Summary and Discussion Guide
Schindler's List
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Universal, 1993
Length: 195 minutes, Rating: R

"Whoever saves one life saves the entire world."
--The Talmud

Description

There is no easy way to describe a film as complex, as indelible, as graphic, and as important as Schindler's List. Its complexity lies in history-the brutal, dehumanizing, and unforgettable history of Nazi occupation in Europe and the wholesale slaughter of Jewish lives during World War II. Perhaps the only way to digest the horrific events of this period is to view a single event through the narrow lens of story. Steven Spielberg bases Schindler's List on the book with the same title by Thomas Keneally. People whose lives were saved by Mr. Schindler's action gave eyewitness reports to Mr. Keneally. However, it is called a novel because the dialogue and certain details were fictionalized.

Schindler's List is the story of Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German entrepreneur and member of the Nazi party. He set up an enamelware factory in Poland at the beginning of the German occupation for the express purpose of capitalizing on the Jewish rights that were stripped away-including the right to own a business. Schindler's scheme was to use Jewish "investments" to capitalize his business, with the help of Itzhak Stern (Ben Kinglsey), a "clever" Jewish accountant. In exchange, Schindler offered to "employ" the unpaid "investors" and their relatives. The profit yielded from the "investment" was atypical to say the least. It was the possibility of saving one's own life.

Although Schindler profited handsomely from the scheme, and acknowledged that he made more money then he could ever spend, he used his charisma and power to influence SS and German Army officers to save more than 1,000 Jewish men, women, and children from the death camps. Why he did this-what motivated him-is one of the unanswered questions of the film. Indeed, Schindler convinced the SS forces to protect his employees who, thanks to his initiative, were declared "essential workers" for the war effort. But Schindler himself was also changed-transformed-by his intimate relationship with the Jewish community.

When Krakow was evacuated as part of the Nazi's "final solution," Schindler, though still a member of the Nazi Party, redoubled his effort in becoming a proactive anti-fascist. Now a highly respected businessman, it was not easy for the forces of power to ignore him. Using his charm, wit, bribery, and delaying tactics, Schindler plotted to get permission to establish his factory in a different location. From memory, with the help of Ishak Stern, he constructed a list of 14,800 people who worked for him, their relatives, and anyone else he could justify as having essential skills for the operation of the factory, and, by extension, the war effort. As word spread of the existence of "the list," everyone in the Jewish community prayed to be included, for "the list" represented the possibility of life itself. Schindler managed to have over 1,000 people on the list transferred from Krakow, thus saving them from certain execution. Meanwhile, an error was made, and a number of Schindler's workers (called Schindlerjuden) were mistakenly taken to the death camp at Auschwitz. There in the courtyard, Schindler stood boldly and announced to the guards that it was illegal to kill a worker without just cause. "There will be no summary shooting here," he said, "no rounding up without my permission."

Once the factory was established in the new location, Schindler liberalized the rules, even permitting one of his workers, a Rabbi, to hold a Jewish worship service. Once the Germans surrendered and it was clear that the war would soon end, Schindler honored the workers by asking for three minutes of silence "in memory of the countless victims of your people." He acknowledged his own contradictions: that he was a member of the Nazi Party, a munitions manufacturer, and a profiteer of slave labor. "You will be free," he said, "and I will be hunted down." Nevertheless, all of Schindler's workers signed a letter in support of him, and presented him with a ring bearing these words from the Talmud: "Whoever saves one life saves the world entirely."

The director's choice to shoot the film in black and white dramatizes the effect, which conveys the feeling of a documentary. By the end of the film, however, viewers see a processiona -the only scene shot in full color-of actors as well as real life survivors placing stones on Schindler's grave, and there is a reference to the Israel government's declaration of Oskar Schindler as a righteous man

1. If you are not aware of the events that lead to and sustained World War II, you may wish to do basic research in an encyclopedia, a high school textbook, or the World Wide Web. One suggested website is http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/history/A0852743.html. You may also wish to read (or recommend to participants) Keneally's book, Shindler's List. Or, for another perspective, you may wish to read or recommend Where Light and Shadow Meet, the autobiography of Oskar Schindler's wife, Emile, published in 1997-four years after the release of the film.

