Schindler's List

Plot synopsis:
The relocation of Polish Jews from surrounding areas to Krakow begins in late 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War II, when the German Army defeats the Polish Army in three weeks. Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a successful businessman, arrives from Czechoslovakia in hopes of using the abundant cheap labour force of Jews to manufacture enamelware for the German military. Schindler, an opportunistic member of the Nazi party, lavishes bribes upon the army and SS officials in charge of procurement. Sponsored by the military, Schindler acquires a factory for the production of army mess kits and cooking paraphernalia. Not knowing much about how to properly run such an enterprise, he gains a contact in Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), a functionary in the local Judenrat (Jewish Council) who has contacts with the now-underground Jewish business community in the ghetto. They loan him the money for the factory in return for a small share of products produced (for trade on the black market). Opening the factory, Schindler pleases the Nazis and enjoys his new-found wealth and status as "Herr Direktor," while Stern handles all administration. Stern suggests Schindler hire Jews instead of Poles because they cost less (the Jews themselves get nothing; the wages are paid to the Reich). Workers in Schindler's factory are allowed outside the ghetto, and Stern falsifies documents to ensure that as many people as possible are deemed "essential" by the Nazi bureaucracy, which saves them from being transported to concentration camps, or even being killed.Amon Göth (Ralph Fiennes) arrives in Krakow to initiate construction of a labor camp nearby, Paszów. The SS soon liquidates the Krakow ghetto, sending in hundreds of troops to empty the cramped rooms and shoot anyone who protests, is uncooperative, elderly, or infirmed, or for no reason at all. Schindler watches the massacre from the hills overlooking the area, and is profoundly affected. He nevertheless is careful to befriend Göth and, through Stern's attention to bribery, he continues to enjoy the SS's support and protection. The camp is built outside the city at Paszów. During this time, Schindler bribes Göth into allowing him to build a sub-camp for his workers, with the motive of keeping them safe from the depredations of the guards. Eventually, an order arrives from Berlin commanding Göth to exhume and destroy all bodies of those killed in the Krakow ghetto, dismantle Paszów, and to ship the remaining Jews to Auschwitz. Schindler prevails upon Göth to let him keep "his" workers so that he can move them to a factory in his old home of Zwittau-Brinnlitz, in Moravia -- away from the "final solution" now fully under way in occupied Poland. Göth acquiesces, charging a certain amount for each worker. Schindler and Stern assemble a list of workers that should keep them off the trains to Auschwitz."Schindler's List" comprises these "skilled" inmates, and for many of those in Paszów, being included means the difference between life and death. Schindler also plays a game of high card draw for one worker in particular, Helen Hirsch, who'd been serving as Göth's housekeeper and had been a victim of his continual abuse. Göth is reluctant, hoping to run away with her but knowing that such an action would result in his death as well as hers. He also floats the idea of simply executing her but finally decides to play Schindler for Helen's life. Helen is among those who board the train to Brinnlitz.All of the men on Schindler's list arrive safely at the new site, with the exception to the train carrying the women and the children, which is accidentally redirected to Auschwitz. There, the women are directed to what they believe is a gas chamber; after a harrowing experience where their hair is crudely cut off and they are forced to strip, they see only water falling from the showers. The day after, the women are shown waiting in line for work. In the meantime, Schindler had rushed immediately to Auschwitz to solve the problem and to get the women out of Auschwitz; to this end he bribes the camp commander, Rudolf Höss (Hans-Michael Rehberg), with a cache of diamonds so that he is able to spare all the women and the children. However, a last problem arises just when all the women are boarding the train because several SS officers attempt to hold some children back and prevent them from leaving. Schindler, there to personally oversee the boarding, steps in and is successful in obtaining from the officers the release of the children. Once the Schindler women arrive in Zwittau-Brinnlitz, Schindler institutes firm controls on the Nazi guards assigned to the factory; summary executions are forbidden, abuse of the workers is as well and the Nazi guards are not allowed on the factory floor. Schindler also permits the Jews to observe the Sabbath, and spends much of his fortune acquired in Poland bribing Nazi officials. In his home town, he surprises his wife while she's in church during