‘Schindler’s List’
Summary and Analysis of Scenes
Scenes 1 to 10: Schindler and the Establishment of His
Factory pp2-5
Scenes 11 to 14: Liquidation of the Ghetto pp5-9
Scenes 15 to 18: Plaszow pp9-12
Scenes 19 to 23: Schindler's Activism Begins pp12-15
Scenes 24 to 28: Plaszow Gets Worse pp15-18
Scenes 29 to 35: The List/Zwittau-Brinnlitz pp18-21
Scenes 36 to 39: End of the War/Schindler's Grave pp22-24
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Scenes 1 to 10: Schindler and the Establishment of His
Factory
Summary
The film opens with a close-up shot of a pair of hands lighting a
candle for the Sabbath. The sound of a Hebrew prayer can be heard
in the background. The scene is in colour, but it is short, and fades
out with the smoke from the candles. The candle smoke becomes
steam from a steam engine, and the film is now black and white. A
single Jewish family registers at a folding table. As the scene
continues, it shows the vast number of Jews arriving in Krakow,
Poland to register.
We cut to a shot of Oskar Schindler pouring himself a drink and
deciding upon a suit jacket and cufflinks. He attaches a Nazi Party
pin to his lapel and grabs several large wads of bills. We do not see
his face. The camera focuses on the back of his head as he enters a
nightclub, and a handheld camera follows him as he approaches a
server, bribes him, and is seated at a good table. We finally see the
face of Oskar Schindler after he is seated. He appraises the scene
and notices several Nazi officials. Schindler buys the men drinks in
an attempt to ingratiate himself with them. By the end of the
evening, Schindler is seated with an entire table of officials and
dancers. He buys them food and drinks and takes photographs with
every man of note seated at the table.
The scene then cuts to daytime. Schindler is approaching the
Judenrat, the Jewish Council that carries out Nazi orders. He pushes
through the lines to the top floor where he asks for Itzhak Stern, an
accountant. He explains to Stern that he needs Jews to invest in his
new enamelware factory. Because Jews by law cannot own a
business, Schindler explains that he will pay them in product instead
of money. He also asks Stern to run the business. The men sit in
silence for several moments and the shot/counter shot technique is
used to emphasize the tense quiet between the two men. Stern
refuses the offer, explaining that Jewish businessmen will not want
to invest. Schindler, however, refuses to give up. He enters a church
where Jewish smugglers conduct business and meets Poldek
Pfefferberg, whom he convinces to provide luxury items for the
upcoming months.
The scene then cuts to a shot of a bridge packed with Jews carrying
their items to the ghetto, where they will now be forced to live. It is
March 20, 1941, the last day for Jews to enter the ghetto. A little
girl stands on the side of the street yelling "Goodbye Jews!" The
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scene cuts to Schindler settling into his new luxurious apartment,
one just evacuated by the wealthy Nussbaum family. Pfefferberg
enters the ghetto and is greeted by his friend Marcel Goldberg, who
is working as a Jewish policeman in the ghetto. After the Jews have
been given their housing assignments, Stern brings several
businessmen to Schindler's car. Schindler is able to convince them
to invest and the factory opens.
The camera cuts to a shot of Stern standing in the center of a circle.
He explains to the Jews encircling him that employment at
Schindler's factory would mean a way of getting out of the ghetto to
procure necessary items. Pfefferberg explains that one must be
deemed an essential worker before he or she is allowed employment
at the factory. Stern tells a woman that her card is no good, and
that he will get her one that will allow her to work under Schindler.
The camera pans the long lines. Stern realises he can use
Schindler's factory to help some of the people he knows. He begins
forging documents to allow more Jews to qualify as essential
workers. Stern then accompanies the people for whom he has
forged documents to the registration desk and explains that they are
skilled metalworkers.
Meanwhile, Schindler's wife, Emilie Schindler, arrives in Krakow
while Schindler is with his mistress. She does not say anything,
however. The scene cuts to the couple leaving Schindler's
apartment. Mrs. Schindler is taken aback when the doorman seems
unaware of her existence. She accompanies Schindler to a nightclub
and he explains the incredible number of workers he has on his
staff. The couple dances, but Schindler eyes another woman. The
next morning, the couple is in bed together and Mrs. Schindler asks
Schindler if he would like her to stay. When he does not respond,
she leaves.
Back in Schindler's office, Stern brings a Jewish worker to him who
has been begging to speak with Schindler. The man is old and has
only one arm. He thanks Schindler repeatedly for saving him and
making him an essential worker. Afterward, as Stern escorts
Schindler to his car, Schindler angrily asks Stern what the man's use
is.
The scene cuts to lines of Jews exiting Schindler's factory. The
camera focuses on the one-armed man who is singing gaily with a
young girl. As the group trudges through high snow banks, the
officers decide to make them stop and shovel snow. The camera
cuts to the man with one arm struggling to shovel. The SS pull him
aside, despite his protests at being a worker for Oskar Schindler.
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Chaja Dresner tells her daughter Danka to look at the snow as the
SS carry the man to the side and shoot him in the head. The camera
cuts to Schindler in an office, fuming about losing a day of work and
losing a worker.
Analysis
The first part of the film aims to establish Schindler as a greedy,
self-centered character who is out of touch and unaware of the true
horror of the Jews' position. It uses the movement to the ghetto and
the murder of the one-armed man as a contrast to Schindler's
luxurious lifestyle.
The opening scene of the film is one of the few instances of color
in Schindler's List. The color in this scene draws a stark contrast
with the cold black and white of the following one. The prayer and
candlelight are ominous, setting a dark tone from the outset of the
film. The black and white of the following scene is used to increase
the documentary feel of the film. It separates the film from the color
scene at the opening and pushes it back in time.
The smoke from the candles fades to steam from a train, directly
linking Jewish tradition to train travel. This is significant because,
throughout World War II, the Nazi's primary mode for transporting
Jews to concentration camps was via train. By the numbers of Jews
arriving in Krakow to register, Spielberg indicates the vastness of
the Holocaust. This vastness is not explored throughout the rest of
the film. Instead, by showing it at the opening, Spielberg tells his
viewers that the story they are about to view is only one small part
of something much larger.
As Schindler dresses himself before the nightclub to the tune of
popular music, the camera's intent focus on the act of dressing
indicates the vanity of the character to whom the clothes belong.
