Pacem Film Festival—The Best Peace and Justice Films of the Last 50 Years
Discussant: Polly Zavadivker, Ph.D.; director, University of Delaware, Jewish Studies Program
Schindler’s List (1993) portrays the efforts of German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who arrives in Krakow, Poland in 1939 to profit from World War II. In this epic historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg, Schindler, a rather greedy businessman who joins the Nazi Party for ease of work, becomes an unlikely humanitarian by staffing his factory with displaced Polish-Jewish refugees as workers. His efforts saved more than 1,000 individuals, yet heartbreakingly hoped he could have helped more. Throughout the film, we see Schindler’s protection of his workers along with his shielding them from the Nazis, led by the evil Amön Göth. The film, which is celebrated as one the best of all time, is memorably shot in black and white as Spielberg wanted to present it as a documentary.
For more information, see the Pacem in Terris 50th Anniversary Film Series flyer.