mass, and tells her that she is the only woman in his life (despite having been shown previously to be a womanizer). She goes with him to the factory to assist him. He runs out of money just as the German army surrenders, ending the war in Europe.As a German Nazi and self-described "profiteer of slave labor," Schindler must flee the oncoming Soviet Red Army. After dismissing the Nazi guards to return to their families, he packs a car in the night, and bids farewell to his workers. They give him a letter explaining he is not a criminal to them, together with a ring engraved with the Talmudic quotation, "He who saves the life of one man, saves the world entire." Schindler is touched but deeply distraught, feeling he could've done more to save many more lives. He leaves with his wife during the night, dressed in Polish prisoner clothes, posing as refugees. The Schindler Jews, having slept outside the factory gates through the night, are awakened by sunlight the next morning. A Soviet dragoon arrives and announces to the Jews that they have been liberated by the Red Army. The Jews walk to a nearby town in search of food. A title card informs us that Schindler was declared a "righteous person" by the Yad Vashem of Jerusalem, and himself planted a tree on the Avenue of the Righteous in Israel, which still grows to this day. The fate of Göth is also shown; he was captured near the German town of Bad Tolz and taken back to Paszów where, defiant to the end and announcing his allegiance to Hitler, is hanged for crimes against humanity.As the surviving Schindler Jews walk abreast, the frame changes to another of the Schindler Jews in the present day (in color) at the grave of Oskar Schindler in Israel. The film ends with a procession of now-aged Jews who worked in Schindler's factory, each of whom reverently sets a stone on his grave. The actors portraying the major characters walk hand-in-hand with the people they portrayed, also placing stones on Schindler's grave as they pass. Actor Ben Kingsley escorts the late Itzhak Stern's wife and Caroline Goodall escorts Schindler's wife in her wheelchair. The audience learns that the survivors and descendants of the approximately 1,100 Jews sheltered by Schindler now number over 6,000. The Jewish population of Poland, once numbering in the millions, was at the time of the film's release approximately 4,000. In the final scene, a man (Neeson himself, though his face is not visible) places a pair of roses on the grave, and stands contemplatively over it.

Tags: cruelty, murder, depressing, realism, bleak, dramatic, violence, thought-provoking, atmospheric, good versus evil, melodrama, historical, sadist, sentimental

Review:
Various other films have tried to show the true horrors of the Holocaust, but none of them succeeded the way that Schindler's List did.
The true goal of all Holocaust films is to make you feel sorrowful, and Schindler's List did that to me.
It shows how people can just triumph over anything with just some help from one person The things that Spielberg did with the movie was incredible too.
This movie, Schindler's List, is hands-down without a doubt one of the greatest films I have ever had the pleasure of viewing.
Schindler's List is a grim portrayal of events in the Holocaust, while at the same time actually bringing light to some of the humanity still there.
It seems with an absolute masterpiece like this film, he would have been more careful and edited out this truly "sentimental" passage with violins going haywire.Regardless, I'm in awe of this picture and with his latest- Saving Private Ryan, I do think that Spielberg is truly one of, if not, the greatest directors of film ever..
Despite the controversy around the event, there is one thing for certain, Steven Spielberg created a masterpiece with Schindler's List.
It sets out what it intends to do marvelously and leaves the viewer emotionally drained and questioning humanity itself.The film is in black and white, a very conscious choice by the director that makes the subject matter, already disturbing, even more so bleak and harrowing.
The movie depicts concentration camp life is fairly dismal, with constant brutal oppression by Nazi camp guards and the sadistic Amon Goth, with a terrifying portrayal by Ralph Fiennes.Yes, this film will not make you cheery or happy.
Yes it is about a miserable and dark period in human history, but it is an important film to watch for anyone interested in this historic subject matter and also a beautiful work of art for film lovers.
*Story: Schindler is a German businessman and when the Holocaust starts to begin he decides to have Jews come work for him which will help them stay out of the concentration camps.
As long as the Jews stay out of those camps Schindler makes money.*Review: Schindler's List is probably one of the best movies that I have ever seen and ever made.
Ralph Fiennes also gives a great performance and should have won a Oscar for his performance as Amon Goeth but since the academy doesn't give awards to actors that play as bad people is dumb.
