Schindler's List

Schindler's List was extremely disturbing. It was, by far, the most depressing film I have seen. The melody throughout the movie helped create a mood of solitude and loneliness. The scenes were very graphic which assisted with understanding the reality and severity within these camps throughout this time period. Watching families be separated and murder after murder, most execution style, my heart felt the pain and sympathy for these individuals. Although these people were being stripped of their families, their property, their dignity and their whole existence, some still found it in their heart and power to smile and be grateful to still be alive. If I had to place myself in a similar predicament, I do not believe I could have mentally and emotionally survived such devastating sights. If I didn't have family at the time, I would have considered performing actions that would result in execution. I would not want to deal with the pain and agony of living in that type of environment. As for Oskar Schindler, I was touched by his concern and warm heart. While most Germans were showing discrimination and hatred toward Jews, Schindler was concerned with families staying together and the children. It was a little difficult to decipher whether Schindler was completely using the Jews to make money or really showing sympathy. The reading also helped me understand that he was saving Jews in retaliation against the Gestapo and SS for the way they mistreated him. There were scenes in the movie that displayed his warmheartedness, such as bringing the woman's mother and father together to work in his factory. Another scene was him watching the young girl in the red coat and later seeing the heartache on his facial expression when her deceased body is rolled by him. The scene when Amon Goeth is randomly shooting Jews vividly portrays how unfair and unpredictable a victim was. Schindler was collaborating with the Nazis openly while secretly undermining them. The end of the film was very interested because I was informed that the ammunition made in Schindler's factory was not used in the war. In fact, Schindler stated he would be concerned if Jews started manufacturing ammunition that did actually fire. I was impressed by the way Schindler found a way to make money and save Jews at the same time while acknowledging what he was doing was wrong.