Schindler's List - "Now I know it really happened."

"Now I know it really happened."

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Schindler's List is the most influential film about the Holocaust produced thus far. It reaches far more people than books or documentaries. Your blog should address the positive and negative legacy of this fact.  Consider the following questions:

1. Steven Spielberg wanted to make the film look like a documentary because to him the film was "history on screen." What are the limits of this approach?

2. For a film about the Holocaust, the only well-rounded characters are German. Do you think this detracts from the film's message? How are Jews represented on screen? Do you agree with Bartov that some of representation is actually antisemitic?

3. Why did Spielberg hold back from "showing" the killing process?  Do you think he was right to not actually show the gas chambers?  Why has this taboo finally been broken?

4. By focusing on story of Schindler did Spielberg give a "happy ending" to the Holocaust? 

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