Question: ‘Schindler’s List’ is no less a “Jewish story” or a “German story” than it is a human story. And its subject matter applies to every generation.’ [Stephen Spielberg] Discuss. The film ‘Schindler’s List’, directed by Steven Spielberg and based on the novel Schindler’s Ark, by Thomas Keneally, gives us an insight into the corruption and destructive capabilities of humans. This film portrays many themes, all of which are evoked due to the factual historical event of the Jewish Holocaust which occurred in Germany during WWII. The exploration of the themes of hope, use and misuse of power, the nature of evil and courage makes this film prominent over others. Spielberg’s purpose in making this film was to raise awareness of the …show more content…
We begin to define the line between good and evil and the way in which it can corrupt human beings. The message portrayed that evil and the misuse of power is an ongoing matter, one in which could affect anyone and is partially an involuntary act – the evil animalistic behaviour becomes engraved into minds; like Goeth. Goeth can also be considered to be Schindler’s foil, as they can parallel one another in many ways. At the beginning of the film, this parallel is shown through the use of mirrors and reflections, however, as the film progresses along with the character transformations, they become opposites. Like Schindler, Goeth is a practical man, not a thinker, but also fancies himself as someone of great importance; he also has a weakness for liquor. However, what defined the two as good and evil was that, unlike Schindler, Goeth was a cruel man who was physically abusive. He uses his power to construct a road paved with Jewish headstones, symbolising the destruction of the Jewish race. Amon seems to be unsatisfied with merely wiping out existing Jews, so by planning the road he denies acknowledgement of many Jews final resting places. Despite his intense hatred for Jews, he is intoxicated by his Jewish maid, Helen Hirsch. Unable to touch Helen in love, his only acceptable option is to lash out at her with a horrific display of violence. “I would like so much to reach out and touch you in your loneliness.... Is this the face of a rat? Are
Evidence of this is explained further here when Oskar is bailed out of jail by Rolf Czurda, after he was arrested for kissing a Jewish girl at the factory. ‘“Oskar, Oskar,” said Czurda like an old friend reproving. “We give you those Jewish girls at five marks a day. You should kiss us, not them.”’ (Keneally, 114) Finally, the significance of imagery throughout Schindler’s List still stands, and is most importantly illustrated throughout chapter 15. It is in this chapter that Oskar Schindler and his girlfriend Ingrid, witness the liquidation of the ghetto and where Schindler is particularly moved by the sight of a little girl in red; who was an up-close witness of this horror and trauma. It is from the significance of the scarlet girl, that Schindler makes this proclamation of his feelings; ‘“Beyond this day,” he would claim, “no thinking person could fail to see what would happen. I was now resolved to do everything in my power to defeat the system.”’ (Keneally, 133) All these statements and examples explain how my focuses for examination have still progressed throughout the chapters thus far in Schindler’s
In the movie Schindler's List, the story of the Holocaust is told from a dual point of view; that of the Jewish people who are downtrodden,
An event occurred over half a century ago that took nearly six million innocent lives had left us with all kinds of story about it. Among those are Night by Elie Wiesel and Schindler’s List by Steven Spielberg. These two pieces of literatures may be similar, yet different in many ways. For instance, the Holocaust. It is one recognizable way that shows the similarity between the movie and the book. However, they are very different because one is about a person saving, or rather buying, 1200 lives and the other is many lives that were saved by a union, Schindler’s List and Night, respectively. Which can indicate the fact that Jewish were treated as less than human when they were bought like some objects. Other factors include
However, emotion is not only conveyed through the actions of the main characters. Colour also has a significant impact on how good and evil is portrayed within the film. Perhaps the most moving image in Steven Spielberg?s epic, Schindler?s List, condenses all of the sadism of the Nazi regime into one small pictorial area. One of only four colour images in a black and white film spanning over three hours, the little girl in a red coat, making her way, aimless and alone through the madness and chaos, compels Schindler?s attention during the liquidation of the Jewish ghetto. Schindler identifies with the child, the plight of the little girl touches him in a way the sheer numbers make unreal ? this image transforms the faceless mass around him into one palpable human being. This figure serves as a moral reawakening for Schindler, his conscience consequently kicks into gear. The poignant yet subtle musical score also adds to the haunting atmosphere created by the
The Holocaust is the world’s most dehumanizing incident that occurred from the years 1933 to 1945. It was a racial injustice in which Jews, along with people seen as inferior, were persecuted by the German Nazi’s. Author Elie Wiesel and director Steven Spielberg both do excellent jobs at educating an audience of the horrors people experienced during this time. In Wiesel’s novel Night, the Holocaust is shown from a Jewish boy’s perspective as Elie struggles to survive the torment of several concentration camps. Steven Spielberg’s film Schindler’s List shows the Holocaust from a German Nazi’s perspective, as Oscar Schindler faces an internal struggle while attempting to protect several Jews. The stories share numerous similarities along with differences, however, when it comes down to which is a better representation of the Holocaust, Night will come out on top due to Wiesel’s first hand experiences inside the camps.
Never shall I forget the feeling of anticipation when the little boy in Schindler’s List is looking for a hiding spot and, when it came to desperate measures, the boy had to hide in the latrine. The boy’s daring actions at survival show how he feels about life and death and make the viewers question whether if they were in his position would they commit the same act.
