Introduction:
Throughout Schindler’s List the director, Steven Spielberg, uses the character arcs of Oskar Schindler, Itzhak Stern and Amon Goeth to convey several ideas. Schindler progresses from a greedy, selfish businessman to one who surrendered his fortune to save the lives of over 1000 Jews. Beginning as Schindler’s shrewd servant, Stern develops a close bond with Schindler. As their two initially separate goals merge into one, respect for his employer followed. Goeth begins as a cruel, cold-blooded murderer but, under the influence of Schindler, deviates briefly, with episodes of forgiveness and mercy, yet unfortunately returns back to his evil ways. These character arcs all convey the theme of change and the place of individual choices
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Spielberg uses the window frame divider to juxtapose the two men, asking us to compare the morals of the two men. Following this, a transition to the creation of the ‘List’ with Stern, confirms Schindler has made a righteous decision, signalling a major turning point in Schindler’s character arc.
Second Paragraph:
Itzhak Stern, compared to Schindler and Goeth is stable and reliable, an anchor of morality. What does change is Stern’s relationship with Schindler.
In the first meeting between Stern and Schindler, Stern is cautious, closed and restrained. Spielberg uses a low camera angle and the positioning of the actors to compare the power of Schindler to Stern. Schindler, sitting on the table top, towers over him. Close up shots of Schindler and medium shots on Stern, as well as the closed body language of the actor, convey that Stern is wary and a minion.
Spielberg uses a motif of Schindler offering a drink to Stern used throughout the movie, signifying the relationship between the two men. The first time Schindler meets Stern, Stern does not accept the drink, symbolising the newness and uncertainty of the men’s
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Throughout the vignette, Goeth’s height and low angle shots show his domination over the Jews. His dialogue shows his newfound self-control, in one instance bursting out in anger, before calming himself and saying “all right.... all right”.
In the mirror scene, Spielberg uses an over the shoulder shot to show Goeth staring at the mirror, symbolising him reflecting on his new self. Through the camera pan of Goeth’s resolved and sinister expression, Spielberg displays Goeth’s reluctance to change.
We are also shown Goeth’s internalized anti-Semitism and unjustifiable cruelty in the cellar scene. Spielberg uses lighting and shadow to portray innocence and evil. Helen’s face, permanently in light, contrasts with Goeth’s face, shadowed in darkness. Spielberg uses light on part of Goeth’s face to show the conflict between his anti-Semitic values and his sexual lust. The dialogue in this scene is entirely one sided, Goeth talking to himself. Spielberg shows Goeth’s self-justification of his innate
Grendel, as a character, has a much more complex identity than just a monster and a human. Some, such as Ruud, classify him as a mixture of three different characteristics, but alone, they tend to conflict with each other. By making the connection that Grendel represents immorality, the previous idea makes more sense, while simultaneously incorporating more aspects of the character into the analysis. In either case, Grendel represents much more than meets the eye, and provides a fascinating insight into
Asher Lev and his mentor, Jacob Kahn illustrated a relationship of God’s creation and temptation from the devil. Throughout the novel, Kahn pushes Asher to devote his life to art, and describes it as “a tradition; it is a religion...It has it’s fanatics, and I will force [Asher] to master it” (Potok 213). Throughout Jewish texts, it is clearly stated that God’s people, whom Asher Lev belongs to in the novel, will face temptations from The Other Side that will lead them away from Him. As art is against Orthodox Jewish beliefs, another Jew persuading and encouraging Asher Lev to continue his passion of painting, can be a symbol of the devil in disguise. This is furthered, as Kahn introduced his pupil to many
A small, smoke-filled and well-lit room with a small circular table, some buffets and other furniture. Having everything typical to a middle and upper class residence, this room symbolizes the type of citizens who are tired and afraid of M’s reign of terror. Having the mobster’s meet in this room in the first place, Lang highlights the notion of the silent, scared majority of Berlin who will accept any course of action just to see to it that their children are safe and that their normalcy of life continues on, before M began abducting children. The cigar smoke filling the room is symbolic of the haziness and gray area that such a situation presents. One may stop to ask themselves, “Is this right? Are we doing the right thing by setting the mob loose on M?” or “If I was a criminal, would I want due process and a fair investigation and trial?” By the mob and the people taking matters into their own hands, they are essentially submitting to fear and thus usurping the due process of law. By having the mobsters in the room, the citizens are okay with ends being justified by the means and show that have lost complete and utter faith and trust in the police to keep their children
Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief (2005), and Steven Spielberg, director of Schindler’s List (1993), both use their works to portray the theme of racism in Nazi-era Germany. Racism today affects millions of people daily, with 4.6 million people being racial discrimination in Australia alone. However, in Nazi-era Germany, Jewish people were discrimination because they weren’t part of the ‘master race’, causing millions to suffer and be killed. To explore this theme, the setting, characters, conflicts and symbols in both The Book Thief and Schindler’s List will be analysed and compared.