2. Because of the length of Schindler's List (approximately 3 hours, 8 minutes), and because there are no natural breaking points that would allow the film to be shown in two parts, it is suggested that the film not be scheduled on a weeknight. If participants are willing to dedicate four hours to the program, a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday evening or a Sunday afternoon should work fine, provided the starting and ending time considers participant's work and eating schedules. This may be an ideal program to combine with a meal. You may wish to make it a potluck supper, invite one person to prepare soup, order pizza, or invite participants to bring their dinner. Alternatively, if participants cannot dedicate four hours, it is suggested that the full-length film be shown in one sitting and that the discussion be held at the next scheduled meeting time. If this alternative is chosen, ask participants to begin keeping a journal as soon after the film as possible so that they can more easily recall their thoughts, feelings, and questions.

3. Most of the thoughts offered for reflection and centering are by Jews who were directly or indirectly affected by the Holocaust. If you read any of these words, you may wish offer brief biographical statements about the writers.
   1. The Diary of Anne Frank, from which this excerpt comes, was written during her internment between 1942 and 1944. She was taken via the transit camps at Westerbork and Auschwitz, then to the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp where she died in 1945.
   2. The father of film director Roberto Benigni, though not Jewish, was imprisoned in a German labor camp.
   3. German Lutheran Pastor Martin Neimoeller was arrested by the Gestapo for opposing Hitler and was sent to Dachau in 1938. He was freed by Allied forces in 1945.
   4. Elie Wiesel was born in 1928 in Sighet, Transylvania (now part of Romania). He was fifteen years old when the Nazis deported him and his family to Auschwitz. His mother and younger sister perished; his two older sisters survived. Elie and his father were later transported to Buchenwald, where his father died shortly before the camp was liberated in April 1945. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed Elie Wiesel as Chairman of the President's Commission on the Holocaust. In 1980, he became the Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. A former journalist, teacher, and author of several books, Wiesel now lives in New York.

4. Schindler's List shows graphic illustration of the horrors of genocide. As such, at times the film is difficult to watch. Be aware that some viewers-especially those whose families were victims of the Nazi Holocaust-may need to distance themselves from the visual images. You may wish to have a chaplain or minister on call in case there is an immediate need for a pastoral consultation or care. Nevertheless, given the events raised by the film, especially in light of the fact that there are still those who deny that this Holocaust happened, and that ethnic and tribal conflicts continue in the present era, Schindler's List is too important to ignore. If viewers have not seen the film, you may wish to caution them of its graphic nature (including nudity) and give them the freedom to "tune out" (physically or emotionally) as the need dictates.
5. After the film, take a ten-minute break. Invite those who wish to write begin a writing a journal (see #2 above).
6. The film is a micro-story within a mega-story. Some participants will wish to focus on the story of Oskar Schindler, while others will wish to discuss anti-Semitism and Nazi Germany's role in World War II. As a facilitator, you will need to keep the discussion focused and may wish to designate a time for both focus areas to be discussed.

Discussion Themes/Questions

1. How did you feel at the beginning of the film as Schindler was establishing his entrepreneurial plan to set up the factory in Poland? Did your feelings about him change as he grows as a human being, as his qualities and character changed? At what stages in the film did you like Schindler and at what stages did you think less of him? Why?

2. What ethical issues does the film raise for you in terms of Schindler's business practices? Is business ever "good" as Schindler suggests, in a war in which crimes against humanity are committed on such a massive scale?

3. Is it ever okay to profit from human slavery and genocide? Would your answer be different if in the process of making money, one saved lives?