When Schindler arrives in the nightclub, a handheld camera follows
him to his table. In 1993, a scene like this one would have normally
required the use of a steadicam. However, Spielberg wished to
create an intimate, realistic feel and thus eschewed a steadicam in
favour of handheld cameras.
Schindler's actions in the nightclub indicate his desire to network
with powerful Nazi officials as well as his charm and charisma. He
immediately comes across as a man who gets what he wants. His
interactions with the dancers belie his womanising tendencies. He
appears as a fun but morally unsound character.
Stern's dislike for Schindler is clear in their conversation. He appears
unhappy to be pulled away from his work and sceptical of
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Schindler's proposition. Stern is intellectual and composed; he
refuses to take a drink from Schindler (a routine that will continue
throughout the entirety of the film). Schindler comes across as tacky
and out of touch. His leather jacket squeaks. He assigns only the job
of providing "panache" to himself, and fails to understand what
other problems Jews may be concerned with at the present
moment. Schindler's interaction with Pfefferberg in the church
follows suit. Instead of explaining to Pferfferberg the benefits of
working for him, he smiles charmingly and asks to purchase nice
shirts. To Schindler, it is still about the panache and the product.
Schindler's happy settlement into the apartment out of which the
Nussbaums have been evicted again indicates his greed and selfcentred nature. While the Nussbaums move into a small room with
another family, Schindler sprawls across their bed. The shouts of
"Goodbye Jews!" ring through Schindler's office, but he deliberately
ignores them and goes on with his work. The cut to Marcel Goldberg
as a Jewish policeman serves to compare him to Schindler. Like
Schindler, he is greedy and self-centred. Unlike Schindler, he is
Jewish and thus cannot patrol a factory or office, but instead must
remain in the ghetto.
Schindler's evening with his wife serves to further highlight his
moral depravities. His wife arrives while a mistress is with him; he
eyes another woman while dancing with his wife. Ultimately, his wife
leaves Poland because he is too self-centred to act as a good
husband to her.
Meanwhile, the story of the one-armed man serves to elucidate
Schindler's initial lack of awareness of Stern's actions. Schindler is
shocked and angered after the man comes to thank him for saving
his life. He yells at Stern, questioning the man's use. He begins to
realise the manner in which Stern is taking advantage of his
position. The viewer first sees the moral side of Schindler's
personality after the man is shot. Despite his initial anger with Stern
for employing a one-armed man, he feels bad that the man is shot.
He yells at the commander for killing one of his essential employees,
not because he knew the man to actually do good work, but because
he met him personally.
Scenes 11 to 14: Liquidation of the Ghetto
Summary
Scene 11 opens in a dark room. Schindler is in bed with his
mistress. In a heated moment, Pfefferberg shows up and knocks on
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Schindler's glass door, attempting to avert his gaze. He tells
Schindler that it's about Stern. The scene cuts to Schindler walking
purposefully toward the train headed to Auschwitz at the station.
Nazi officials yell at Jews to leave their baggage on the platform
before boarding the train. Schindler approaches a young man with
the list of Jews on the train, and the man tells him that Itzhak
Stern is, in fact, on the list.
Schindler removes a pad from his pocket and begins to take down
the man's name when a young officer approaches. He tells Schindler
that the list is always correct, and Stern must not be an essential
worker. Schindler also takes down the officer's name before telling
the two men that he can guarantee that they will both be in
southern Russia by the end of the month. The camera follows
Schindler as he scours the train for Stern. The two young men enter
the shot behind him and also begin calling for Stern. Schindler
finally finds him on a car as the train is pulling out. The young man
with the list makes the conductor stop the train, and Stern is
removed safely. He walks with Schindler and apologises for
forgetting his work card at home.
The camera cuts to two officials at the station wheeling away a cart
of the Jews’ luggage. They bring it into a storeroom with piles of
boots, glasses, photographs, and suitcases. Men are removing items
from the suitcases and sorting them into piles. One man takes
candlesticks and menorahs to a shelf. Several other men are tasked
with examining valuables. The camera lingers on one worker's
aghast face after a pile of gold-capped teeth are presented to him.
The camera cuts to a scene inside the ghetto. A group of Jews stand
around discussing how the ghetto is actually liberating because no
one comes after them behind the walls. They say that this is the
absolute bottom, that there is no lower than their current position.
The scene changes and now the camera is in the backseat of a car
with two German officials. One looks back at the camera and
describes the different ghettos as the car passes them. The shot
suddenly cuts to Amon Goeth, who is sitting in the backseat of the
car blowing his nose. Out of the car, the men show Goeth his villa
and he is disappointed at its size. The men stop walking as a group
of girls lines up in front of them. Goeth selects the prettiest
one, Helen Hirsch, to be his maid.
There is then a close up of Goeth's profile as he gazes onto a
building project where a young woman is yelling orders at workers.
She runs up to Goeth and the other officers and explains what needs
to be done to the building so that it will not collapse. Goeth orders
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the officer to shoot her, despite protests of her necessity. After she
is dead, Goeth orders the men to do what she instructed.
The scene cuts to Schindler shaving his face. It then cuts to a
parallel shot of Goeth shaving. The shot continues to go back and
forth between the two men as a voice-over by Goeth is heard. He
speaks of the historical importance of his and his soldiers' actions.
The camera shows Goeth standing in the centre of a square of
soldiers. He speaks of how the Jews, from this moment on, will be
erased from history. Soldiers and attack dogs storm out of trucks
and line up. As Goeth talks strategy with several other officers, the
camera cuts to Schindler and his mistress riding horses through a
wooded field. They pull up to a ledge that overlooks the ghetto. The
camera provides a close up of his mistress’s oblivious look before
panning to an expression of horror on Schindler's face.
The scene cuts to the Dresner family eating dinner. When they hear
noises, Chaja and Danka Dresner stand up to grab valuables. A
hoard of soldiers runs into the ghetto and storms the apartments,
throwing personal items from the balconies. Pfefferberg tells his
girlfriend Mila that they must escape through the sewers, and that
he will go make sure that they are clear. The scene cuts to a
pharmacist putting together vials of poison. He brings it to the
hospital, and the nurses feed each of the invalids a vial. When the
soldiers arrive, the patients are already dead. The soldiers separate
the Jews into men and women, splitting up screaming families and
children. Anyone who does not co-operate is shot. The camera cuts
to Stern, standing alone among the crowd, staring in horror at the
activities around him. Pfefferberg's attempt to escape through the
sewers is unsuccessful and he only escapes the soldiers narrowly.