While both movies were making comments about the socialism, but at the same time they tried to show good side and good people. The police officer in the Berlin- Corner Schonhauser and the mayor in The Rabbit is Me. They were both good and understandable people. They both tried to help others and instead of just caring about what the rules say, they tried to listen to their own judgement too, and so even though they had the power to send those people to jail or something, they tried to be nicer and give them another
Finally, the analogy to the fruit of knowledge and the downfall of man is played out by Sethe as she gathers her children (her fruit) to her. The text continues the analogy as Sethe does something unthinkable, something evil, and she is cast out of the garden for it. These passages serve to reaffirm the never ending battle between good and evil.
...n idea about the human psyche and the nature of evil. Throughout the novels, we have acts that were dubbed as evil. Some of these were: the acts of the rabbi’s son, the killing of Simon, and even the joy Eliezer felt at the death of his father. All of these points and the many that weren’t mentioned all shared a singular idea. It was that the ulterior motive of these acts revolved around people reacting on instinct and desire. From these, we gain the final message of the novel that was proven time and time again. This message was that evil isn’t an act that just isn’t moral. Evil is the primal, instinctual, an animalistic rage that lives in the darker part of our heart, a part of the heart that is brought to light upon the moment the chains of civilization are broken..... A moment where we fall prey to our instincts and our conscience disappears into the darkness.
Denial is another theme in this film which helped to save the Jewish race. Even as they are forced into the ghetto and later into labor camps they are in denial of their real situation. When they are in the ghetto they are optimistic and believe that the bad times will pass, and even when killing surrounds them they won’t let themselves believe the worst.
While the script is often one of the most crucial elements in a film, the brevity of speech and precise movements of the primary character accentuate the changing nature of his integrity. As viewers follow Captain Wiesler of the East German secret police, it is soon clear that he only says what is necessary, such as when noting his surveillance partner’s lateness or setting instructions for the surveillance bugging team (“twenty minutes”). It is important to note that Wiesler does not say a single word when Axel Stiegler cracks a joke in the cafeteria about Honecker, or when Grubitz himself makes a joke. Only
When a Jewish girl living in Krakow under fabricated papers visits Schindler, and she asks that he hire her parents to work in his factory. He is furious with the girl and she runs from him, fearing for her life and her liberty. Schindler expresses his rage at Stern, whom he accuses of giving refuge to Jews in the "haven" of a factory. Schindler is not angry at the idea ...
feels he must turn his factory into a refuge for Jews. By doing so he
A film bursting with visual and emotional stimuli, the in-depth character transformation of Oscar Schindler in Schindler’s List is a beautiful focal point of the film. Riddled with internal conflict and ethical despair, Schindler challenges his Nazi Party laws when he is faced with continuing his ambitious business ideas or throwing it all away for the lives of those he once saw as solely cheap labor. Confronted with leading a double life and hiding his motivations from those allegiant to Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, Schindler undergoes numerous ethical dilemmas that ultimately shape his identity and challenge his humanity. As a descendent of a Jewish-American, Yiddish speaking World War II soldier who helped liberate concentration camps in Poland, this film allowed for an enhanced personal
This documentary like film begins with Oskar Schindler getting ready to make the deal of a life time by getting in good with the Nazi Officers. Schindler was a man that knew how to smooze people. He would wine and dine them with the best of wine, food, and women, which was not a cheap thing to do, especially during World War II. He was fond of saying, "Presentation is everything."
Schindler’s List begins with the early life of Oskar Schindler. The novel describes his early family life in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and his adolescence in the newly created state of Czechoslovakia. It tells of his relationship with his father, and how his father left his mother. His mother is also described in great detail. Like many Germans in the south, she was a devout Catholic. She is described as being very troubled that her son would take after her estranged husband with his negligence of Catholicism. Oskar never forgave Hans, his father, for his abandonment of his mother , which is ironic considering that Oskar would do the same with his wife Emilie. In fact Hans and Oskar Schindler’s lives would become so much in parallel that the novel describes their relationship as “that of brothers separated by the accident of paternity.'; Oskar’s relationship with Emilie is also described in detail as is their marriage. The heart of the novel begins in October 1939 when Oskar Schindler comes to the Polish city of Cracow. It has been six weeks since the German’s took the city, and Schindler sees great opportunity as any entrepreneur would. For Schindler, Cracow represents a place of unlimited possibilities because of the current economic disorder and cheap labor. Upon his arrival in Cracow he meets Itzak Stern, a Jewish bookkeeper. Schindler is very impressed with Stern because of his business prowess and his connections in the business community. Soon Schindler and Stern are on t...
(The following text contains major spoilers) From the moment Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) appears on screen as the charismatic, yet cold-blooded “Jew Hunter”, it