Apathy in the Face of Horror (Schindler’s List) | Video Essay 

The “I could’ve done more” scene might honestly be the greatest scene that Spielberg has ever directed

Honestly, I shed a tear when I realized that we ALL could do more.

Literally I have researched the holocaust from the 6th grade and I am not so shocked at this movie. If anything I love watching this and the pianist it’s a visual of all the things I’ve read for years. Yeah it’s depressing, but it helps me understand events. Back in my sophomore year of history class no one could watch the movie without crying except me. And when people would ask me why, I had to explain that I’ve seen the movie already and others like it and it makes me want to learn and understand more. This time in history fascinates me to learn how terrible and amazing people could be. It low key helped my depression in middle school because I learned that my middle school problems are minimal compared to the past. It was the start for my love of history and it is my life goal to visit not only the museums about the Holocaust, but I want to see the camps with my own eyes and actually visit them. Thank you to whoever actually reads this random rant 🤷🏽‍♀️

I love how you focused in on the concept of point of thought...often times people will talk about the gaze or POV of a character, but completely neglect what they are thinking about and how that "thought" changes over the course of a story. Perspective is very much so important to Spielberg in all of his works if you look close enough. His characters often gaze outwards (with the camera floating up!) or to a point of interest, but their 'perspective' is inner. You are very correct to point out we like Schindler are lost in our inner worlds and we must gaze out with a new point of thought if we want to do more...Absolutely amazing video Ariana! Hat's off to you!😄👏

Wow! You hit the nail on the head here. You show why Schindler's story is the one that had to be told. It's not about the big white hero who saves everybody. The Bruce Willis of his age. There were many more people around falling into this category There were lots of people who saved many more than Schindler did. They worked tirelessly to save thousands upon thousands constantly putting them before their wealth, livelihood and quite often their own lives. If they survived they faded into obscurity after the war. But they quickly recognized the system as it was: a monstrosity with the sole purpose of destroying humans on every possible way. They never stood for it and they fought it any way they could. They were not complicit in the crime. There were others, sometimes faithful Nazis who saved certain people. They literally pulled out their friends, colleagues or neighbors from the execution line. They were risking their own life to hid and feed them sometimes for long years. But they acted upon personal preference. They didn't reach for the strangers, they didn't burst their own bubbles just pushed its the walls out. There were even a few active participants of the killing machine whose conscience finally caught up with them. They saved their own victims usually by denying orders. They might even saved more people than all the above. It just shows how much more they could have done. All of these people deserve recognition. Schindler was different from all. He conveniently looked away as long as he could counting his money, priding himself a decent man among monsters. But when the realization came he completely changed. He sacrificed not only his money, but went completely against his old self. He pulled in as many people he could, friends and strangers alike. He went out of his way to fight the system and from a bystander he voluntarily transformed into a warrior. As Spielberg said we will never learn his reasons or the exact moment he turned. Maybe they weren't clear even for him. Though his acts speak for themselves. His example shows if people like him woke up earlier there might not have been a single murder. This is the lesson of this movie. It's never late to change for the better, but earlier we do we might save the world entire. Thank you Ms. Alexis to make me think all this trough.

I read the novel it's based on, 'Schindler's Ark' by Thomas Keneally every few years. Although Google tells me in the US the book is called Schindler's List, so that's really interesting. It has footnotes, and obviously it can be far more thorough, and centers the Jewish people far more. But this film tells so much, and so incredibly, that the novel is almost a companion piece, rather than a competing piece of media. There's no way to say 'the book/film was better', because they are both just affecting in the medium they are in. And both destroy me every single time.

Such a haunting video essay - great job

This is so well written, I have to give props to you !!

Its a mix of "I've could have done more" with the self interest and fear that makes people becoming like Schindler. We know what is right or wrong but we don't want to step out our comfort zone and help if we put ourselves in danger by doing so. Only to late do we realize that a different action even if a small one could have had far greater impacts not just on ourselves but those around us that we see suffering.

Beautiful work, Ariana.

A comment to help with the algorithm. (Also, you know, amazing video).

This must have been such a difficult headspace to revisit, but you've done such a great job with this video essay. Thanks for covering it. This is so good.

I found this channel recently and I am so glad of this

I have not seen the film yet, but fantastic video

Excellent video essay. Well done.

