Comparing 'Schindlers List' and 'Life is Beautiful' and how they present the Holocaust.
Comparing 'Schindlers List' and
'Life is Beautiful' and how they present the Holocaust
The films 'Schindlers List' and 'Life is Beautiful' are both about the Holocaust in World War Two. The mass murder of the Jews in Europe is a very hard subject to make a film about, and both directors approach the topic in different ways.
In the opening sequence of 'Schindlers List', is in colour. It is a match being struck, lighting a candle with a Jewish family praying around it. When the candle burns out, the family is no longer there, conveying a sense of death. The camera follows the line of smoke up, which cleverly changes into the smoke of an old (war time) steam train. The film is now in black and white.
'Life is Beautiful' is opened by a slapstick comedy scene where Guido is introduced with a friend, driving down a road when the brakes fail. The director creates a sense of happiness, and it is funny when they drive through a crowd, ready for the king. Guido is waving to get the crowd out of the way. They think he is the king giving the Nazi salute, so they return this gesture. This signals that the Germans are coming. During this, there is a sense of juxtaposition when Guido remarks, "We are going to die!" This is a signal of things to come. As the setting of 'Life is Beautiful' is in the beautiful Italian countryside, it puts the audience into a sense of false security that nothing can go wrong.
The introduction of Osker Schindler is quite interesting. He is clearly rich / wealthy, and is listening to classical music. This shows that he lives a very high life. The viewer finds out that he is a proud member of the Nazi party, when he pins his badge to his lapel. He is a very sociable person who is keen to make an impression on people, and wants to be noticed. Osker thinks that money is worth everything, and buys his way into high society. He draws people toward him and is very clever.
When we ...
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The introduction of Osker Schindler is quite interesting. He is clearly rich / wealthy, and is listening to classical music. This shows that he lives a very high life. The viewer finds out that he is a proud member of the Nazi party, when he pins his badge to his lapel. He is a very sociable person who is keen to make an impression on people, and wants to be noticed. Osker thinks that money is worth everything, and buys his way into high society. He draws people toward him and is very clever.
When we are introduced to Guido, we find him to be very happy, very cheerful and very funny. The director's intention seems to be to make Guido more like a comedian than a bookshop owner. He is a good talker, and very confident in himself. He is full of life, and is enjoying life. He proves that life IS beautiful. He is also very charming and warm-hearted. He knows how to win the friendship of others. He is crazy, in a good way! At first the film seems like a comedy.
Both films introduce the Holocaust in different ways. 'Schindlers List' goes straight into it, showing the steam train that takes the Jews to the concentration/death camps in Poland. The Jews are registering their names at the station. The train journey symbolises the death of the Jews.
'Life is Beautiful' takes a different, more steady approach to the Holocaust. It is more of a love story. Benegni conveys the whole mood of the film very well, Guido (Benigni himself) falls in love with Dora, a teacher, and will do anything to gain her love. Guido witnesses racism since the Nazis became influential in Italy. His horse is painted green, with 'Jewish Horse' written on it. the symbolism of the green horse is that green is an extremely un-natural colour for a horse, showing that Jews are un-natural and aliens in Italy. This is the first incident of racism in the film.
Both Spielberg and Benigni use children in their films. This clever as seeing children suffer touches people in a way that nothing else can. In 'Schindlers List' there is a young girl calling
"Goodbye Jews" as the Jews walk towards the ghettos. This shows that Hitler's influence reached children as well.
When Guido and Joshua arrive at the camp 'barracks', a wave of surprise, confusion and distaste falls over Joshua. Guido decides to shield his son from the horrors they face, and tells him it's a game with the first team to 1000 points winning a tank. When a officer comes to explain the camp rules, he expects Guido to translate them into Italian (he can't speak German). Instead he says the game rules.
When the Jews (in 'Schindlers List') arrive in the ghettos, a man remarks, "It couldn't be worse". At the same time, Schindler is shown his luxury house and remarks, "It couldn't be better". This is more effective juxtaposition. Later in the film, in the camp a group of Jews are walking and a single girl stands out from the black and white surroundings. She is wearing red, which symbolises death and the innocence of the Jews.
In 'Life is Beautiful', Joshua again refuses at the camp to have a shower. This prevents him from being gassed with the other children. He stamps his feet, juxtaposing this scene with the earlier refusal of taking a shower scene.
In 'Schindlers List', there is a party for Schindlers birthday where everyone is happy. However, downstairs the camp commander is beating and abusing a girl (maid) who is Jewish. He slaps her first when a Jewish man smashes a light bulb with his foot at his wedding. The happy music from Schindlers party links all three scenes together, including the cruelty going on downstairs.
At the end of 'Life is Beautiful', there is a great sense of juxtaposition when Joshua hides in the box, just as he had at home to prevent taking a shower. As before the audience can just see his eyes. Guido is caught during this time, trying to get to Dora, and he is shot and killed for his efforts. This is tragic. As the Germans leave, soon the surviving Jews do as well. Joshua comes out to see an American tank, which he gets on. As they are driving past the Jews returning home, he spots Dora. He goes to her very happy repeating, "We won! We won!" Symbolising they had won 'the game' and the fight for survival. They are both very happy. The moral to this film is that, no matter what people go through, 'Life is Beautiful'.
When 'Schindlers List' ends, the viewer sees Schindler dismiss the German soldiers, and sees the grateful people whose lives he saved. Both young and old. He is upset that he hadn't saved more people. It finishes with all the survivors and descendents of 'Schindlers Jews' placing stones on Osker Schindlers grave. A sign of gratitude and respect.
The use of colour is very significant in both of these films. 'Schindlers list' starts in colour, and then fades to black and white. This successfully portrays the sad and sombre mood of the film. It also makes the film seem more 'factual'.
'Life is Beautiful' starts by being colourful in the Italian countryside, showing happiness. Then when in the concentration / death camp, the pictures get much duller, to again give a more sombre mood. At the end of both the films, colour is again used. Brightly and happily in 'Life is Beautiful', and sadly at Schindlers grave in 'Schindlers List'. It was appropriate for it the return to colour in 'Schindlers List', as I think it showed that there was life again for Jews in Europe, and it also makes you realise that it did not take place that long ago. It makes it feel closer to home.
Andrew Beale
0ed
English Coursework
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