Humanity In The Midst of Atrocity

Rating: 10/10 (27 January 2005)

Whenever I am feeling low and the world around me seems a hopeless place, I find solace in watching Schindler's List. Each time I view it, my soul is renewed.
Yes, the movie is graphic in its depiction of Nazi murder, so one would think that such a film would only worsen my mood. But in reality, this movie is not about man's inhumanity to man; it is about the best that humans are and can be. It is about courage, compassion, love, and selflessness. This movie is about Oskar Schindler.
I will not repeat the real life story of Oskar Schindler that this movie portrays, since so many others have done an excellent job of describing it. Instead, I will tell you about my favorite scene.
Though Oskar Schindler starts out as an opportunist who appears only motivated by aspirations of wealth, he begins to change, almost in spite of himself. He begins to show signs of caring and concern for his Jewish workers. The movie reveals this change in a most dramatic scene.
A young woman arrives to see Oskar Schindler, a woman that he has never met. She pleads with him to take her parents into his factory so that they will be safe. She tells Schindler her parents' names. She confesses that she has no money to give him. She says to Oskar, "They say that no one dies here. They say that your factory is a haven. They say that you are good." Schindler goes into a rage and throws her out. He then rushes into another room to confront Itzhak Stern, his Jewish business assistant upon whom he depends. "You don't think I know what you're doing?" he shouts. Harboring Jews "is dangerous" he rails. Schindler calms down after a few minutes.
Then, Oskar Schindler removes a note from his pocket. He reads the names of the girl's parents and tells Stern to "bring them over". Then he hands Stern his expensive watch which Stern is to use as a bribe to the Nazis. Schindler seems to almost sigh with the realization that he is now locked into a path from which he cannot escape. His life's purpose has changed irrevocably. In his heart he knows that his Schindler Jews are fully his responsibility and he must do anything and everything to protect them. An extraordinary love and the courage that comes from that love now rule Oskar Schindler's life. From now on, he no longer wants wealth for himself. Instead, as time progresses, all of his money is used to pay off Nazis to save his Jews.
Though the movie can bring one to tears, you can't help but feel wonderful about life when you watch the bravery, the love and the humanity, exemplified by Oskar Schindler, the Schindler Jews, and all of the Jews who suffered under the Nazis.