4. In the early stages of his life, Oskar Schindler was a greedy, high-minded man whose primary interest was making money. He was an exploiter of human labor, a war profiteer, and a member of the Nazi Party. Further, he was a womanizer who was repeatedly unfaithful to his wife. And yet, at the end of the war, he was nearly in tears when he acknowledged that had he not been so interested in making money, that he might have saved even more lives. Because of his ever growing commitment to save Jewish lives from extermination, the Israeli government declared him a righteous man. How do you feel about Schindler being held up as a hero? How do we explain or reconcile the contradictions of the human personality? Why do you think he remained a member of the Nazi Party?

5. Oskar Schindler was a Roman Catholic and a Nazi. Now that more than 50 years has passed and Schindler has died, is there still a need for justice (restorative, retributive, or distributive) on the part of the Vatican?

6. Former President Clinton said of Schindler's List that it shows "portrait after portrait of the painful differences between people who have no hope and have no rage left and people who still have hope and still have rage." How precious is life? How important is the quality of life? Is it better to live in terror and rage than to give up on life altogether? Does dying in resistance to terror and injustice-becoming a martyr-change the quality of life at the time of death?

7. We often wonder if people can really change, and when they do change, we wonder what accounts for or motivates the change. Oskar Schindler went from "hedonistic exploiter of slave labor to savior with a mission and finally to hero in hiding." When asked why Schindler took the actions he did to save Jewish people from extermination, Liam Neesom, the actor who played Oskar Schindler, answered, "His motives were perhaps a blend of selflessness and opportunism." Director Steven Spielberg points to the relational quality that accounted for Schindler's decision "to save his workers, not because of one precise event, but more because he got to know who they are as human being." In real life, Oksar Schindler's wife, Emile, played an important counter-intelligence and humanitarian role in her husband's efforts and in his "conversion to anti-fascism." What do you think was Schindler's motivation? Was it selfless humanitarianism and a desire to do well? Was it the psychospritual development of his character through the relationships he made with the Jewish workers in his factory? Or, if you've read her autobiography, was it his relationship with his wife-her character-that changed him? Where was God (or the divine) in Oskar Schindler's transformation?

8. Theologian Reinhold Niebuhr said, "Evil is always the assertion of some self-interest without regard to the whole, whether the whole be conceived as the immediate community or the total community of humanity, or the total order of the world. The good is, on the other hand, always the harmony of the whole on various levels." Do you agree or disagree with Niebuhr's assessment? How do you see this assessment in relation to the film? It is argued that because Unitarian Universalists do not have a theology of evil, that it weakens our prophetic voice. If not "evil," what word would you use to describe the European Holocaust?

9. The Talmud says, "Whoever saves one life saves an entire world." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., said: "None of us are free until all of us are free." Elie Weisel and Martin Neimoeller both argue that evil flourishes when good people do nothing, and thus, indifference perpetuates evil. And yet, crimes against humanity have continued in our modern world. How can we instill a greater sense of responsibility (among children and adults alike) toward others?

Like other films in this series, the story of Oskar Schindler is about the human condition-the depths of evil that human beings are capable of, and the possibility for the same human to be good, to be transformed. The question we continue to ponder-perhaps without an answer-is how this change happens. What role does human effort and/or divine power have in making us whom we ultimately become?

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Summary and Discussion Guide
Life is Beautiful
Directed by Roberto Benigni
Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica
Length: 114 minutes, Rating: R
Italian with English subtitles or voiceover, 1997

Description

It is difficult to separate the story of this film from its director, Italian comic, Roberto Benigni, who also plays Guido, the lead character. Benigni's skill as a writer, director, and actor lightens the weight of a horrific story of love in a time of war. The first line of the film-"This is a simple story"-is only partly true. It's simplicity lies in the fact that it is a love story, a fable really. But just as love is never simple, neither is this story. Like Schindler's List, the story's complexity is historical. Here we get another view of the rise of fascism in 1939, this time as it developed in Italy under Mussolini. But unlike Schindler's List, the love story overpowers the tragedy of war.