He goes to his apartment to find Mila missing. On the street, he
hears Goeth and the officials approaching and pretends to have
been assigned to clean up the streets. They believe him and leave
him alone.
Meanwhile, Chaja and Danka Dresner run into a room and open a
hiding space under the floor. There is only room for one, so Chaja
leaves Danka there. While she is attempting to escape, she runs into
a young boy who is working as a Jewish policeman. A friend of her
child's, the boy agrees to hide her while the officers pass by. Danka
suddenly runs out to find her mother. The boy tells them he will
bring them to the good line. Music from a children's choir plays as
the camera gives an aerial shot of the action. Schindler continues to
look on, horrified, as his mistress tears up and asks him if they can
leave. Men are lined up and shot.
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A little girl in a red coat is noticeable because her coat is the only
colour in the shot. She escapes the line and goes upstairs to hide
under a bed. That night, the soldiers gather and listen in all the
buildings for heartbeats of people hiding. They begin shooting
rapidly into all the buildings, while one man sits and plays the piano.
Analysis
Schindler's ability to remove Stern from the train to Auschwitz is
representative of his growing power. His factory is doing well and he
has successfully integrated himself into the ranks of the Nazi party.
His reaction to Stern's apology, however, indicates that Schindler
has not yet taken into consideration the lives of the Jews over his
own wealth. When Schindler says, "What if I had gotten here five
minutes later?", he follows it with "Where would I be?" instead of
saying "Where would you be?" It is a matter of his own business
success, not of Stern's wellbeing. Furthermore, the two young men
behind Schindler and Stern apologise, explaining that one Jew over
another does not matter to them. It is only a matter of paperwork.
This statement not only dehumanises the Jewish people, but also is
the first in a series of statements in the film about paperwork. One
of the ways in which the film works to show Nazi dehumanisation of
Jews is through their complaints about the annoying paperwork
required to move them and deal with them.
The scene with the piles of Jewish belongings in a German
warehouse serves to once again show the vast extent of the
Holocaust. It also hints at mass extermination, without actually
showing the violence. Even though the Jews are told that their
baggage will follow them to Auschwitz, the Nazis know that most of
them will not survive and that their baggage will be unnecessary.
The pile of photographs serves to emphasise the Jews' humanity
and to remind the viewer that they are not just leaving behind
possessions, but memories and family.
The Jews' discussion of the ghetto is ironic foreshadowing of the
liquidation of the ghetto. One woman says that it cannot get worse
than it already is. However, in the next scene of the movie, it gets
much worse. Goeth's arrival and his immediate order for the murder
of the head of construction indicates that the worst is yet to come.
The rules as they have been no longer apply. His disgust with the
weather and with his villa are indicative both of his greed and selfcentred personality and of his disgust with the Jews. When Spielberg
cuts back and forth between Goeth and Schindler shaving, he
highlights the similarity between the two men: greed. However, the
following scene is the first instance in which an essential personality
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difference arises between the two men. While Goeth gives orders for
attack as if it just a normal matter of business, Schindler looks onto
the ghetto from his horse in total disbelief and horror.
Goeth's monologue to his soldiers is the one instance in the movie in
which the Nazi motive for the Holocaust is spelled out. Goeth recites
the frustration and resentment the Nazi party has for the Jews who
came to Poland with nothing and excelled. The monologue also
creates an ominous and foreboding mood before the destruction and
slaughter that occurs during the liquidation of the ghetto.
During the liquidation of the ghetto, there are many Jews who
attempt to escape, whether through the sewers like Pfefferberg or
by hiding like the little girl in the red coat or the Dresners. All
attempts are unsuccessful. Those who hid are found at night and
shot. Pfefferberg is nearly shot while in the sewers and ends up in a
line headed to Plaszow work camp. These unsuccessful attempts at
escape highlight the helplessness of the Jewish position. They either
had to obey or be killed. Additionally, the escape attempts often
play on the theme of loyalty. Chaja and Danka Dresner prove their
loyalty to each other by risking their lives to help the other.
Pfefferberg scopes out the sewers for Mila, risking his own life in the
hope that he could save both of them. These bonds of family loyalty
make the separation into lines especially heart wrenching.
Finally, the little girl in the red coat is one of the most notable
symbols from Schindler's List. Schindler notices her as she dodges
through the crowd. He seems especially struck by her; to him, she
represents the innocence of the people being killed. The colour of
her jacket symbolises vitality and ambition. Even though she is
young, she strives to get away and hide. Additionally, the red of her
jacket symbolises the red flag that the Jews waved at the Allied
powers for assistance.
Scenes 15 to 18: Plaszow
Summary
The scene opens with Amon Goeth stepping outside onto his balcony
shirtless and overlooking Plaszow work camp. The camera moves
down to the ground where the Jewish policemen are calling roll. Just
as one woman tells another that the worst is over, Goeth grabs his
rifle on his balcony. He scans the ground for someone to kill, pauses
on a girl tying her shoe, and shoots her in the head. The camera
cuts to a woman sleeping topless in his bed. She looks exasperated
and covers her face with a pillow. Goeth grabs his gun to shoot
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again and this time finds a woman sitting on a staircase. Jews shriek
and run in terror as they do their work; Goeth places the gun behind
his neck and stretches.
The camera cuts to Oskar Schindler in his car, driving to Plaszow
and passing a group of Jews erecting a large tombstone. He enters
Goeth's villa and proceeds to the dining room where a group of Nazi
officials are seated for lunch. He greets everyone as a close friend
and introduces himself to Goeth, who states that they started
without him. A voice over of Schindler's conversation with Goeth
begins before we actually see the two men seated together after
lunch. Schindler complains about losing workers, and Goeth grants
him a sub-camp. The camera cuts to a shot of workers filing into
Schindler's new sub-camp. Itzhak Stern is required to remain at
Plaszow as an accountant for Goeth. He gives him a room with a
desk and drawers and reminds him to not forget for whom he is
working.
