`Schindler's List' For Kids?

When the Family Movie Guide began publication last May, we promised to recommend R-rated films for family viewings only if they contained superior entertainment or educational value for older children. Those films are exceedingly rare, but "Schindler's List" is an extraordinary exception.

With proper parental guidance, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece about the Holocaust can be a stunning history lesson, an ennobling morality play and a milestone in a teenager's developing love of the cinema. Parents should cautiously consider this recommendation. "Schindler's List" is decidedly adult fare, with an atmosphere of nightmarish tension that will haunt viewers of any age. Parents should also consider whether their children can be silently attentive for a 3-hour 15-minute film.

"Schindler's List" is a perfectly realized film that reminds us of the power and potential of the cinema. It's easy to imagine that many teenagers who see this film will be inspired by its artistry, the same way past generations gaped at "Gone with the Wind" or "2001: A Space Odyssey." Parents may use this film as a tool to measure or enhance their child's level of maturity. Whatever its rating, "Schindler's List" is an intelligent, challenging work that should convince youngsters there is much more to the cultural arts than MTV.

Above all, "Schindler's List" is an astounding, accessible history lesson, especially important in these days of social intolerance and violence. Surveys indicate that the Holocaust is fading from our mass-communications consciousness; it isn't an overstatement that many children today know and believe only what they see on television.

The Family Movie Guide should be used as a supplemental reference for selecting movies suitable for children along with the Motion Picture Association of America rating system.

Recommended for family viewing, with reservations

"King of the Hill" (PG-13) Gripping account of a Depression childhood, based on A.E. Hotchner's memoir about being abandoned by his destitute parents in a St. Louis hotel where the rent is due. Essentially a film about a 12-year-old's perceptions and misperceptions of the adult world, it could be confusing and somewhat nightmarish for very young children. Mild treatment of prostitution; realistic depictions of suicide and homelessness.

"The War Room" (No rating) Entertaining documentary about President Clinton's 1992 campaign, focusing on James Carville, the chief strategist, and George Stephanopoulos, his right-hand man and communications director. Some rough language, along with footage of Gennifer Flowers declaring that she was Clinton's lover for 12 years.

"Why Has the Bodhi-Darma Left for the East?" (No rating) Buddhist philosophy is gracefully integrated into the storyline of this remarkable new South Korean film, about a Zen master who lives in the mountains with two disciples. The film is long and demanding, but it effectively visualizes and dramatizes difficult concepts. Recommended for ages 13 and older.

Not recommended for family viewing

"The Air Up There" (PG-13) A deflated basketball comedy that goes out of bounds with bad taste and settles for merely being an unfunny waste of money. Kevin Bacon stars as a college coach who seeks a blue-chip prospect in Africa, then helps the player's village win a game against neighboring rivals. Not as ingratiating as "Cool Runnings," with too many Dark Continent stereotypes for comfort and no discernable moral to the story. Mild profanity and violence. No nudity, but those skimpy loincloths are revealing. When it comes to family entertainment, "The Air Up There" is pretty thin.

"Grumpy Old Men" (PG-13) This is a movie for and about older people, without the whiz-bang style that most children prefer. Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau continually swap profane insults, and their feuding pranks will seem very tame to kids after "Home Alone." Several scenes with sexual content, especially Burgess Meredith's hilariously graphic descriptions of intercourse. Adult themes (mortality, sex after 70, divorce). Restless alert for anyone who doesn't believe Lemmon and Matthau are a terrific screen team.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service. Seattle Times movie critic John Hartl contributed to this story.)