Schindler's List is a movie about Oskar Schindler, a man who saved about 1,000 to 1,200 Jews during the holocaust of World War II. The movie begins with Schindler, interacting with powerful SS officers, gaining their friendship and trust. Then it moves to Jewish Migration to the Krakow Ghetto. While the Jews are forced into small living spaces, Schindler lives lavishly. Schindler then seeks a business collaboration with Itzhak Stern, a Jewish bureaucrat who has contacts in the Jewish Community. Schindler then uses his contacts among the Nazi Party to gain control of a factory, in which Stern creates fake evidence that allow the Jewish people to live instead of dying at the mercy of the SS. When SS soldiers raid Krakow Ghetto, the Jewish people are forced to move the Plaszow Concentration Camp, run by the infamous Amon Goethe. Schindler befriends Goethe, and convinces him to build a side camp for his workers. Over time, Schindler becomes less concerned about making money and more concerned about saving as many people as possible. He uses his various contacts to allow him to move his workers to an artillery shell factory in his hometown. There, his workers are kept safe until the war is over. After the war, Schindler must flee because he was part of the Nazi Party and was a "profiteer of Slave Labor." The Jews that he saved give him a letter, saying that he was a savior, not a criminal. They also give him a golden ring, made out of the golden teeth fillings. Inscribed, it says "He who saves the life of one man, saves the entire world." Touch and ashamed, Schindler wishes he could have saved more people. After expressing his emotions, he sends off the SS troops and drives away. The final scene is comprised of the 6,000 descendants of the Jews that he saved decorating his tombstone.
For information on Oscar Schindler:http://www.oskarschindler.com/
For information on Plaszow Concentration Camp:http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005301
For information on Emilie Schindler:http://www.emilieschindler.com/
During the Film, Schindler and Goethe express their feelings of what power is. According to Goethe, power is the ability to decide when people die. To Schindler, it is sparing someone's life when the judge has every reason to kill him. To me, power is a force that cannot be controlled, only directed. Schindler uses his power to bribe SS officer to save Jewish life, a good example of the use of power. Goethe uses his power to indiscriminantly kill Jews, a bad example of the use of power.
Schindler goes through a change throughout the movie. He starts of seeking to build riches off free labor provided by the Jews. Then, he changes to freely spending money to save Jewish lives. The main reason why he goes through that change is because he begins to interact with many more jewish people. As said by the real Oskar Schindler "I knew the people who worked for me... When you know people, you have to behave toward them like human beings."
The film was very effective and powerful. In the dark days of the holocaust, it was hard to believe that a man from the Nazi party would have worked to save Jewish lives. It was effective in portaying Schindler's progression from war profiteer to humanitarian. It was also effective in capturing the vile cruelty during the holocaust. It was effective in controlling your emotions, making me feel sad during the sad parts, and relief during the end.
