The World Entire
Watching Schindler’s List reminded me why I wanted to pursue work in film; Spielberg told the story of Osakar Schindler and the Schindlerjuden and did it justice. There were no action scenes or romantic subplots to add fluff. Rather, all 3 hours and 15 minutes of the film were dedicated to exploring the events and themes surrounding the Holocaust and the Schindlerjuden. Schindler’s List was able to combine many different elements of film (narrative, soundtrack and cinematography) each effective on their own, and create a harmonious and beautiful film.
The scene that best highlighted the soundtrack was the scene where the ghettos were being raided by the SS and the Commander was playing the piano. The piano was playing the whole time, amongst the sounds of the soldiers and the gunshots. It even sounded like they were a counter medley to the piano, and as if they belonged exactly where they were. This fantastic sound design was likely done on purpose to point out the contrast between something as tame as the piano and the sounds of soldiers murdering the innocent.
One of the most famous scenes in the film is one with little dialogue, and one speck of color. The girl in the red coat, whose coat is the only thing in the whole film shown in color, is walking through the streets of the ghetto while the SS are drag people from their homes, and either shoot them in the streets or send them to the concentration camps. The red looks like blood, but it is still dark even against the dark blacks in the rest of the grayscale scene. When I was researching why Spielberg did this, I found a quote by him saying that he wanted the girl to represent the violence against the Jewish people in Europe. He said that it was as clear as a girl in a red coat walking down the street.
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