Schindler's List (1993)

Schindler's List (1993)
Schindler's List is a historical drama film set during the Holocaust in the Second World War and based on the novel, Schindler's Ark, by Thomas Keneally and a true story about a member of the Nazi party who saved over a thousand Jewish prisoners from the gas chambers. The film was released in 1993 and produced and directed by legendary film-maker Steven Spielberg. Schindler's List is also known to have been shot in full black & white, apart from the prologue and epilogue and one scene involving a girl wearing a red jacket.

Synopsis and themes
Oskar Schindler is a German ethnic businessman and a member of the Nazi party. He works with Itzhak Sterm, a local Jewish intern and obtains a factory to produce enamelware. He hires Jewish workers, due to budget reasons. As the war progresses, Oskar witnesses the harsh brutality committed by his political party to the Jews and questions their law, thus expanding his List of workers.

Schindler's List is a simple good vs evil story. Oskar, the protagonist, is portrayed as a Good German and the film is of course set during the time when the Germans seemed to be the most feared, thanks to Adolf Hitler. Oskar starts off as a Nazi sympathiser and changes to a rescuer/hero. In one scene, he comforts Helen Marsh, a Jew. In another scene, he kisses another Jewish lady at his birthday party. Many of the Jews see him as a father figure and thank him for saving their lives. Itzhak even gives Oskar a gift.

The main antagonist is Amon Goeth; he is extremely loyal to the Nazi party (at one time, he states "heil Hitler") and is seen abusing some of the Jews. In one scene, he shoots one of the Jewish prisoners through his bedroom window. In another scene, when Amon finds Helen in the basement, he calls her a 'Jewish bitch' and domestically abuses her.

One of the messages in Schindler's List is that one should accept people in society no matter what religion they are. The film is anti-slavery and was nominated for the Political Film Society Award for Expose and won the Award for Human Rights.