The camera cuts to a close up shot of Goeth surrounded by and
kissing various women. It is a party at Goeth's villa and there is
dancing, music, and heavy drinking. Outside the party, Schindler
leans against his car in a tuxedo. Stern is brought to him. Stern
starts giving him a list of things he must do, but speaks quickly and
nervously. Schindler tells him to forget it and pauses for a moment.
He tells him that he tried, but could not get Stern out of Plaszow.
Schindler says that he will be at Plaszow every Wednesday and will
look in on him, before giving him food to sneak into his pockets.
Stern asks Schindler to not let things fall apart, for he has worked
too hard.
The scene cuts to the inside of the metalworking factory at Plaszow.
The workers are instructed to cease production as Goeth enters the
room. As he patrols the factory floor, the workers are instructed to
continue. Goeth approaches an older man, Rabbi Menasha
Lewartow, who makes hinges, and tells him that he has new
workers arriving from Yugoslavia tomorrow for whom he must make
room. He instructs the Rabbi to make him a hinge while he times it.
The Rabbi is able to do so quickly, and Goeth proceeds to question
why there aren't more hinges in his box for the day. He takes the
Rabbi outside to shoot him, despite the man's protests that the
machines were being recalibrated in the morning. However, Goeth is
unable to make either of his guns fire, so the Rabbi is left
unharmed.
The scene cuts to Schindler removing a horse's saddle from his
trunk. Stern runs toward the gate calling "Herr Direktor." He tells
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Schindler that the Rabbi can turn out hinges in less than a minute
and asks Schindler to employ him. Schindler does not respond, but
gives Stern his lighter. Stern uses the lighter to bribe Marcel
Goldberg to send the Rabbi to Schindler's factory.
Back at Plaszow, Goeth angrily asks a line of men who is responsible
for stealing a chicken. When no one steps up, Goeth randomly
shoots a man from the line. A young boy then steps forward crying
and says that the man who was shot is the one who had stolen the
chicken. Stern gets this boy transferred to Schindler's factory as
well.
Analysis
Goeth's random killing from his balcony serves to further establish
the kind of work camp director he will be. From day one, the Jews
understand that they should be terrified of him. He seems to enjoy
killing for the sake of killing. Additionally, because he is doing it
from a long range and for no particular reason, it resembles
hunting. This dehumanises the Jews by likening them to animals
that are hunted. The aerial shots of the ghetto add to this analogy
by presenting the workers as small targets in a field.
The image of Jews erecting the tombstone draws a stark contrast
with the luncheon in Goeth's villa. The tombstone is representative
of the horror and death occurring outside the villa. Furthermore,
Schindler's friendly entrance into the dining room conveys his
knowledge that he must continue to charm in order to get what he
wants, especially now that the circumstances have changed. He
betrays little evidence of the feeling of horror that came over him
when he saw the liquidation of the ghetto, except when Goeth asks
him about his suit. His comment that whoever brought him his suit
is probably dead is an early hint of Schindler's disapproval of Nazi
policy.
During Schindler's conversation with Goeth, the similarities between
the two men become evident. Both are self-centered. Goeth tells
Schindler he understands his need to have power and remain in his
current position. Both are greedy. When Goeth mentions gratitude,
he expresses that he is willing to be bribed.
Schindler's interactions with Stern belie a stronger emotional tie
than simple necessity. In their first meeting (outside the party by
Schindler's car), Schindler apologises to Stern for not being able to
move him to a more secure location. In saying this, he indicates
both acknowledgment of Goeth's reign of terror and his will to
protect Stern. In this portion of the film, Schindler also begins to
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give Stern items for his own personal use and for use as bribes. He
thus non-verbally agrees to help Stern in his mission to save certain
Jews. This image of Schindler works against the image of Goeth as a
man of no mercy. His interactions with the Rabbi and with the line of
men accused of stealing the chicken show that he has little concern
for the truth or for justice. Thus Spielberg, almost immediately after
drawing comparisons between the two men in their post-lunch
conversation, works to explore their differing outlooks on life.
Finally, Stern, like Schindler, begins to use bribery techniques to
achieve his goals. He takes lighters and cigarettes from Schindler to
bribe Marcel Goldberg to transfer certain Jewish workers to
Schindler's factory. This new Schindler-like aspect to Stern
foreshadows the increasingly close relationship between the two
men.
Scenes 19 to 23: Schindler's Activism Begins
Summary
Scene 19 opens with a camera shot looking up toward Regina
Perlman, who is pacing back and forth outside Schindler's factory. It
cuts to her inside the factory, asking the doorman to speak
with Oskar Schindler. Schindler appears at the top of the stairs, sees
her, and refuses to come down. Perlman returns a different day
wearing make-up and a sexier dress. Schindler then agrees to speak
with her. She begs him to employ her parents, who are currently at
Plaszow. Schindler yells at her for assuming he would do favours like
that, and kicks her out.
The scene then cuts to Schindler storming into Stern's office and
yelling, asking what he's supposed to do about Goeth killing
everybody. He doesn't want his factory to be known as a haven
instead of a valuable enterprise. Stern asks him if he is losing
money; he says that he isn't, but that the danger of these actions
concerns him. He tries to defend Goeth's actions to Stern, explaining
that he is under pressure. Nevertheless, he gives Stern his watch to
bribe Goldberg to transfer Perlman's parents. Perlman sees them
enter Schindler's factory and is heartened.
The scene changes to a party at Goeth's villa and then to Helen
Hirsch in the cellar. Schindler walks in and she nervously reports to
him, before he quietly tells her that this is unnecessary. He gives
her a chocolate bar and encourages her to talk to him. She tells
Schindler of the horrible beatings that she receives from Goeth and
admits that she is scared for her life. Schindler tells her that she
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need not worry because Goeth values her and likes her too much to
kill her. The camera moves to a close up on the pair as Schindler
gives Helen a comforting kiss on the forehead.
The camera cuts to Schindler and Goeth standing out on Goeth's
balcony. Goeth is incredibly drunk and cannot stand straight. He
notes that Schindler is never drunk and the two men approach the
subject of power. Goeth tells Schindler that his power comes from
the fear the Jews have of him. They know that he can kill at any
point. Schindler disagrees. He says that this is not power; true
power lies in awe and respect that comes from having the ability to
kill, but the will not to.