Liam Neeson gives a great performance as Schindler and the whole film is just powerful, amazing and sad but it doesn't matter because the movie is so good.
Ralph Fiennes makes an even better performance as Goeth, a man who made everyone stare into the screen with anger and sadness and that is just what a movie is supposed to do-make you feel sad, happy, angry or effect you in some way.
Schindler's list is not a bad film per se - Liam Neeson is very good as Schindler and if you edit out some of the more overblown scenes - the story is still riveting.
A film that helps promote liberties taken over the years by that certain group of people from anything to a good seat at the Opera to unabated attempts to destroy other people's beliefs and right to exist.This film is (unfortunately), not about a man's humanitarian well-meant efforts to do what he could to help to save a group of desperate and obviously(for most of them) doomed to their certain death, people.The point that came across was visually witnessing the random acts of a certain person committing atrocities and exaggerating them to an extent that diminished what really happened to those people.
I just felt that this movie would feel less like a bid for an Oscar and more like a personal film.At the risk of being a complete jerk, I'll give Spielberg this advice: Do it again.
I hope he'll finish *that* Kubrick movie, too, and create a better Holocaust film, something I can sink into and be surprised by, something that feels much more personal..
One can't help but feel the atrocities were greatly toned down for this film thus not really reflecting the true horror of what really happened, and he fails completely in exploring the character of Schindler.
The monumental cheesiness of the closing scenes with the people saved by Schindler goes way beyond the point of tackiness - just more evidence of Spielberg's extraordinarily sentimental side sabotaging what should have been a meaningful film.
No point in getting all worked up about the fact that he didn't literally sell the skin of his back to save people he didn't know.What does this film leave us after 195 minutes of running time?
Let's see:* The Nazis were *Really Evil* * There was a man called Schindler who didn't care about anything but money at first, and then for some reason he started to care about saving the Jews.Brilliant, Spielberg.
A journey of the mind is so much more satisfying than a journey of the senses...Like most of Spielberg's films, Schindler's List is technically outstanding.
Schindler's List does exactly this better than almost any other film through nearly flawless acting, beautiful cinematography, and a fantastic story, historically accurate or not.
It depicts the horrors of the Holocaust and war, the tragedy of Jewish nation, and I know, this film could be directed by a Jew, who keeps these horrible times and crimes against humanity in his heart.
Superbly directed by Steven Spielberg, magnificently photographed in black-and-white by Janusz Kaminski (one of the best directors of photography in modern Hollywood, so to say), perfect performances by Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley, and, especially, John Williams' beautiful, brilliant score, brings the whole horror and tragedy, cruelty of Nazism, Holocaust and War. This is Spielberg's Triumph.
And after watching this film, I have deep respect and feelings for those who suffered during these times, be it the Holocaust or the Nam war.
Any other person would not have done it justice.The film focuses on how a German named Oskar Schindler saved the lives of thousands of Jews by employing them to work in his factory during WWII.
( Another excellent film would be "Saving Pte Ryan" by Spielberg again ) War and its horrors are finally and faithfully recreated for the audience.Like the film Raging Bull, its shot beautifully in black and white to reflect the era and tone of the film.
Schindler's List both conveys the horrors of the Holocaust and depicts the life of unlikely hero Oskar Schindler, a German businessman (and member of the Nazi Party), who begins to sympathize with the Jews when he realizes the true scope of their suffering and ultimately saves 1100 of them from Auschwitz.
Liam Neeson plays Schindler excellently, and Ralph Fiennes is just as good as the vile Nazi Goeth.
With a movie that so graphically (occasionally almost to an unwatchable extent) portrays the Holocaust and the unspeakable crimes of the Nazis, it was nice that it had the character of Herr Schindler to show that not all Germans were in support of this and that some Germans went against the Nazis and saved lives, a fact that is rarely mentioned in Holocaust films or anywhere else.
The acting is simply brilliant, with Liam Neeson towering as Oskar Schindler, and Ralph Fiennes bringing out the Nazi character Amon Goeth into full flesh.
Steven Spielberg has his best masterpiece here with Schindler's list.