The film can be divided into two parts. In the first half, we meet Guido, who has just taken up residency in the town of Arrezo in Tuscany along with a poet friend. He searches for work and has a dream of setting up a bookshop; but being Jewish-with anti-semitism on the rise in Italy-he finds both tasks difficult, and so he must be content waiting tables. Through a series of comic mishaps, Guido manages to engraciate and win the affection of Dora, a beautiful young school teacher (Nicoletta Braschi). His first challenge is that Dora is engaged to be married-not to a schmuck, but to an apparently wealthy politician who just happens to be a fascist. Fortunately for Guido, Dora's enagement is more about obligation than love, and so she willingly cooperates-even helps-Guido with his comic schemes to help her escape an unhappy relationship.

The second half of the film begins when Guido escorts Dora out of her engagement party on a white horse. The horse-painted green with fascist slogans on its body-is a symbol of what is to come. The film then takes a radical turn when Dora and Guido-now married-open their front door with their son Giosué (marvelously played by Giorgio Cantarini). This radical shift is perhaps a reminder of the swift turn of events in Italy at the start of the war. On Giosué's fourth birthday, Guido and his son are caught in an early round-up of Jews, and are forced to board a train bound for a concentration camp and what has been called "the depths of hell. " Out of love for her husband and son, Dora (who is not Jewish, but Italian) insists on joining her husband and son.

Because Guido and Dora were separated after their arrival at the camp, the task of telling Giosué what's going on falls to Guido. In the remainder of the film, viewers are given a view of daily life in the concentration camp-forced labor, starvation, and death. When Giosué asks why they are there (of course, he is not aware that it is a concentration camp), knowing that a tank is Giosué's favorite toy, Guido invents a tale that they are there to play a game; that they must accumulate many points in order to win the prize-a real tank. In an interview, Benigni said, "I was so struck by how unfathomable the horror was, that it seemed quite posssible for a man like Guido to pretend the whole ordeal was only a game. … 'How could this be true' seemed a question all the survivors had in mind." Determined to protect his child from brutal reality, Guido masks his own fear in order to focus attention on protecting his son's fragile soul. Even through his exhaustion from the inhuman conditions in the labor camp, he uses what energy he has to creatively control his son's perceptions and convince him that participating in this most challenging competition is of utmost importance. As the physical and material conditions of the camp get increasingly worse, the make-believe goal strengthens Guido; he refuses to let adversity kill their spirits. In the end, Giosué is a hopeful and innocent child who is convinced that he has won the tank that rolls into the camp, driven by a member of the allied army, and he is reunited with his mother.

What makes this tragic comedy is Roberto Benigni. He is a "can do" man who, through the character of Guido, brings charm, a zest for life, and a deep love for his child. It is a gift that enobles the human spirit. He proves to viewers that where there is love, there is life-even in the midst of absurdity.

1. Whether and how much to expose children to tragedy and war is always a difficult decision. Nevertheless, partly because one of the main characters in Life is Beautiful is a four year old boy, this is a film we would recommend that families with children should see together-with preparation and discussion. While preparation for addressing tragedy can never be adequate, at minimum, we would recommend that prior to seeing this film with children that parents, guardians, and teachers search out resources for children on crimes against humanity. A good place to start is Eve Bunting's book, Terrible Things. It is an allegory of the European Holocaust and World War II. You may wish to read the book to your child prior to the film as a way of opening up a discussion, to be continued after the film. For religious educators we also suggest Religious Education Volume, 95, Number 4, Fall 2000, which focuses on Holocaust Education.

2. Roberto Benigni, born and raised in Tuscany, was inspired to make this film in part because, although not Jewish, his father was imprisoned in a German labor camp.

3. See notes regarding the subject matter from Schindler's List (item 1, 5, and 6 in notes "To the Facilitator"). Unlike Schindler's List, this film is not likely to cause traumatic stress reactions on the part of viewers.

4. The questions below are for adults. Prior to starting the film, you may wish to consider questions that would be appropriate for children and youth as well.

1. What responsibility do parents have to their children in the face of hopelessness and despair? Is "let's pretend" a lie? If not, why not? If so, what ethical issues does it raise for you? Under what circumstances and up to what age is it okay for a parent to play "let's pretend" or otherwise hide the truth in order to protect their child from trauma? Would it, for example, be okay to hide the death of a parent from a child under the age of six? What about adoption\ or divorce?

