Schindler's List (1993)
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A German industrialist risks his fortune and safety to save over a thousand Jewish refugees from the Holocaust.
The story
In German-occupied Kraków during World War II, the Nazis force local Polish Jews into the overcrowded Kraków Ghetto. Oskar Schindler, a German Nazi Party member from Czechoslovakia, arrives in the city, hoping to make his fortune. He bribes Wehrmacht and SS officials, acquiring a factory to produce enamelware. Schindler hires Itzhak Stern, a Jewish official who handles administration and helps Schindler arrange financing. Stern ensures that as many Jewish workers as possible are deemed essential to the German war effort to prevent them from being taken by the SS to concentration camps or killed. Meanwhile, Schindler maintains friendly relations with the Nazis and enjoys his new wealth and status as an industrialist.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In German-occupied Kraków during World War II, Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist, acquires a factory and hires Itzhak Stern to manage Jewish workers. When SS officer Amon Göth arrives to oversee the construction of the Płaszów concentration camp, he orders the liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto. Schindler witnesses the massacre and becomes moved by the plight of the victims, specifically a girl in a red coat. He begins using his wealth to bribe officials to protect his workers. As the war progresses, he moves his workers to a munitions factory in Brünnlitz. During a transport, women are diverted to Auschwitz, but Schindler manages to secure their release through further bribes. As Germany nears defeat, Schindler spends his remaining fortune to keep his workers safe. In the end, he is forced to flee the advancing Red Army, and his workers provide him with a signed statement and a ring as a token of gratitude for his actions. The film concludes with an epilogue showing the legacy of his actions and the fate of Amon Göth.
- First release year
- 1993
- Runtime (minutes)
- 195
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Steven Spielberg
- Writers
- Steven Zaillian · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Liam Neeson · Schindler; Ralph Fiennes · Amon Göth; Ben Kingsley · Itzhak Stern
- Genres
- historical drama; biographical; war
- Themes
- good and evil
- Premise and plot tags
- historical; biographical; war
- Source material / true-story basis
- Schindler's Ark (1982) by Thomas Keneally
- Content notes
- violence; language
- Reception
- The film received widespread critical acclaim and was a box office success, being hailed as a masterpiece and one of the greatest films ever made.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 98% · scale: percentage · review count: 137; Metacritic · score: 95 · scale: 100 · review count: 30
- Awards and nominations
- Academy Award · Best Picture · win; Academy Award · Best Original Score · win; BAFTA · multiple · win; Golden Globe · multiple · win
- Production trivia
- The film was shot in black and white to create a sense of timelessness.; The film was selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry in 2004.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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