In Schindler’s List, the main character is Oskar Schindler, who was a businessman who moved to Krakow to make money from World War II. He joined the Nazi party to boost his revenue and staffs his factory with Jewish workers. Since this is during the Holocaust, the Jewish people can’t get paid under the Nazi regime so Schindler makes a lot of money off of their work. When the SS begins exterminating Jews in the ghetto, Schindler makes sure his workers are protected so he continues to make profit. After some time, however, he realizes that these Jews are real people with valuable lives, so he begins to save them out of the goodness of his heart and not just for the money.

    I liked the message that was provided by the black and white aspect of the movie. It highlighted the violence within the film and shows the watchers the disparity between good and evil. In the scene where the man with one arm is shot in the head, there is a contrast between the seemingly-black blood and very white snow. Many scenes are dark to achieve a feeling of uneasiness and confusion. In the shower scene at Auschwitz, the women’s faces light up in horror as they await what will come. The lighting in Schindler’s List adds to the entire tone of the movie, and when the movie goes from black and white to color I could sense a shift in time and feeling. The majority of the film is done in a professional way, with slow steady pans and zooms, but when the director wanted the watchers to feel as if we were there with everyone the camera was shaky as if someone was running alongside the Nazis or Jews. The transitions were really well thought out: at one point the scene goes from Oskar Schindler slamming a cabinet door out of anger to him bursting through an office door to speak to someone. It was a seamless transition even though it clearly went from one point in time to a couple of minutes later. The cinematography in the movie was well clearly thought out, as it should be– portraying the Holocaust is no joke. The shootings and brutality that occurred were all believable and scary. The added dialogue and use of music added the appropriate effects. There is one scene where bodies are on a conveyor belt being dropped into a burning fire pit. The only sounds the listener can hear is screaming and dramatic music. The movie could not have had the tone it acquired without the lighting or sound that was used.

    Overall, I would recommend this movie because it covers an important topic that should not be avoided. It was beautifully cinematic yet captured the cruelty of the Holocaust. As upsetting and graphic as the movie was, I enjoyed how there was light at the end of a dark tunnel. Schindler saved many Jewish people from being killed which, during the Holocaust as part of the Nazi party, was a risky and brave thing to do. The movie is on the longer side (3 hours and 15 minutes) however it is worth the watch if you are interested in learning more about events that occurred during the Holocaust and how a group of Jewish people’s lives were saved.