2. Everything Guido did by choice in the camp was designed to bring meaning to his son's life, and by extension, to his own life with Dora. If not through humor, how can we make sense of life when we are faced with absurdity?

3. Guido was not politically active, and viewers may even wonder whether he was politically astute. Indeed, he sometimes seems naïve, if not childish, about the rise of fascist sentiment in the first half of the film. And yet, he manages to be an anti-fascist physically, if not philosophically, conveying what he believes to the idiocy of the fascist theory of race to schoolchildren. To what extent is political activity necessary for social change?

4. What are your reactions to the title of the film, Life is Beautiful? Could you imagine yourself focusing on the beauty and preciousness of life in a time of relative hopelessness?

   Note to Facilitators: In conceptualizing the plot for this film, Roberto Benigni "tried to imagine the most extreme situation in which to place his comic alter-ego. He could think of no darker moment in our collective history than the Holocaust. He began working with co-writer Vincenzo Cerami on the series of sketches of his character caught in the unimaginable abyss of an extermination camp. And then Benigni read something that struck his heart. It was a line attributed to the revolutionary Trotsky. At the time, Trotsky was trapped in a bunker, waiting for Stalin's hit men to kill him-a bleak moment it seemed. Yet, in that very moment of terror, Trotsky wrote that he still thought "life is beautiful."

5. Guido proves to viewers that where there is love, there is life-even in the midst of absurdity. Thinking about this statement and people you have loved and lost, does the love expressed in this film represent an experience of human transcendence that can sustain us spiritually?

"We live in a world that is at once violent and beautiful. Childhood and adolescence ideally are times of safety, security, and imaginative exploration into an ever widening world. But for too many young people, the world is a dangerous place." 1 Part of the religious task is to do all in our power to restore hope and transform violent and socially toxic environments into places of caring and safety for children and youth.

Process Suggestions for Film as a Theological Text

Getting Support
Some congregations already have (or have had) a "movie night" or similar program. If yours is one of these, assess to what extent this activity is institutionalized or can be adapted. You might consider, for example:

• How long the group has been in existence
• Average attendance and whether it has been regular or sporadic
• Whether the group is primarily a social activity, a reflective or religious experience?

Depending on how you answer these questions, you might do an informal survey to determine if there is sufficient interest in a thematic time-limited group with a structured discussion of ethical, spiritual, and/or religious themes in popular film.

If a movie or film program is a new idea for your congregation, identify the person responsible for adult programs or adult religious education and seek his/her support. Group Composition: This program is designed for adults and high school students in many demographic groups with varied life experiences and for people who hold a variety of psychospiritual perspectives. It may also be of interest to a particular group (e.g., young adults, older adults, people with disabilities, people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and/or transgender) that already has a meeting schedule that would accommodate the program. Publicity: In order to plan, publicity for this program should be done at least six weeks in advance. Church newsletters and weekly bulletins are good places to start. These can be supplemented by adult religious education brochures or flyers posted on well positioned bulletin boards. If your congregation has a tradition of staffing a table during coffee hour, literature about the program-and a sign-up sheet are good publicity boosts. Time and Place: Most of the films in this series are approximately two hours; several are longer. Because a significant block of time is needed, congregational film discussion groups work best on weekends unless the program is designed for retired people, stay-at-home parents, or others who may have daytime availability. Friday night seems to be more popular than Saturday; Sunday afternoon or early evening seems to work better than Sunday morning or late evening. Groups may meet weekly, biweekly, or monthly. If a biweekly or monthly option is selected, it is important that publicity is clear. Frequent reminders may be needed. We suggest a three- to four-hour time slot in order to accommodate the film showing, a short break, a meaningful discussion, and perhaps a meal. Where there are related themes (e.g., two films on the same subject), you may wish to schedule a Saturday or Sunday afternoon viewing for two films.

