The Holocaust and Nazism in the Media

 The Holocaust in the Movies

The Holocaust has been the topic of some unforgettable and moving films in recent history. Two of the best of the best are The Pianist (2002) by Roman Polanski and Schindler's List (1993) by Steven Spielberg. Both The Pianist and Schindler's List were critical successes, with Polanski's film winning 3 Academy Awards while Spielberg's won an amazing seven. Schindler's List is notable for being primarily filmed in black and white, an aesthetic choice that adds to the film's sense of realism and timelessness.

The Pianist is a haunting film about the experiences of a Jewish Pianist named Władysław Szpilman (played by Adrian Brody) to survive in Warsaw's ghetto during the Holocaust and both the failed Warsaw Ghetto Uprising where the Jews attempted to resist Nazi attempts to liquidate the population, as well as the later Warsaw Uprising where Polish resistance fighters stepped up attacks on the German occupation. Szpilman's character was that of one of the top pianists in the nation, who played on the national radio and was quite famous. Over the course of the war, from the German invasion in 1939 to the end of the war in 1945, Szpilman was forced to hide in attics and secret spots, and his entire family was killed.

The only thing that kept Szpilman from the same fate as his family and most of the ghetto was his fame and connections as a pianist. He was pulled from a train headed to an extermination camp by a guard who recognized him, and he was sheltered by fellow artists for a time. In the end, however, he was left to hide in the abandoned ghetto and to scrounge for food on his own, until he was found by a German military officer. However, to his surprise, the officer gave him food and aid, and he was able to survive until the end of the war.

Schinder's List is similar to The Pianist in that it is about the kindness and humanity of a German participant in their military-industrial complex. Whereas in The Pianist it was a military officer, in this movie it was Oskar Schindler (played by Liam Neeson), an industrialist who owns factories that make weapons and ammunition for the German army. In the beginning, Schindler is out to make a name for himself and become rich off the war effort, and uses bribes and his friendship with Nazis and the SS to acquire factories and labor. He gains access to the use of Jewish slave labor and sees the value in the skills that many of the Jews had, including the character played by Ben Kingsley, Itzhak Stern. Stern becomes in many ways his business manager, using his pre-war business skills to be useful to Schindler.

Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern and Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler

However, over time, Schindler begins to see the Jews as more than slaves, and his motives change from making money to protecting people. One of the key scenes that show his transformation is when he witnesses the liquidation of the ghetto, and the death of a little girl in a red coat, one of the few instances of color in the film. From this point onward, his focus shifts to using his fortune to protect the Jews that work under him, using bribes, lies, and a willingness to lose money to save their lives.

In the climax of the movie, with the end of the war at hand, Schindler had saved 1100 Jews from certain death. With his status as a Nazi war profiteer and industrialist, Schindler had to fear capture and execution by the Russian and even American forces that were quickly occupying the nation. In an emotional scene, the Jews present Schindler with a document to present that testifies to their experience under Schindler, and the story ends with the idea that "He who saves one life saves the world entire."

These films show the Holocaust at its most desperate, never shying away from the horrible acts of violence and genocide. However, they also show people at their best, striving against the odds to save people. I believe this films are important because they show Nazism and the Holocaust at its worst, but also shows how Nazi Germany was not some monolith. There were a few good people willing to put their lives and fortunes on the line to save people. Both these films should be watched in their whole if one gets the chance.

Some questions to consider in the comments: Please answer at least two of these questions in the comments, and reply to at least three of your classmates' answers. Please response to any comments on your answers. 

What do these films teach us about the Holocaust? Do you think that these films to a good job of portraying what we have learned?

Do these films do the Holocaust a disservice by showing exceptional stories? These stories detail the survival of 1100 Jews and 1 Jew, respectively. These were by far the exception, not the rule. Does looking at the few survivors undermine the scope of those that were not so lucky?

Have you seen other films about the Holocaust? If so, which ones?