I have the movie on DVD now saw it in theaters years ago in 1993 three times with my family i was in highschool 10th grade. Something to remember to never forget in history what has happened. 😢

also a good vid, you got a sub That said, I don't think I like where you went with the ending. As a disabled man with PTSD I am very tired of seeing vague motions at signal boosting being the be all end all of activism, as people with PTSD have been signal boosted many many times but many people like me still do not have healthcare. I understand that it is difficult, and that it might seem rich coming from someone who "gets" to sit at home all day, but I had to be my own advocate for the entirety of my childhood after the many traumatic incidents. I had to fight the fight, and I failed. If nobody else fights, if all that is left is for our fights to be signal boosted, then it is left to us to struggle alone in the hope that somebody notices. And they will, in time. Years, decades from now, our corpses will be held up as heroes. Those who've died of racial conflict, class disparity, suicides. What I see now is not a problem of lacking awareness, of ignorance, but of apathy. My favorite anecdote to illustrate this is some former friends of mine. After the George Floyd murder, they all got together to donate to the Minnesota Freedom Fund. This fund was something created specifically to bail protestors out of prison, and due to the law could be used solely for this purpose. They got so much money so fast from people who saw "freedom fund, yes, very good" that they had to beg people to stop donating, and to instead donate necessities to the families. The donations to the Minnesota Freedom Fund hardly slowed. In my eyes, things like that are the inevitable result of signal boosting. A vague sense of well meaning that inevitably disguises a disinterest in true change. A quick balm to soothe the ache, then back to the grind. A genuine and focused interest must be taken to effect actual change. I don't blame people for not fighting, as even with a vested self-interest it was not personally worth it for me and I was eventually broken by the system anyways. I just don't like the common consensus that doing something so small is meaningful, that many tiny contributions will somehow lead to a grand tidal wave that will wash injustice away. It's a lovely dream, but nothing more. It's better by far, if you don't have revolutionary spirit, to instead not fight directly and do what you can for the individuals around you. Don't let yourselves be blinded by false action, but take a direct interest in those around you, in your workplace, in your churches. This is where small efforts are valuable and rewarding. But, and this is important, you must make an effort to educate yourself first. It is exhausting to have to both suffer from your problem daily and be expected to explain it, individually, to each person you meet, making sure that you come across as empathetic and personable while still getting the gravity of the situation across. A few months ago, the police were called on me following a mental break and I was strongly encouraged by 3 armed policemen in my basement with hands subtly near their guns to take an ambulance to the hospital. Once there I was subjected to a battery of the same questions over and over, determining whether or not I had homicidal impulses. "Have you had thoughts of killing someone before" was added to the usual array of questions of suicide and depression, and the first time when it was the EMT asking I spoke plainly and with charisma. The second time, when it was the nurse, I tried to capture the same feeling and did okay. The third time, to a bored sickly woman on a tablet, the same questions, I kept it simple and to the point. The fourth time, to another person on another tablet, I was dull and unresponsive, answering only with a yes or no. Eventually it came out that I did not have insurance, so I was told after 7 hours of being asked these same questions over and over with no interruptions otherwise, sitting on an uncomfortable chair in a room silent except for the ticking of a clock, I was told that they couldn't do anything and I had to leave. They also said I couldn't wait in the lobby for a ride, due to covid, so I was made to stand out in the Minnesota winter with no coat and a short sleeved shirt. It was only after three hours of this that someone took pity on me and called a cab, free of charge. I was then left to pay only 2200 dollars for the ambulance that I was intimidated into calling, and for the battery of isolation and repetitive interrogations offered by the hospital. This is not an isolated incident. Every system at play knows and accepts this state of affairs, and it is echoed by many who suffer from the more violent forms of mental illness. This is why I say the problem is not a lack of awareness, it is a refusal to acknowledge the full reality of it. And that is something that's chosen, regardless of what people say. The signal has been boosted to everyone willing to hear it. There must be something more, now, even if it's small independent action.

Great work on this

Another great vid!

This is one of the top 5 movies ever made.

Damn! That essay went hard 🔥🔥🔥

We are ALL responsible for our own actions (or inactions). Don't fool yourself, we are ALL capable of unspeakable evil or wonderous kindness and love. It is a choice.

Not much to add, but great video! I really ought to watch it sometime.

More relevant today than ever! 😢

This was also the first holocaust film I’ve seen. I was learning about it in school and I remember how shocked I was during the night club scene in the beginning where a bunch of German officers were just acting like normal people and having a good time. I just couldn’t believe it was those ordinary looking and acting people who did those horrible things. I was expecting them to be like “Indiana Jones” Nazis. Blond hair blue eyes and tight black uniforms, you know obvious bad guys

Great essay. Now I'll have to watch this movie.

