surrou ndings, having us think about the consequences for our actions once we have chosen our path. He uses the camera as a mirror reflecting society back at us, and it isn't always what we want to see.

"Saving Private Ryan" showed us the oft-forgotten veteran, and the hell of fighting battles - battles for country and for one's self. There will always be wars, and someone will always lose. The trick is not to lose your sense of self along the way. The film is distressing, but maintains an almost uplifting message of solidarity and persistence of human spirit.

"Schindler's List," on the other hand, is a disturbing, haunting view of one of the most incomprehensible acts in history; an act that we still can't understand, forgive, or, sadly, stop. We can only hope that someday the reflections from Spielberg's societal mirror won't have to be quite so chilling.