Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Schindler's List is coming up on its 30 year anniversary. The film is the most important film ever made. It's not the most entertaining film but it's a film everyone must see at least once. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler and how his factory saved 1,200 Jewish people during the Holocaust. This film was done by Steven Spielberg. Spielberg described this film as the most important film he's ever made. Spielberg even became depressed on set. But Spielberg and the rest of the crew delivered a film that will be seen in classrooms all over the world not just for it's brilliance in movie making, but a realistic portrayal of the Holocaust for students to see.
Schindler's List tells the story of the Holocaust and how one man saved 1,200 Jewish people. Spielberg pulls no punches with this film. He shows you the ugliness of the Holocaust. Watching the film, it makes you question how no one stopped this from happening. The murder of 6 million Jewish people will always remain an ugly stain on this world. Some scenes are really brutal to watch. There's one scene in particular where the Nazis are leading women into the showers in Auschwitz. The women are naked and the terror on their faces is so sad. They don't know what to expect. Luckily, it was actually just a shower but that is what the film brings. In that scene, I felt like the women. I didn't know what was going to happen and it made me scared. The film puts you into that experience and how terrifying it was to be Jewish during that time.
Oskar Schindler is one of the most important people in history that doesn't get talked enough. This man saved Jewish people from getting killed by putting them to work in this factory. At first, Schindler doesn't let other people know that he cares about saving the Jewish people. As the film goes on, his motivation for saving them increases when he sees a little girl in a red coat walking down the street. It changes his whole perspective and drives him to save as many as he can. Even at the end of the film, he grieves that he couldn't save more and that tells you everything you need to know about Schindler. Liam Neeson portrays Schindler perfectly. It's a shame that he didn't win the Oscar for Best Actor because he absolutely deserved it. A lot of people see Liam Neeson as an action star, but he can act when he gets the chance to show off his abilities.
Two other standouts from the film are Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes. Kingsley plays Itzhak Stern, a Jewish man who helps Schindler with his factory. Fiennes plays Amon Goeth, a Nazi soldier who is one of the most despicable humans who was ever on Earth. Fiennes is known for portraying evil characters, but in this film he takes it to a whole new level. Goeth was one of the most evil men ever alive and the film shows you why. It makes you think how someone can be so cruel and do these evil actions. Kingsley gives a more grounded performance but is still good. He helped many Jewish people get into Schindler's factory where they would be safe. Without Stern, Schindler's List wouldn't be possible.
Spielberg flexes how great of a director he is in this film. First, he makes the perfect decision of making this film black and white. Seeing this in color would take away the tone of the film. Spielberg wasn't afraid to show the horrors of the Holocaust. Whether that is the claustrophobia of being confined in a small space or showing the horrific violence, Spielberg doesn't shy away from showing that. This was a deeply personal film for Spielberg and you can see he put everything into it. It's good that he did that because the subject matter deserves it and as a result made this Spielberg's best film.
Even though this film shows how bad the Holocaust was, Schindler's List has an inspiring message. Good will always triumph over evil. That's the message I took from this film. I also took away how important it is to never forget the Holocaust and the tragic events that took place during that time. Schindler's List is shown in classrooms all over the world to teach kids about what really happened during that time. This film will affect future generations and serve as a reminder to world to never forget what happened.
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