This was so amazing, thank you for this video

what an insightful and detailed video essay! I am currently doing a school response to Schindler's list, and this video really illuminated the film techniques that make the movie so poignant. Schindler's selfishness is so complex and nuanced in its nature, too. thank you for this :)

I was shown this movie in high school on some off day it wasn’t even shown for a reason just to give us a day off. By the end I was pretending I had fallen asleep because I was balling in my sleeve and I didn’t want anyone to know. And I have always said this is greatest movie ever that I will never watch again

Just think: This could have been any of us. Instead of a small Jewish girl, think about what's happening to Afghani children right now. All over the world, similar injustices unfold, yet we are silent. Shame on us all.

u deserve more views honestly amazing video

Good essay

What a interesting conclusion you draw from your Tele view

My family is Polish Roman Catholic and, while they weren't hunted and executed like the Jewish Poles, were pushed from their homes during the invasion of Poland, placed in Ghettos and constantly threatened with death by their Nazi occupiers. I started seeing all the victims as my relatives, I couldn't help but think about how my family were in the same position these poor people were in... this film cut me to my core and I don't think I'll ever be able to watch it a 2nd time. We have to remember the holocaust, so we can recognize it when someone else tries to do what Hitler did. Pretty soon, we're going to run out of people who were alive during the war, so its up to us, the children of holocaust survivors to carry on the story and make sure future generations remember.

More people need to watch this

Me 2 mins after watching: Am i hitler?

good job ruining the video at the 14 minute markl

You did a great job until you started talking about "kids in cages". Otherwise good break down

Do you know how many realistic, harrowing, and accurate Holocaust movies there were before Schindler's list, which were also influential and even financially successful to a certain degree? And I'm just talking about narrative films, that's not even to mention things like Shoah. This is a weird take. I like Spielberg but the only time he did anything even slightly revolutionary was Jaws, and I'm talking about that strictly in terms of the movie business. I mean Schindler's List is a great film but man if this doesn't betray a fairly limited knowledge of film. I'm sorry to be harsh but it's hard not to say something here.

It's a hard movie to watch because it's boring as hell. Watch "The Men Behind the Sun" instead.

Blah blah blah. Jesus Christ. No wonder this chick doesn’t have more subs.

Schindler's List is not a "artificial story"

you had me until the blm footage lol

That is NOT a waltz. It's a tango, which is a much sexier piece of music. That's really important. Schindler is presented as a dashing seductive figure, a man who can seduce other men, not sexually but in terms of charsma. That ability to seduce is crucial to his later activities when he rescues his workers.

''Can you eat em' all?''

I showed this movie in my VCR to my German boyfriend in 1999. He had told me that in Germany, all mention of Nazi Germany is illegal and a person can get arrested for getting a Nazi tattoo. Martin was on the edge of his seat the entire time of the movie. It was more interesting to watch his reaction than to watch the movie, which I had previously seen. All Martin had to say at the end of the movie was, "Why didn't they run?" That comment was gold!!

I’m not sure I agree with your opinion that Schindler could have done more. His factory was at full capacity. He did say that he wished he could do more. He did more than many people did. There are around 8,000 descendants alive today because of what he did. How many of us turn a blind eye to suffering? We think about ourselves. Yes he was not an angel. But he had a heart ❤️.

The music in the restaurant is a tango, not a waltz. It's an instrumental version of "Por Una Cabeza" by Carlos Gardel.

Maybe the girl in the red coat was who you was thinking of when he said his pin was worth at least one life saved

could Schindler's list have been longer?

Heartbreaking and honest. Great job

Great video!!! Loved how you tied yesterday and today together in a compelling and thoughtful way.

I love your video essays, I'm surprised you don't have a bigger channel, honestly this is quality content, thanks for the video.

Wow

My favourite movie. You did it justice.

Good job tying in the movie to today's events. Enjoyed the review.

This move need to be brought to china. An melt hearts. An wake some people up. Like ya terrorist but like all of them. someone translate this movie an send it out o be copied. Plz God.

To prevent this shying away I watched this movie twice in school as I had two seperate teacher who purposly dedicated their lesson time to warching and talking about this movie (Im german btw)

You add me to the very end who's sending their children here they put in cages not America of the United States of America those parents that are doing it take the high ground and put it on them

I appreciate your essay; thank you

Well said

Hollywood's idea of the Holocaust: survivors, white saviour, and a happy ending!! Most overrated Spielberg film...