Schindler's List (1993)

Misleading

This was NOT the "feel good movie of the summer" like the box advertised. Or maybe I was thinking of "The Mighty Ducks". Either way, I probably only laughed through about half of this. November 25, 2008

A Classic and Must See

This movie needs to be seen by everyone, and the special features are just as good and informative as the movie. The movie is probably the highly of Spielberg's career. It is about Oscar Schindler who was a Nazi and who saved many Jews during the Holocaust. This movie is shown in black and white, which really draws the audience into the movie and the feel of the 1940s. The only color is a red coat on a little girl, which Spielberg does intentionally so pay attention to that. This is emotionally charged and I usually cry a great deal during this movie. It is an absolute must see by everyone. It is long but is worth it. If you only get one movie this year it should be this one! Amazing from start to finish. November 13, 2008

Review of Schindler's List

Schindler's List is a rarity in contemporary filmmaking. It delivers a heart-wrenching story with Oscar-worthy performances, while demanding a soul-examining response from the viewer. How many movies can make that claim? And while not overtly addressing religious themes, the film leaves no doubt as to the answer to that age-old question: Does evil exist?

Set against the backdrop of World War II Poland, and based on a true story, the movie follows the life of German businessman Oscar Schindler (Liam Neeson). Always the entrepreneur, Schindler hatches a plan to start a factory and outfit it with cheap, Jewish slave labor. His idea, while bankrupt in one sense, was anything but in a financial sense as he becomes quite wealthy. Along the way, however, Schindler begins to question the brutality and depravity of the German captors overseeing the prison camp. Spurred on by a silent, inner awakening, he begins a campaign to personally see to the safety of "his" Jews, those who worked in the factory for him. Aided by his loyal accountant Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley), Oscar figures a way to "buy" all 1100 of the workers from the camp Commandant Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes) and move them to safety. The plan ultimately is successful and the area is liberated by the Red Army soon after.

It must be noted of the cast how moving and riveting the performances are from top to bottom, but particularly that of Neeson as Oscar Schindler. His portrayal is instantly believable on all levels, as you feel personally involved in the events that transpire. Never before have I sat in such rapt attention, waiting to see where he would take me next.

One question that inevitably comes up amid any discussion of the Holocaust is that of where was God during this atrocity? How could He let so many of His people die? Among Jews in particular, the topic is especially sensitive. Some feel, such as survivor and noted author Eli Wiesel, that God abandoned the Jews, allowing the Holocaust in fact as some sort of punishment. Others though insist that God is still sovereign and that it is all part of his plan for the Jewish people.

In any event, Schindler's List is a must-see film that deals with a depressing and horrifying subject in the best way possible. Having reservations about it before I watched it, I can honestly say that I am glad I saw it and am a better person for it.

November 6, 2008

Schindler's List

Schindler's List

Schindler's List was a very compelling film of how a man saved 1,100 Jews from being put to death in the gas chambers in Auschwitz Germany. The three main characters are Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as Amon Goeth and Ben Kingsley as the accountant for Oskar Schindler.
In 1939 the Germans defeated the Polish Army. Jews were ordered out of their homes and told to register all family members. Thousands of Jews arrived in Krakow daily. The Germans treated the Jews as if they were animals. They were shot, sexually abused, beaten, paraded around nude, laughed at and put to death in gas chambers. Schindler came in wanting to make money, knowing that he would profit immensely, for he could work the Jews and not have to pay them a dime. Throughout the movie you could tell that Schindler did not approve of what was happening and appeared to be growing fonder of his workers. He fought for and stood up for the Jews many times. In 1944 Amon Goeth was ordered to exhume and incinerate the bodies of more than ten thousand Jews. Once Schindler became aware of this atrocious act, he then asked to buy all the factory workers. Schindler made his list, fought for the lives of the women and children, and then he spent all the money he made to keep his factory running. At the end all the Jews had written a letter on his behalf telling what had happened and how Schindler saved their lives. With the letter, they gave him a silver band with an inscription from the Hebrew Bible, "Whoever saves one life, save the world entire". They told him, "There will be more generations because of what you did". Schindler sobbed for he felt he didn't do enough. There are more than six thousand descendants of the Schindler Jews. In 1958 Schindler was declared a righteous person by the council of Yad Vashem in Jerusalem and invited to plant a tree in the Avenue of the Righteous. It grows there still today. Schindler died September 10, 1974 and his grave is visited by the Schindler Jews and their descendants yearly.
During the Holocaust there were almost six million European Jews murdered by the Nazi leadership of Germany during the World War II. In the culture of Greco-Roman, anti-Semitism has played a part in Europe since the Roman Empire adopted Christianity as its state religion in the fourth century CE (Fisher 264). After the defeat of Germany in World War I, Adolf Hitler's Nazi Party blamed the Jews for all of their problems. From 1939 to 1942 the Jews was deprived of all human rights. By the end of the Holocaust they were being starved, worked to death as slaves, tortured, "experimented" on and shipped to extermination camps where they were placed in industrial size gas chambers (Fisher 265). To the Jewish belief it poses the question, "Is God omnipotent and caring?"(Fisher 266).

*Fisher, Mary Pat. "Living Religions". New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc, 2008.
November 1, 2008

Schindler's List

This was the first time I ever saw this movie. It is a heartfelt enigmatic story about a man who chose differently in a time of monotony. Oskar Schindler's story is one that became lost in the shuffle of Nazi Germany. With his effort to promote his enamelware company in Poland he was able to house and save the lives of hundreds of Jews that became victim to the clutches of Hitler's reign. This movie is a slight glimpse of the horrors faced by the Jewish people during the holocaust. The movie portrays the heartless, bloodthirsty, brainwashed heart of Germany during the holocaust in the form of Amon Goeth, the General who led one of the Jewish labor camps. It is a vivid description of the soulless torture that took place during that time, and how Oskar Schindler was driven to save the lives of hundreds of Jewish laborers without once thinking about his personal gains.
This movie is related to World Religions because it highlights the period of the holocaust. It also shows the Jewish culture which is rich with tradition. Oskar Schindler, however, was tolerant, he promoted that the Jews carried on their traditions while they worked under him, he encouraged that they carry on the Sabbath tradition, chant hymns and pray according to their faith. There is even a scene with a Jewish marriage being carried on in one of the camps. The movie also portrays the misfortunes that the Jews faced; the untimely deaths, the crippling tortures, the loss of lives, loves, and traditions.
This story however, merely scratches the surface of the depressing tortures that came to be during the holocaust, or the Cleansing of Germany. Oskar Schindler's tale is enamoring and very inspirational. It teaches us to have hope in times when there is none.
October 31, 2008

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