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UNDERSTANDING THE HOLOCAUST THROUGH THE STORIES OF INDIVIDUALS
What could you work out from the clips?
What are the dangers of making a film about the Holocaust?
Steven Spielberg has said that the Holocaust is too abstract, too difficult for us to understand.
He has also said that he felt that the story of Oskar Schindler provided “an avenue into a subject that is too horrendous for words, let alone pictures.”
What do you think he means by this?
What techniques does Steven Spielberg use in Schindler’s List to help the viewer understand the
horror of the Holocaust?
Black and white film
Almost all of the film is shot in black and white. Why do you think this was?
What effect does it have?
Steven Spielberg has said that he felt that there was “more truth in black and white.”
What do you think he meant?
Do you agree?
Occasional use of colour
• Whilst the film is shot in black and white, there is very occasional use of colour.
• What impact does this have?
• What effect does seeing the little girl in the red coat have?
The story of individuals
• How does Schindler’s List teach us about the Holocaust through the story of individuals?
• Is it strange that Steven Spielberg chose a story with a positive outcome to show audiences about the Holocaust?
• What effect does this have?
The final scene
The film closes with some of the people that Schindler saved visiting Oskar Schindler’s grave with their families.
• How does this reinforce the audience’s engagement with the characters?
• How does this scene make you feel?
The story of individuals
Steven Spielberg invested all of the money made by Schindler’s List in setting up the Shoah Foundation, which teaches people about the Holocaust through the stories of survivors. The Shoah Foundation has collected almost 52,000 films of survivors talking about their experiences.
Shoah Foundation Website
The story of individuals
• Spend some time looking at the clips from The Shoah Foundation website
• Why do you think Spielberg felt that it was so important to capture these stories?
• What impact do they have?
