Introduction
Schindler’s List is the American drama film released in 1993. It is directed by Steven Spielberg and stars Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley, Caroline Goodal, Embeth Davidtz , and other actors. The events in the film take place in Poland in 1939 depicting the relocation of Polish Jews to the Krakow Ghetto. The main character, Oskar Schindler, a member of the Nationalsocialistic Party, is presented as an unsuccessful businessman who arrives in Krakow to try his luck in being a war profiteer.
Getting sponsorship from the military, he opens a factory and establishes partnership with Itzhak Stern who helps him in running the enterprise. Schindler hires Jews to work at his factory, because they, unlike the Poles, agree to work almost for free. In this way, Oscar saves the Jews from getting into the concentration camps. Together with Stern, Schindler falsifies a number of documents in order to make as much people registered as working at his factory as it is possible.
Later, he gets permission for building a sub-camp for his workers and continues saving the Jews until the order from Berlin arrives to murder the Jews living in Krakow and to ship the rest to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Schindler cannot save all of his workers because the bribes for transporting each of them to his home, Moravia, are too high. He compiles a list of those who can go with him and saves as many people as he can, but at the end of the movie he wishes he could have saved more. The film ends with the statement perpetuating the memories of the Jews murdered during these events. The film quickly gained popularity after its release and even though some of the critics called it “not the perfect film about the Holocaust” they still agreed it to be “a moving, passionate celebration of heroism, document of horror, and study in humanity” (Micah). The movie deserves certain praise with regards to its plot, character development, and acting which altogether turn it into a truthful narration about the Holocaust.
Discussion
Firstly, the plot of the film itself attracts the attention of the audience. There exist a number of movies about the Jews, the ghetto, the concentration camps, and all those terrible events which took place before, during, and after the war. Those films are mostly documental and their purpose is to disclose the truth about how exactly the Jews were treated in those times. Spielberg, however, chose to stand out against the background of such movies. Schindler’s List, though bearing the same theme with these movies, is still original for it depicts how a person saved the Jews instead of murdering them. The plot of the movie is perhaps the most impressive of all the films about the Holocaust.
It surpasses all the expectations of the audience because it is unique and it offers a different view on the Holocaust presenting a person who risked his life and was ready to give away all his money to save people from being murdered.
In addition, character development supplements the plot allowing the audience to shape their preferences regarding the characters. The character development is fulfilled extremely well. Schindler is first presented as a looser that does not succeed in business. As the plot develops, the audience starts respecting him for his deeds and at the end of the film it is ready to accept him as a hero. Amon Goeth is depicted as a Nazi official; he is a sadistic person who does not have the least compassion to the Jews. Murdering them brings him satisfaction. This character evokes disrespect and aversion in the audience.
Stern’s character is no less developed; throughout the movie he is working and trying to make up the ways to save Jews. The other characters, including the Nazi officials and Jewish men, women, and children are also developed and the viewer perfectly knows what each of the characters is like. This makes character development of the movie almost perfect.
Lastly, acting in Schindler’s List does not leave the viewers indifferent. It is not spectacular in any way and each character has put into his/her role as much talent as it was needed. Liam Neeson, for example, succeeded in showing all the facets of Schindler’s character; he transmits the complexity of his character’s personality to the audience being able to carry Schindler’s drawbacks throughout the movie (the accent seems to be helpful in making the role real).
Kingsley also portrays his character professionally; his character of a Jewish businessman who is always supporting Schindler evokes only positive emotions in viewers. Fiennes played the role of Goeth perfectly; he is frightening and intimidating to the viewers adding the movie’s necessary negative coloring. Thus, the actors were indeed well-selected and brilliant.
Conclusion
In sum, any viewer interested in the history of Holocaust will find Schindler’s List worth watching. Its unique plot, great character development, and brilliant acting saturate the movie with necessary tragedy evoking compassion and sometimes even fear in the audience. The direction of the movie is no less brilliant than acting and here Spielberg deserves his part of praise.
Works Cited
Micah, S. “Schindler’s List.” Teens Ink Magazine, 1994.