“The Holocaust was a vast evil engine set whirling by racism and madness (Ebert,1).” Schindler’s List depicts the evil of the holocaust and tells the incredible story of how the most unlikely hero robbed the holocaust of some of its victims. Through realistic and authentic settings, round and flat characters, somber music, and incredible cinematography, Steven Spielberg created a cinematic masterpiece.
The movie begins with Oskar Schindler a character flawed by gambling, womanizing, driven by greed and an insatiable lust for the high life. He opens a factory in Nazi-occupied Poland with hopes of becoming a millionaire. He uses Jew labor because it is cheap and soon he realizes the murderous events going on around him. By the end of the war he risks his life and uses his amassed fortune to save over 1000 Jews while defrauding the Nazis. Oskar is a very compelling character due to his transformation into a selfless hero making him a round character. Liam Neeson who plays
putting a spell over him. Ralph Fiennes portrays Goeth in such a way that the audience almost pity’s him. The movie also focuses on the characters of the Jews struggling to survive in camps. Although they are not main characters and not much is known about the thousands of extras there presences and scenes evoke such emotion from the audience that they are left with a sense of distress. Through their sufferings and anguish the horrific story of the holocaust is made anew for the audience.
camera placement was great; the way Spielberg shot the scenes when men and women were shot made it all the more intense. The beautiful violin solos throughout the movie set the tone for each scene, and add to the many elements of the movie. All these things work together to create a great and exceptional movie experience.
The movie is really brought to life through the realistic settings and their authenticity. The settings are so vivid and real that it is almost like the audience is back in 1944 in the camps