Schindler's List Context

Schindler's List: Spielberg, 1993

Schindler's list tells the true story of the Holocaust in WW2 Germany. The film follows Oskar 

Schindler a German businessman and member of the Nazi party who saves the life of 1100 Jews.

The film follows both Schindler's emotional journey but also the journey of several Jewish Families. 

Schindler is introduced to us as a womanizer, a businessman; who employs Jews as slave labour so he can make more money and as a member of the Nazi party.

It is not until Schindler see's the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto that his views on what is happening change and he begins to run a business to save the lives of Jews than to make money.

The point of change is marked in the film by the introduction of the little girl in the red dress.

The film is based on the book Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally.

Context behind the film:

• Spielberg himself was Jewish: therefore he has very personal and emotional connections to the subject discussed in the film as he will have had family that experienced life as a Jew in Germany at the time and seen the horror discussed in the film. Schindler said that the film 'was a Jewish film for Jews, to use against non-Jews as a historical document of what happened.
• In Germany post 1993, German school children were forced to watch Schindler's lit by the German Government. This highlighted the racial guilt felt in Germany at the time and also to educate people on what happened as some people still denied that the Holocaust actually happened.
• The film was banned in some Saudi-Arab countries where Jewish relations have never been good highlighting the importance of this film.
• So that the context and the horror on screen wasn't detracted away from Spielberg used (at the time) B-list actors Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes though both actors were nominated for Oscars for their work.
• The final scene in the film is one of the most emotive scenes in the film as it is a triumphant scene but also a sad scene. Schindler's Jews as they are referred to are paying respect to the man who saved there life and the text on screen highlights the huge loss of life which is just unbelievable. 6 million Jews lost their lives in the Holocaust. The statistics speak for themselves: there are fewer than 4000 Jews alive in Poland today but 6000 descendants of Schindler Jews.