The characters in Schindler’s List are very different because of their attitudes towards the Holocaust. The three main characters that will be focused on are Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern and Amon Goeth. These characters were very influential during the Holocaust; therefore, it is important to analyze these characters to gain a better understanding of the film.
Set in Cracow, Poland, during World War II, Schindler’s List by Thomas Keneally explores the horrors of the Holocaust and gives a realistic account of Oskar Schindler, a wealthy German factory owner determined to play a role in rescuing as many Jews as he can. In 1939, Oskar Schindler moves to Cracow, Poland to search for a worthwhile career - factory-owning with guaranteed war contracts. He falls into the enamelware business with his factory named Deutsche Emailwaren Fabrik (DEF), which later comes to be known as Emalia. As a smart businessman, Schindler joins the Nazi Party and acquaints himself with prominent men, which serves him well throughout his lifetime, especially as he skirts the line of legality. As a morally questionable, opportunistic businessman, Schindler hardly seems the savior that he would soon become, saving over 1,100 Jews from being sent to the most lethal concentration camp – Auschwitz. Throughout the war, Schindler uses the guise of “want[ing] to take his skilled workers with him” (Keneally, 277) in order to give as many Jews as possible a more comfortable living situation than they may have experienced at Płaszów, a nearby labor camp known for its ruthless commanders. To do this, Schindler opened a
Schindler’s List, is a film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg (1993), captures the realism of a world under Nazi rule. Accurately recreating scenes of the most tragic and horrifying events in Jewish history. The film opens with a color filled scene of a Jewish family lighting the Sabbath candles and observing a traditional blessing during a time of war against their people. The darkening scene foreshadows the strength many Jewish people had to obtain as the film turns to black and grey. Continued to be filmed in black and grey, it purposely depicts a world where Nazism extracted color from the world.
Oskar Schindler was a wealthy German industrialist, who made much of his wealth by employing Jewish men and women in his various factories. In the movie “ Schindler’s List,” it starts off with Schindler in a restaurant with many high ranking Nazi officers eating there. He starts off by buying a officer a bottle of expensive wine, but it does not end there. Before the night is gone he has boughten dinner for all of the officers. This is how he made friends, friends with power.
At the beginning of the film Oskar Schindler is represented as an enigmatic, egotistical, and greedy war profiteer. This is strengthened by Spielberg’s directorial choices within the Itzhak Stern requirement scene. Within this scene, Schindler requests Jewish fortunes for the purposes of war profiteering. Here, the director exemplifies Schindler’s enigmatic nature through lighting techniques. A shadow is cast upon half of Schindler’s face suggesting a mysterious intent or hidden agenda. The use of a close up shot assists viewers in identifying Schindler’s enigmatic nature and greedy endeavour. Spielberg’s further characterisation of Oskar Schindler through filmic device is identifiable through the parallel editing of the Ghettoization scene.
so we just watched the schindlers list. The movie in all was great. At the beginning, I wasnt sure if I would get into it. I was wrong. I didnt really know what to think about Oscar, I believe he was way different at the beginning of the movie. Defenitly had a different perspective of him of first, he only really focused on himself and getting money. A bit selfish. I think deep down he was a good man at heart. He defenitly dealed with things a lot better than others did. The other man was horrible he had no empathy what so ever for other people. Not even children. Sometimes there was no reason behind killing innocent people, he did it simply because he felt like it. There was a time when schindler actually tried to prevent him from killing people without thinking. The bad guy said that killing meant he had power, but schindler said that having the ability too kill and not doing so but forgive is real power. The bad guy didnt really get it at first and just kind of laughed at him. The next day I think he kind of understood it better, and actually even showed
Another trait crucial to Schindler’s leadership is the ability to shrewdly harness the skills of others. The most obvious example of this ability is his employment of the Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern. Despite the fact that Stern is Jew, Schindler knows he is the best man to help run his business and keep track of his finances and contacts. He immediately recognizes Stern’s ability and puts his trust in him. Likewise, Schindler’s utilization of Poldek Pfefferberg to connect him to the black market is an equally important union. His trust in Pfefferberg also demonstrates his strong character judgment. Moreover, another apparent manifestation of this quality is Schindler’s use of the Jews in his factory. Besides the fact that they were inexpensive, he knew that they would be dependable and efficient. Finally, our leader develops an ongoing partnership with the evil Hauptsturmfuhrer Amon Goeth to get what he needs, his workers. We could similarly compare Schindler’s recognition of trustworthy people and sense of opportunity in taking advantage of the skills of others to leaders we have discussed in class like Ross Perot.
In this paper I will try to explain who the man Oscar Schindler was, where he came from, and what his motivation was for saving so many Jews. I will further highlight the reasons why, and explain the methods he used to save 1,200 people during World War 11. I will also further discuss the ethical implications of these actions and believes. The reader can at the end of this paper decide for himself or herself if Oscar Schindler, while partaking in the Holocaust, who could be considered as one of the greatest heroes of the century, was a bystander, persecutor or a rescuer.
Therefore, in comparing Schindler’s List with Forrest Gump, there is an obvious difference in the approaches to uncovering the truth. Whereas, Forrest Gump plays fast and loose with historical events and does memorialize the historical events accurately in substance, untruths are injected as if the protagonist was an untold part of history. Schindler’s List on the other hand does not play fast and loose with historical events. Rather, Schindler’s List discovers some truths that may be left out of the history books. For instance, the lack of physical pleasure and sexuality.