The following day, Goeth takes Schindler's advice to heart. He first
comes across a young boy who has put a nice horse's saddle on the
ground. Instead of shooting him, he grimaces, pats his shoulder and
tells him to go on. The scene cuts to Goeth entering his bathroom
where a boy has been unable to remove the stains from his tub.
Goeth asks him why he used soap instead of lye, but tells the boy
that he is pardoned. He stands for a moment and catches his own
reflection in the mirror. While the boy is running back to his
quarters, Goeth steps onto his balcony and shoots him.
The camera cuts to a close up of Goeth's hand. Helen is buffing his
fingernails. It pans upward to Goeth's face and he is admiring Helen
as she works. He leans forward, moving his face closer to hers,
before breathing in and leaning back.
Back in the camp, the Jews have gathered for a wedding. The
camera gives an overhead shot of a woman performing the
ceremony. It cuts to Goeth standing alone and drinking on his
balcony. The scene changes to a female performer singing in front of
Schindler and two Nazi officers. The voice over of her singing
continues to play as Goeth walks down the stairs to Helen's
basement room. She is bathing. He tells her that she is a wonderful
housekeeper and that he would be happy to give her a reference
after the war. He asks her if she is lonely, but she continues to
stand silently. She begins to tremble as he moves closer to her. He
tells her that they are both lonely. Goeth struggles with himself,
moving closer to her and then away again. He asks what it would be
like if he were to touch her in her loneliness. He wonders aloud what
would be wrong with that. He continues, explaining that he
understands that she is not a person in the strictest sense of the
word, but her eyes are not those of a vermin. His thoughts make a
sudden switch, however, and he yells at her for tricking him into
being attracted to her. He proceeds to beat her. Shots from the
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wedding are inter-cut with shots of him beating her.
The film then cuts to Schindler's birthday party where he is kissing
every woman present. Two Jewish workers appear and give him a
cake. He kisses them both, and lingers on the older one for too long.
The scene cuts to a group of Jewish women talking before bed. One
of them tells a story she heard about gas chambers. The other
women dismiss it as an impossibility, but look uneasy as they
attempt to sleep.
Analysis
This portion of the film works to emphasise the gradual changes that
are occurring in Schindler, leading to his creation of the list.
Schindler's interaction with Regina Perlman is representative of his
outlook at this point in the film. He initially yells at her for assuming
that he is running a haven for Jews instead of a business. However,
he does transfer her parents. This indicates that Schindler feels he
must maintain his image, but with the transfer of her parents, he
begins to actively protect the Jews when he can. This small action
spurs a series of others that ultimately result in the creation of the
list. Furthermore, this action indicates to Stern that Schindler is at
least somewhat ready to admit to what he is doing. Stern now feels
more freedom to transfer people and more assurance that Schindler
will not punish him nor them.
Schindler's increased empathy for the Jews plays out even further in
his interaction with Helen in Goeth's cellar. He assumes his identity
of compassionate director when he tells her she need not to worry
for he is Oskar Schindler. By listening to her story, he exhibits a real
desire to understand her plight, relate to her, and comfort her. The
camerawork during this scene helps to convey a sense of intimacy
between Schindler and Helen by providing frequent close ups of
their faces. This scene helps to mark the change that has occurred
in Schindler. The Schindler who listens to Helen's problems and
comforts her is a far cry from the Schindler who yelled at Stern for
almost getting sent to Auschwitz and jeopardising his business.
The conversation between Goeth and Schindler about power is also
a telling one. A clear difference is identified between the men: their
ideas of power. Up until this point, it has been clear that Schindler is
more compassionate and less cruel and violent than Goeth.
However, both men have still appeared to have questionable morals.
This conversation elucidates a giant moral difference: Schindler
views respect as the ultimate power and goal. Goeth, on the other
hand, views fear in that way. This difference is irreconcilable, and
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the viewer now understands that Schindler has moved morally
beyond Goeth. Additionally, this conversation is another aspect of
Schindler's activism, for he is attempting to convince Goeth to be
less violent. This does, in fact, save the life of a Jewish boy the next
day.
Goeth's conversation with Helen in the cellar contrasts with
Schindler's. Unlike with Schindler, Helen trembles nervously and
does not speak. She does not get comfortable and open up to Goeth
like she did with Schindler. This indicates that Helen views the two
men in entirely different lights, despite their mutual affiliation with
the Nazi party. This again highlights a difference between the two
men, painting Schindler as the more morally righteous. Goeth's
monologue also touches on the theme of dehumanisation, for he
calls her sub-human and vermin. He struggles internally because he
has convinced himself that Jews are of a difference species, yet he
cannot help but to be attracted to Helen.
The inter-cutting of the scenes of Goeth beating Helen and the
Jewish wedding serves to compare the triumph of human spirit and
the breaking of it. Instead of simply showing the wedding straight
through, Spielberg inserts clips of Helen's beating to remind the
viewers how remarkable a wedding is at a time that is so horrible.
The theme of denial is also present during this portion of the film.
First, Schindler attempts to explain away Goeth's behaviour to
Stern. He wants to deny the absolute horror of the party he belongs
to and the people he associates with. He wants to continue running
his business as usual without taking into account moral concerns.
However, his denial sounds hollow even to him, and he thus asks for
the transfer of the Perlmans. The Jewish women at the end of this
selection also display denial. They do not want to admit the worst of
their situation and refuse to believe that mass extermination is
possible, despite their fear that it might be.
Scenes 24 to 28: Plaszow Gets Worse
Summary
Scene 24 opens with the arrival of the list makers and doctors at
Plaszow. The Jews are ushered out of the beds and stripped of their
clothing. The camera provides a close up of someone placing a
record on a machine and setting a speaker next to it. Popular,
upbeat music blasts from the speaker system as the Jews are told to
run in circles in front of the officials. Those who are deemed
unhealthy and not fit to work are pulled aside to be sent to
15
Auschwitz.
The camera returns to the record player and a hand changes the
record. The tune plays as a large group of children are led through
the camp, holding hands and singing along. Officials herd the
children into trucks and most board obligingly. Some, however, try
to run away. Many of the runaways are caught and carried back by
officers, but some do reaching hiding spots. One young boy tries
several hiding spots but is turned away by children who are already
hiding. He eventually ends up in a pit of human waste.