This program can take place at a congregational site or in a private home. If held in a private home, you should choose a location that is convenient and be sure that attention is given to transportation needs. You should also decide whether there will be one or several hosts; rotations relieve the burden on any one individual. Use your best judgment to determine which space best suits your needs. Consider factors such as the size of the group, portability of equipment, audio quality, comfortable seating, and lighting. If it is a daytime program, also consider whether the room can be darkened.

Leadership
This series can be led by a professional religious educator or a lay leader. Co-leadership offers diversity of gifts, style, and perspective and lightens the level of responsibility of one individual. If you choose co-leadership, intentionally around difference is desirable. The following qualities are important when selecting a leader for a successful program: willingness to prescreen and reflect on the films, and facilitation skills.

• Check your local library and video-rental store(s) as primary sources for obtaining films that are part of this program. If major video rental chain stores do not have a film in stock, they can sometimes order it for you. If you are having difficulty, please check with the UUA Department of Religious Education.
• Facilitators are encouraged to seek perspectives beyond this discussion guide. Periodicals, books, libraries, and the internet provide a rich variety of resources that may be helpful.
• Class size is optional. Film discussion groups have worked well ranging from five to twenty-five participants. Eight to fifteen seems optimal. Keep in mind that the greater the number of participants, the greater the chance for a free flow of ideas and real engagement with the subject.
• Motion pictures are protected by copyright laws. Profit-making organizations, as well as churches, and non-profit organizations, must adhere to these laws. Before showing any video, leaders should read the “fine print” for applicable copyright law. In general, video movies-even a clip-cannot be duplicated.
• Every program has associated costs, which participants are frequently expected to supplement. Requesting a “free will offering” or a “donation” is an easy way to recoup some of the costs associated with this program, such as the cost of video rental and snacks.
• Decide whether you want a centering reading and a closing reading. If so, keep them short-perhaps as simple as a candle lighting and extinction. Should you decide in the affirmative, one or more options are included with each series (see page 3 for Series I: Justice). Alternatively, dig into your own reservoir of spiritual resources.

Materials Needed:

Chalice or candle and matches
Video cassette player
Television monitor
Light refreshments (optional)
Video (rental or purchase)

Advance Preparation

• Several weeks in advance of the program, advertise the series (including the length of time) and post a sign-up or registration sheet. In the publicity or registration process, it is suggested that it be made clear that the event is not merely a movie; that participants are encouraged to remain throughout the three-hour period for the discussion.
• Reserve an appropriate room (a room that can be darkened is best) and request a television monitor and video cassette player to arrive at least one hour prior to the event. The monitor should be placed at or above the eye level of a sitting person.
• A day or two prior to the event, rent or purchase and preview the film privately.
• Review the film description in this packet. Study the discussion questions and modify them in ways that are comfortable for you.
• If possible, bring (or arrange for) snacks. Popcorn and soft drinks may provide a sense of familiarity, but other snacks will be appreciated as well.

Day of Event

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before the scheduled event. Familiarize yourself with the equipment. Keep the remote control nearby in case the volume needs to be adjusted.
• If you are doing a centering, set up the chalice or candle. Arrange snacks on a table (preferably not positioned near the television monitor).
• Arrange the seating in a comfortable manner facing the television monitor. Chairs arranged theater-style and a combination of sofas and chairs informally arranged to face the monitor both work equally well. If you serve snacks that are available during the film, be sure that there is an aisle out of the line of sight of the monitor so as not to block the viewing range.
• Cue up the film to the opening credits and test the sound.
• Briefly review the film discussion questions provided in this packet. You may choose to review other materials about the film.
• When the event begins, welcome participants and open with a centering-a reading suggested in this packet or your own selection.
• If participants do not know each other, brief introductions are suggested.
• You may choose to ask how many have seen the film; or in the case of films based on a book, how many have read the book. This information may help you gauge the level of familiarity with the subject, writer, or director.
• A ten minute break is suggested at the end of the film. While intense discussion is not suggested until after the break, you may wish to leave participants with a burning question to ponder or simply ask them to reflect on how they felt at the end of the film. The break is also an opportunity to rearrange the seating so that participants can see each other.