And what he brings to the screen is like nothing the world has ever seen before- a true to life depiction of the horror known as the holocaust.The story brings us Oskar Schindler, a German munitions chief who brings thousands of Polish Jews from the death camps to his factory and saves them.
The acting is spectacular with Liam Neeson as Schindler, the man who changes throughout the film, Ben Kigsley as Schindler's Jewish accountant (and conscience), and Ralph Fiennes in his best performance yet as the frightening German commander.
They also give Spielberg license to be sentimental later on--he's EARNED his right to be sentimental in those movies.The thirty-minute opening to "...Ryan" and many scenes in "Schindler's List" grip people in a very unique way, and often they can't completely describe it.
I can say with impunity and without exaggeration that Spielberg is the finest manipulator of movie audiences since Alfred Hitchcock."Schindler's List" could've been just another comprehensive look at the Holocaust.
I'm not saying that that would not have been needed, but I'm very impressed that he didn't settle for "just another."  He's made a remarkable film memorializing the most heinous criminal act in modern times, and he made it DIFFERENT from every other movie we've ever seen.
All the actors were really good- Liam Neeson (Star Wars) and his hidden attraction for his secretary, Ben Kingsley (Ghandi), Ralph Fiennes (Lawnmower man) sarcastically killing jews in his camp.
Mr.Spielberg confronted his Jewish background head-on when he began the long, hard journey of completing this film.Clearly no one could have made this movie quite like he did.I know when I watched this, I found myself cringing at the horrible events that took place during perhaps the grimmest chapter in the world's history, the Holocaust.
The decision to shoot the movie in black-white made it even more emotional and made if feel like it was actually shot during the dark times of the war.
The score itself adds a layer of emotion and acts like a character in the movie.The acting is phenomenal, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Ben Kingsley all give their best performances of their careers (especially Neeson)They transform into their characters making you forget who they really are.
This is why Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest movie directors the film industry has ever seen..
It's powerful and hits hard, especially during the liberation of the ghetto and the ending where we see Schindler break down because he feels like he could have saved more lives.Liam Neeson gives what is probably his best performance still to this date as Oskar Schindler, and you really see his evolution as a character and his change in view as he watches the violence committed against these people.
There are also some fine performances sprinkled across the supporting cast and many of the Jewish characters, and there is not a single poor performance here.Some may feel that the 3 hour running time will be monotonous, but Schindler's List completely captures the viewers' attention throughout the entire motion picture.
When you don't like this movie you seem to be impatient, unemotional or nearly a neo-Nazi...Schindler's List is a classic, which has many very positive reviews, so I think I have nothing else to add.9/10.
Instead of films like, The Piano where the world consists of clearly good or German (stereotype dumb, cruel), Schindler's List shows people who are trapped in war and loose their way.
Based on a true story, Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List stars Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman in Poland who sees an opportunity to make money from the Nazis' rise to power.
It sickens me as a person to know that this sort of thing actually happened and watching Schindler's List is not only an experience, but a history lesson that we should never forget.Schindler boasts incredible, convincing performances all across the board.
Steven Spielberg made a powerful testament to the suffering of the Jewish people during the Second World War, "Schindler's List"..
Schindler's List is history: an annihilation of a people, an account of good in an ocean of evil, a cinematic event that isn't as brutally painful to watch as it is faithfully important to experience.
To this day, 20 years later it still remains one of the greatest films of all time, but also Steven Spielberg's finest work..
Approaching its 20th anniversary, Universal Sony has converted the original film into high-definition, allowing a new generation to experience its soaring story and visceral intensity.Schindler (Liam Neeson) is a man who considers himself a businessman first and a Nazi second.
The Blu-ray comes complete with a series of special features, including Voices from the List, a documentary featuring testimonies from some of the 'Schindler Jews' who survived the Holocaust, as well as a story on Spielberg's USC Shoah Foundation.
The Greatest masterpiece of veteran director Steven Spielberg, Schindler's List is an emotional and harrowing account of the Holocaust during the Second World War. The movie delves deep into the darkness of human heart and depicts the metamorphosis of a shrewd businessman and womanizer into the greatest philanthropists humanity has ever seen.The movie is almost entirely shot in black and white which gives it a grim and timeless look, a remarkable effort by the cinematographer Janusz Kaminski.The acting is brilliant.