As the trucks drive past the adults, the children wave. The adults,
who are feeling relieved and putting on clothes after being told they
can return to the barracks, see the trucks passing by. After a
moment, they realise the significance of the trucks driving away
with the children. They run after them, screaming, while soldiers
hold them back and push them into the ground. Chaja Dresner and
her friend notice that their own children are not on the trucks and
assume that they have hidden.
The scene cuts to Oskar Schindler approaching Amon Goeth and
other officers as they sit outside of a train headed to Auschwitz. It is
a hot day, and Schindler settles down for a drink. He notices that
the people stuffed into the train cars are suffering from heat and
dehydration. He asks if the officers might hose down the cars,
pretending that his intent is a cruel one. For a while, Goeth and the
other officers find the spraying of the cars humorous, but as it
continues for a long period of time, the humour fades. The camera
provides a close up of Goeth's sceptical facial expression.
The scene cuts to the Gestapo arriving at Schindler's factory. They
ask him to come quietly and throw him in a jail cell. His cellmate is
an officer who asks what he has been arrested for. Schindler
explains that he has violated the Race and Resettlement Act by
kissing a Jewish girl. The scene cuts to a close up of Goeth's face, as
he explains that Schindler likes good-looking women. He is
eventually able to use a bribe to secure Schindler's freedom. The
scene then cuts to Schindler sitting with Goeth and another officer.
The men lecture him about the importance of staying away from this
sort of behaviour. The Jews have no future, one tells him. It's policy.
Scene 28 opens with Schindler in the street examining ashes that
are falling from the sky. He looks at his car and scrapes a pile of
ashes off the side. A title across the screen explains that
Department D has ordered that all the dead be exhumed and
burned. The Jews are tasked with digging up the bodies and
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carrying them to a moving ramp that dumps them in with the pile of
burning corpses. Nazis and Jews alike wear cloths over their faces to
protect them from the awful smell. In the soundtrack, a choir sings
an ominous song. An officer looks at the pile of dead, burning bodies
and screams. He fires several shots at the pile while other officers
laugh. Schindler arrives at Plaszow to examine what is happening.
Goeth approaches him and tells him that they are closing down
Plaszow. All the Jews will be moved to Auschwitz. Schindler watches
the action in horror. As he stands there, a tray of corpses passes by
him. One of the dead bodies is that of the little girl in the red coat.
The scene cuts to Schindler and Stern in Stern's office. Schindler
tells Stern that he has made sure that Stern will receive preferential
treatment at Auschwitz. When Stern asks him what he plans to do,
he says that he will return home with his money. The camera lingers
on his face as he looks deeply unsatisfied with this decision. He tells
Stern that someday this will all end, and that he must have a drink
with him when it does. Stern, beginning to cry, says that he better
do it now. The two men share their first drink together.
Analysis
The forced naked running of the Jews is perhaps the most degrading
and humiliating moment that the Jews experience in the film. The
mass deportation of the children works to the same effect as the
naked running. It highlights the horrors yet to come and reminds
both the Jews and the viewers to not become too comfortable in
their idea of normality. Additionally, the parents running after the
trucks represent family loyalty. Despite the fact that they might be
shot for running after their children, many of the adults race toward
the trucks screaming. The music is ironic. Its upbeat tone contrasts
with the terrible reality of what is occurring at Plaszow. It
dehumanises the Jews by making it seem more like a game than a
selection of who is worthy of living and who is not.
Schindler's spraying water at the train station further emphasises
his change in character and draws a distinction between him and
Goeth. Goeth believes that he is spraying the train cars in order to
be cruel. He cannot comprehend a nice action toward a Jew, and
thus rewrites it in his mind as a form of torture. Schindler plays into
this belief of Goeth's in order to provide water to the dehydrated
Jews stuffed into the train cars. Because the two men interpret the
same action in such vastly different ways, it becomes even more
evident that they are no longer operating under the same morals.
The sub-plot about Schindler being jailed for kissing a Jewish girl
17
simply represents Schindler's growing attachment to the Jewish
people. It also symbolises a more public recognition of this
attachment of Schindler's. It is no accident that it appears after the
water-spraying scene. Both illustrate Schindler's increasingly
forthright positive and helpful behaviour toward Jews. After he is
released, Goeth and another Nazi officer lecture him on his
behaviour. The officer's warnings about becoming too fond of Jewish
girls has broader meaning: he is reminding Schindler that it is policy
for the Jews to have no future, thus warning him of the
consequences of helping them now.
The burning pile of dead bodies is the ultimate horror witnessed in
the film. Plaszow has reached the lowest it will go. The
reappearance of the little girl in the red coat serves to make the
viewer feel a sense of personal loss at seeing the dead body of
someone who had represented youthful vibrancy. It also continues
the metaphor of the little girl in the red coat as the Jewish red flag
to the Allied powers. Her death represents the Allies' abandonment
of the Jews at the hands of the Nazis.
The final scene in this portion of the film represents total
helplessness. After all the horror, and after the Auschwitz death
sentence, neither Schindler nor Stern seems to have an answer to
the problem at hand. Schindler looks disturbed at the idea that he
must simply return home and let fate take its course. The usually
stolid Stern cries when he hears Schindler state this decision; he,
too, is out of ideas. When he learns of Schindler's plan to leave, he
feels more helpless than he has at any point thus far. He agrees to
take a drink with Schindler out of gratitude for all Schindler has
done up until this point. The drink brings the two men together as
friends and equals - two people in enormously different situations
but who both feel equally helpless.
Scenes 29 to 35: The List/Zwittau-Brinnlitz
Summary
The scene opens with a shot of a naked woman in bed before
panning upward to show a contemplative Oskar Schindler standing
in the corner. He stares out the window, pondering his situation and
the situation of the Jews. Billie Holiday's "God Bless the Child" plays
in the background. He moves to the living room where he begins to
count his trunks full of money.
The shot cuts to him standing with Goeth on Goeth's balcony. He is
pacing back and forth, smoking. Goeth does not understand why
18
Schindler wants the Jews he has been working with. He asks where
the money is in this venture, where the scam is. Schindler refuses to
answer but asks him how much a Jew is worth to him; he plans to
bribe Goeth. Goeth returns the question, before the camera cuts to
a close up of a typewriter spelling out names. Schindler and Itzhak
Stern are working on creating a list of Jews that will travel with
Schindler to a new factory in Moravia instead of to Auschwitz. Stern
types frantically while Schindler paces, listing off names of people
who should appear on the list. He continues to ask how many are on
the list. When he hears the number, he says that he wants more.
