Schindler’s List

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‘Schindler’s List’ is a 1993 movie directed by renowned filmmaker, Steven Spielberg. It is based on the novel ‘Schindler’s Ark’ written by written by Thomas Keneally. The film is set in Krakow, a Polish city during World war II and the Holocaust during which the Nazis sought to destroy all Jews. Spielberg directed the film to depict the horror that the Jews suffered and the effort of one man to save the lives of many. The main protagonist in the story is Oskar Schindler; a German businessman who saved the lives of thousands of Jews.

Schindler was a businessman from Germany who had come to Krakow seeking to make a fortune from a business. He paid hefty bribes to German forces to acquire a factory in which he planned to set up an enamelware factory. Itzhak Stern was his administrator who handled the matters of financing the factory for Schindler. Because of the excellent relationship that Schindler had with the Nazis, he keeps his workers from being sent away to concentration camps. Most of these workers were Jews as they were paid the lowest wages.

Amon Goth led one of the concentration camps in Krakow and was tasked with ensuring that the ghetto is emptied of the Jews occupying it. What ensued was a bloody massacre that turned Schindler from a Nazi supporter to being sympathetic to the plight of the Jews who faced certain death under the Nazis. The color red is symbolic in the scene in which Schindler witnesses a young girl in a red coat dead after seeing her on the street before.

Many Jews were sent to the concentration camp, but Schindler bribed Goth into letting him build a sub-camp where his workers would stay. Finally, all Jews were to be transferred to Auschwitz, but Schindler planned to move his workers to a new factory in Brinnlitz. Their train is mistakenly sent to Auschwitz, but Schindler secured their release by bribery. All the hefty bribes that Schindler gave finally rendered him poor in 1945 when the war ended. He was to be captured by the Red Army due to his affiliation with the Nazi Party. Before he fled, he asked the German guards not to kill his Jewish workers. His workers gave him a signed letter to tell of how he had protected their lives.

Some of the major themes in the movie include violence, the value of human life and the selflessness of one man to make a difference in the lives of others. The theme of violence is evidenced in the shooting and killing of Jews during the efforts to liquidate the ghettoes in which they lived in Krakow. Schindler despite being one man was able to make a difference in the lives of many Jews. Himself being a Nazi Party, he should have been part of those seeking to eliminate the Jews but instead went to great lengths to save his workers. As a result, he ran out of money and risked arrest. He was selfless.

Power and corruption are also themes in the movie. The Nazis wielded their power over the Jews whom they viewed to be inferior people and thus dehumanized them. Corruption is evidenced by the fact that the German officers such as Goth took bribes from Schindler who sought to keep his workers safe.

The film itself has black and white effects because Spielberg wanted to give a sense of timelessness to the film and it paid off. Watching the movie, the audience is convinced that the events are depicted as they happened. The characters in the movie did a splendid job of becoming the characters they portray. The quality of production is also impressive, and the film is enthralling throughout its duration. Some forms of symbolism include the girl in the red coat which stands out as the rest of the film is in black and white. Red might be taken to show the bloodshed of the Jews. The black and white effects also depict death, Spielberg explained that color to him symbolizes life. The film appeals to peoples from all walks of life as it is a significant part of history.

The film has several strengths as well as weaknesses. Some of the strengths include the cast of the play. Under Spielberg, they manage to reenact the events of the dark time such that they appear very real. A second strength is the music by John Williams that creates the mood in the film. The third strength is the use of the black and white film to show timelessness in the film. Some weaknesses include the violence and nudity in the movie, which makes it unsuitable for young viewers such as children. The film also gives the perspective of Schindler; hence the Jews are merely supporting cast to be killed at the whim of the Nazis. The audience fails to accurately get the Jews’ perspective as a result. The third weakness is that it mostly dwells on those that survived rather than those who were killed. The audience fails to get the magnitude of the senseless murder of the Jews.

The film is generally very realistic and succeeds in educating the masses on the events that transpired during the Holocaust. Many people are not aware of what happened, and the film gives insight into this. It is quite educational, and the audience is left in awe at the story itself and the spectacular manner in which it is told.

Bibliography

Chen, Xiaolin. “The Use of Symbols in Schindler’s List.” In 3rd International Conference on Contemporary Education, Social Sciences and Humanities (ICCESSH 2018). Atlantis Press, 2018.Gambaccini, P., and T. Miller. “Schindler’s List.” (2017).

Loshitzky, Yosefa, ed. Spielberg’s Holocaust: critical perspectives on Schindler’s list. Indiana University Press, 1997.

Spielberg, Steven, Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, Jonathan Sagalle, Embeth Davidtz, Michael Kahn, and Thomas Keneally. Schindler’s list. Universal Studios, 1993.Yang, Hongsi. “Appreciation on Theme Music of Schindler’s List.” In 2016 5th International Conference on Social Science, Education and Humanities Research. Atlantis Press, 2016.