Unfortunately, he did not win a well deserved Academy Award for supporting actor.Furthermore, John Williams has come up with a brilliant score bringing out the misery, horror and tragedy of the Holocaust.Schindler's List is Spielberg's unforgettable piece of art that makes one cry many times over, especially in the final moments of the three hour seventeen minute epic.
Months of seeing human beings being brutalized and getting to know them (his factory used the Jews as cheap labor) as individuals, made Nazi Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) change dramatically.
Known to all audiences as one of the greatest movies ever made, "Schindler's List" is biographical drama of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Polish-Jews during the Holocaust, and employing them in his factories.
With a 3-hour running time, a marvelous script, and a breathtaking directing duty from the legendary Steven Spielberg, "Schindler's List" is one of the greatest movies ever made on screen.
This and The Pianist are the best War/Holocaust films, that I have seen and both deserve their recognition, both show how mistreated the Jews were but also show how not all the Gremans were bad people, some were good, and some helped the Jews to survive and prosper as a race.A clear must see for anyone, and a clear 8.5/10 from me, not a 9 because it's not really my favourite genre.Brilliance of acting by Liam Neeson and Ralph Feinnes, as well as Ben Kingsley and all of the other major cast and extras.
The film is also a history lesson; it explores all the years of the war; starting from 1939, the start of the war, to the very end, although the main focus is Oskar Schindler whose actor is Liam Neeson (Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, A-Team movie).
This shows the message that working on the evil side is the only way to rescue innocent people, which is what would have occurred during a brutal era like World War Two. This is why the film deservedly won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Schindler's List was directed by Steven Spielberg who won an Oscar for Best Director and is considered one of his best works ever.
Not long after the war ended, Amon Goeth was executed for his crimes against humanity, and Schindler unfortunately never ran a successful business again, but today the descendants of the Jews he saved number, tens of thousands.He has become a fairly controversial figure, but I personally think that Oskar Schindler was great hero of the 20th Century, and this is one of the greatest American films of all time; absolutely heartbreaking, cinematically epic, and flawlessly acted.
From the Musical Score to the direction to the acting, the movie is flawless and should be recognized as the greatest Film of All Time.
A gem form Steven Spielberg, Schindler's List dives deep into the works of humanity and what a person is worth.Watching the Jews just slaughtered in this movie is very difficult however.
His one scene with him talking about how he could do more reaches out and truly touches people, more than just the Jews hugging him in the scene.Schindler's List is the idea of a perfect Film.
However, as the full horror of the war on the Jewish people becomes ever more clear, Schindler's selfishness turns more into compassion for his fellowman.Having spent 10 weeks watching `Taken' and remembering just how awful Spielberg can be when he is being mushily sentimental, I revisited this film as it was showing in the build up to the TV coverage of the 2003 Oscar ceremony.
Schindler's List is not only a pure masterpiece but, for me, it is one of the greatest films ever made in the world.The film starts off to reveal a womanizing, Nazi business man who profited off of slave labor.
Schindler's List is not only a pure masterpiece but, for me, it is one of the greatest films ever made in the world.The film starts off to reveal a womanizing, Nazi business man who profited off of slave labor.
That's when the self-centered, often money hungry Oskar steps in and gives up his goal of having a successful business to save the lives of over 1,000 Jews.This film is about redemption and was beautifully photographed in black and white by Janusz Kaminski (cinematographer).
And, in case that's the truth, it's films like Schindler's list that remind us of that..
Schindler's List is epic film for humanity..
Schindler's List is one of the finest movie I have seen ever.
Widely considered Steven Spielberg's crowning achievement, Schindler's List is a powerful, utterly devastating and raw glimpse at the horrors of the Holocaust.
In a time when people are denying the Holocaust even happened (for some foolish reason), Schindler's List is a graphic and raw recreation of an event in history that should never be forgotten.
A story that touching and that hard couldn't have been told and shown in any other beautiful way then through Liam Neesons's performance and Steven Spielberg's vision ( Of course without forgetting the crew and cast how helped in making this film).