The sound of the typewriter continues as Schindler arrives at
Goeth's villa with a suitcase of money. The scene cuts to Schindler
trying to convince a fellow Nazi who has been sympathetic to the
Jews to join him in his venture, but the man adamantly refuses.
When the scene returns to Schindler and Stern's list making, Stern
asks Schindler how he is doing this. When Stern discovers that
Schindler is buying each and every Jew on the list, he is impressed
and shocked. When the list is finally completed, Stern tells Schindler
that the list is an absolute good.
Schindler then approaches Goeth and asks to put Helen Hirsch on
the list. Schindler lays a deck of cards in front of Goeth and asks to
play a game of 21. He offers Goeth 14,800 Reichsmarks if Goeth
wins and asks for Helen if he wins. Goeth initially refuses, saying
that he wants to take her back to Vienna with him. Eventually,
Goeth agrees to the card game and Schindler wins. The scene cuts
to the faces of the Jews on the list as they say their names to the
list checkers before boarding a train to Schindler's new factory in
Moravia. The film first follows the journey of the men. It is cold and
crowded on the train, but they rip off icicles from the side of the car
for water. They arrive safely in Moravia, and Schindler welcomes
them to Zwittau-Brinnlitz. He tells them that the women are on their
way and that there is hot soup and bread waiting for them inside the
factory.
The camera then moves to the women's train. The train is equally as
cramped, and the women entertain themselves with stories of food.
They look out the window and something seems not quite right. A
boy outside looks at them and cuts his finger across his throat,
symbolising death. Night approaches and the train pulls into a cold
station filled with officers. A title appears on the screen, informing
the viewer that the women have arrived at Auschwitz. The women
are pulled from the train and lined up. Protests that they have been
delivered to the wrong location are ignored. They are all brought
19
into a room where their hair is chopped off and their shoes are
taken from them. They are then ushered into an enclosed room. The
women, having heard stories of the gas chambers, panic as soon as
the door is shut. They scream in terror until the spouts overhead
begin to gush water. Laughing, they realise that they are not in a
gas chamber, but in a shower.
The scene cuts to Rudolph Hoss and Schindler, who are sitting at a
desk together. Schindler has presented to Hoss the list of the Jews
who are meant to be at his factory instead of at Auschwitz. Hoss
tells him that he is not the only industrialist who needs labour. Hoss
wonders why Schindler believes that he can help him. Schindler
pours out diamonds on the desk. Hoss offers him 300 Hungarian
Jews who are soon to be shipped into Auschwitz. Schindler refuses,
insisting that he be given those from his list. His wish is granted.
The scene cuts to the women being ushered back onto a train
leaving Auschwitz. Officers begin to grab children and pull them to
the side, while mothers scream and try to hold onto their daughters.
As soon as he notices, Schindler angrily runs after the officers and
stops their behaviour. He explains that the young girls are essential
for polishing the inside of shell casings. The girls are allowed on the
train. The film cuts to a shot of Schindler walking among the women
as guards open the gates to Zwittau-Brinnlitz. Soon after, he
explains to all his soldiers that they are not permitted to kill workers
without just cause and that guards will not be allowed on the factory
floor without Schindler's authorisation.
The next scene opens in a church. Emilie Schindler kneels at a pew,
singing along with a hymn. Schindler approaches and takes a seat in
the pew behind her. He taps her shoulder and surprises her, letting
her know that he is ready to be a faithful husband. The camera cuts
to Schindler walking his wife through the factory. He introduces her
to Stern before Stern pulls him away to let him know that the
officials are unhappy with the quality of his shells. Schindler tells
Stern to buy shells from elsewhere, so that fewer shells are being
produced. Regardless of the monetary cost, Schindler says he will be
very unhappy if his factory ever produces shells that can be fired.
Schindler then approaches Rabbi Menasha Lewartow and informs
him that he should be preparing for the Sabbath. He tells him to
accompany him to his office where he has some bottles of wine. The
Rabbi recites prayers in honour of the Sabbath with candles and
wine later that evening. Nazi soldiers listen in, perplexed.
Analysis
20
The opening of Scene 29 presents Schindler as having realised that
he might be able to provide a solution after all. The Billie Holiday
song playing in the background, whose lyrics are about the hollow
worth of wealth, serves to convey his thoughts to the viewer.
Schindler knows Goeth is open to bribes, and as he examines his
wealth, Schindler realises he may be able to buy Jews from Goeth.
Stern's pronouncement of the list as an absolute good is significant,
for it exhibits the total switch in morals and the procurement of
virtue for Schindler. Stern has been acting as his conscience
throughout the film, and for him to tell Schindler that one of his
actions is an absolute good means that Schindler no longer needs
Stern as his conscience. He now has his own. This plays out several
scenes later when Schindler approaches his wife in the church. By
committing himself to monogamy and marriage, Schindler shows his
virtue and conscience in another way.
Schindler's conversation with Goeth about Helen shows Goeth's
continued attachment to his maid. Despite how unfeasible the act
would be, Goeth fantasises about bringing her to Vienna with him
and growing old at her side. It is a very personal struggle, and he
only speaks of it to Schindler because he knows that Schindler
already knows about it and will not judge him harshly. Goeth
realises that to protect this woman to whom he has grown very
attached, he must send her with Schindler. This denotes that Goeth
does, in fact, understand Schindler's motive in buying the Jews, but
does not and will not say anything to stop him.
The rest of this portion of the film serves to illustrate the type of
haven Zwittau-Brinnlitz is. The women's accidental stint in
Auschwitz provides a stark contrast to Zwittau-Brinnlitz. The floating
ashes, harsh guards, required short haircuts, and threat of mass
extermination put Schindler's bright factory with inactive guards into
perspective. The Auschwitz accident also further exemplifies the
extents to which that Schindler is willing to go to in order to protect
the Jews on his list. He shows a fierce loyalty to them, bribing a
commander to reclaim them and personally assuring that they all
make it safely on the train to Moravia.
Multiple techniques are used to show the viewer that Schindler's
factory is a haven. Schindler instructs his guards to not shoot and to
not enter the factory floor. He provides hot soup and bread for his
workers. He allows the Rabbi to host a Sabbath. Perhaps most
notably, he is willing to go completely broke in order to ensure that
fewer artillery shells are produced for the Nazis.
