In Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1993), which takes place in the traumatizing shadows of the Holocaust, death lingers in every corner, and one fleeting line perfectly crystallizes the desperation to survive.“They say that no one dies here,” is one of the most painful moments from the film, which isn’t short of them. A Jewish woman’s agonizing request to save her elderly parents from mass killings tells us everything we need to know about the fragility of hope and the shocking arbitrariness behind ending a human life.What makes this line so powerful? And what can we learn from it?Let’s jump right in. Context Of The SceneBefore we get into the specifics of the line itself and why it works so well, let’s remind ourselves of the context of the scene. By the time this scene takes place, Jewish families are being displaced in large numbers, and they are reassigned through violent and often random Nazi decision-making.Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) is still regarded as a businessman by the people around him. He uses inexpensive Jewish labor to keep his factory profitable and himself safe. However, because he employed Jewish people, his factory is beginning to be known as a haven, a place where Jews are less likely to disappear or die.The woman, Regina Perlman, who approaches Schindler, uses the name Elsa Krause and dresses elegantly to gain access to his office. She is desperate to rescue her elderly parents from the Płaszów concentration camp, which is under the extremely dangerous Amon Göth...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Yesterday