history cannot be forgotten

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2008)

War is always a heavy topic. This world has been darkened by two world wide wars, and there are so many lessons we need to learn from them. Schindler's List, Steven Spielberg's masterpiece, has once again brings us back to the vivid scene of the most disastrous holocaust that ever happened in human history. This is really a good movie. Watching the movie is a mental process of seeking what is human nature. Strong emotion aroused in me when I watch it for the first time in class. For lacking of a better word to express, I only find the feelings choked in my throat. In the beginning of the film, the Jewish people around a table were having their traditional religious ceremony. A candle light sparks amid them. With the light diminishes and finally goes out, the film turns into black and white, and the evil darkness falls upon the Jews. Then this film goes on in black and white. Someone may wander why the director had to make it a black and white film. In my opinion the director made it on purpose. The gray pictures show audience a kind of depression and seriousness. At that period, the dark clouds of death covered the Jews' sky. The color of life has gone; the color of civilization has gone. To be frank, watching this three hours long film in black and white makes me feel uncomfortable, but is this feeling just like what the victims felt in those days? Being in the darkness for so long, they are really eager to see light---the light of hope, and they are longing for color---the color of life. The film let the audience experience this feeling in these black and white pictures. Based on the true story in World WarⅡ, this film tells us a story about a German business man, Oscar Schindler, tried to save more than one thousand Jews and other victims from the Nazi Germans. Oscar Schindler used to live a luxurious life with great ambitions in his business. He was a devoted member of the Nazi party and was in close touch with the Nazi officers. The war provided him a good opportunity for his business, thus he wanted to get every possible benefit from it and decided to manufacture military need products. Just because the Jews are the lest costly labors available, they were brought to work for him. At first when his Jewish workers were killed by the soldiers, he was just angry because it made him lose money. One day, with the words "today is history", of Amen, the chief officer of the German troop, the holocaust began. The noise of machine guns was never stopped in that day. The blood of the Jews flooded the streets. Oscar Schindler, who was riding a horse in the wood, happened to saw the killing from the hill. In the mess, he saw a Jewish girl running in the street. In this black and white film, only the girl was in red. This color makes her different. I think the director must indicate something to us. What does this color mean? Does it represent blood and anger of killing, or passion and hope of life? I kindly thought it was hope, but in the later part of the film, we saw the girl in red again among the bodies to be burnt. When I watched the film for the second time, I realize that had not for some good people like Schindler, no one can survive under the beast like Nazi. After seeing the holocaust, Schindler changed. He tried his best to save the Jews. He bought over 1000 lives from the devil. Through the long list with the type machine clicking, we see the light of hope again. In the final of the film, the war ended, and the picture turned to color again. The world is bright again. This is a movie worthies watching for everyone. We should never forget history. Keeping history in mind does not mean keeping hatred in heart and revenging, while forgetting history means betrayal to all humankind.