21
Scenes 36 to 39: End of the War/Schindler's Grave
Summary
Itzhak Stern questions Schindler, asking if he has any money hidden
away somewhere. Schindler says no, and asks if he is broke. Stern
hesitates and sits down. The camera cuts to a large group of Jewish
workers in a room together. The camera pans and shows them to all
be staring at a radio, from which a voice is announcing Germany's
surrender. The Nazi officers are sitting with them. Schindler invites
the guards into the factory for the first time.
As everyone gathers on the factory floor, Schindler stands before
them to speak. He announces Germany's surrender. He tells
everyone that, starting tomorrow, they will begin to look for
surviving friends and family. In many cases, he warns them, they
will not find them. He tells the Jews to thank themselves and to
thank Stern, not him. He informs them that, as a member of the
Nazi party and a profiteer of slave labour, he will be hunted as a
criminal. He will remain with them until five minutes after midnight
and after that time, he must flee.
Schindler then turns to the German soldiers and tells them that he
knows they have received orders to dispose of the population of the
camp. He tells them that this is their opportunity. However, he then
proceeds to provide them with a more pleasant alternative: leave
now and return home as men, not murderers. One boy turns and
leaves, and the rest of the soldiers follow suit. After the soldiers
exit, Schindler calls for three minutes of silence in honour of those
who have been lost.
The scene cuts to a group of men thanking a man and removing his
tooth. The tooth has a gold crown, which the workers melt and
mould into a ring. The workers follow Schindler as he leaves the
factory later that evening. Schindler provides to Stern a list of things
that he has left for the workers. Outside the factory, all the workers
have gathered to bid farewell to Schindler. They remove their hats
out of respect. Rabbi Menasha Lewartow steps up to present
Schindler with a letter that the workers have written and signed,
which explains Schindler's innocence should he be captured as a war
criminal.
Stern then steps forward to present the gold ring to Schindler. On
the ring is inscribed a Talmud expression: "Whoever saves one life
saves the world entire." Schindler, hands trembling, drops the ring
but retrieves it and slides it on his finger. He grabs Stern's hands
and whispers to him that he could have got more Jews out of
22
Plaszow. Stern shakes his head and tells him that there are 1,100
people alive because of him. Schindler gets upset, realising that if
he had just sold his pin or his car, that he could have saved more
lives. His Jewish workers comfort him by surrounding him and
embracing him. The workers watch as Schindler's car exits through
the factory gates.
The scene changes to the next morning. A Soviet soldier finds the
Jews sleeping outside the factory on the train tracks. The soldier
tells them that they have been liberated. They ask him where to go
and the soldier provides no real answer, simply informing them that
they are not liked on either side of Europe but that there is a town
nearby. The camera cuts to a massive line of Jews walking across a
field toward a town while a popular Hebrew song plays.
The scene changes to a clip of Amon Goeth's hanging. He was
charged with crimes against humanity and executed. The scene
changes to the outside of Schindler's original factory, and a title
informs the viewer that Schindler failed at his marriage and several
businesses after the war. Another title tells the viewer that Schindler
was declared a righteous person by the council of Yad Vashem in
Israel in 1958. A tree was planted in his honour that grows there
still.
The scene changes back to the line of walking Jews, and the shot
fades into colour. A subtitle tells the viewer that the people now
walking toward the camera are the actual Schindler Jewish survivors
in the present day. The survivors, accompanied by the actors who
played them in the film, walk by Schindler's grave and place stones
on it. At the end of the procession, the camera shows the stonecovered grave of Schindler. An unidentified hand, which we
understand to be the hand of Liam Neeson (the actor who played
Schindler). places two roses in the centre of the grave. The camera
cuts to a shot of Neeson in the distance looking down at the grave
before fading to black.
Analysis
Schindler's acceptance of his impoverished state illustrates the total
change that overcame him throughout the war. He calmly accepts
the information that he no longer has any money, understanding
that he lost his funds to save the lives of others. His bankruptcy also
comes at a convenient time: in conjunction with the end of the war,
when the factory is going to be shut down anyway.
Schindler's speech on the factory floor is one of the most moving
moments of the film. He extends his deepest thanks and
23
condolences to the Jews, humbling himself to a level not yet seen in
the film. His motion to the Nazi soldiers is a risky one, but one that
represents his faith in humanity, despite the atrocities of the
Holocaust, and disgust with his own party. Having the German
soldiers leave in such a manner is also a reminder that not all men
enlisted in the German army wanted to kill. Their exit sends an
uplifting message. Schindler's moment of silence for the Jews shows
his respect for their people and the acknowledgement of their
humanity, an action that works directly against the frequent
dehumanisation seen throughout the rest of the film. Furthermore,
Schindler's sign of the cross followed by the Rabbi's prayers sends a
message of the possibility of religious co-habitation.
The ring presented to Schindler contains the message of the entire
film. Its presentation to Schindler in conjunction with the letter
illustrates the immense respect and gratitude Schindler's workers
had for him. To have this scene not long before the execution of
Goeth conveys the triumph of power by respect over power by fear.
Schindler's emotional breakdown only adds to his workers' respect
for him, since it shows he also has the power of strong emotion,
something not seen in Schindler until this point.
It is significant that the workers awaken on top of railway tracks.
Trains are used throughout the film as a symbol of passing on. At
every point until the end of the film, they bring Jews to Auschwitz
and consequently, to probable death. By sleeping on top of the train
tracks after being liberated, the Jews are conquering this symbol of
death. They have survived the Holocaust and have not been put on
the deathly passage. They can stand by the tracks without being
hurt now.
Spielberg fades the actors into the real-world survivors at the end in
order to promote cinematic realism and adhere to the genre of
docu-drama. In doing this, he directly connects the actors to their
real-world counterparts and instills a sense of truth in the viewer.
The transition to colour also brings the viewer into the present time
and highlights the historical, documentary-like quality of the black
and white film that the viewer has just watched. The partnerships of
the actual survivors and the actors acts to similarly add to the
truthfulness of the tale. The epilogue titles serve to remind the
viewers that the film that they just watched was based on a true
story, a real man, and real workers. It's therefore not just a film,
but a story with real-world consequences and results.
24