Historical accuracy of Schindler's List
Characters
Story
Setting
Historical accuracy of: Schindler's List
Characters
Story
Setting
Characters
Oskar Schindler's character
The film portrays Schindler as a complex figure, initially motivated by profit but ultimately driven by compassion. While Schindler's transformation is generally accepted, the film may simplify his motivations and the timeline of his actions.
Amon Göth's character
Amon Göth is portrayed as a sadistic and cruel commandant, which aligns with historical accounts and survivor testimonies. His character in the film is chillingly accurate.
The role of Itzhak Stern
Itzhak Stern's role as Schindler's accountant and his crucial assistance in managing the list and navigating the bureaucracy are accurately portrayed. However, the film may downplay the contributions of other individuals who helped Schindler.
Schindler's financial difficulties
Schindler faced significant financial difficulties both during and after the war, which are acknowledged in the film. This adds to the complexity of his character and his motivations.
Story
The creation of Schindler's List
The creation of Schindler's List, a list of Jewish workers whom Schindler claimed were essential to his factory's production, is a central event in the film and is historically accurate.
The rescue of the Schindlerjuden
Schindler's efforts to protect and ultimately rescue the Jewish workers on his list are the core of the story and are based on real events. He saved approximately 1,100 Jews from almost certain death.
The liquidation of the Kraków ghetto
The brutal liquidation of the Kraków ghetto is depicted in the film with harrowing realism. The chaotic violence and the indiscriminate killings are consistent with historical accounts.
The train journey to Auschwitz
The terrifying train journey of some of the Schindlerjuden to Auschwitz, and their subsequent return to Schindler's factory, is a factual event and is depicted in the film. This highlights the constant threat of deportation and extermination.
The factory in Brünnlitz
Schindler's relocation of his factory to Brünnlitz, in the Sudetenland, to continue employing his Jewish workers is a real part of the story. This was a desperate measure to save them from the advancing Red Army.
The liberation of the Schindlerjuden
The liberation of the Schindlerjuden by the Soviet army at the end of the war is accurately depicted as a moment of profound relief and liberation.
The scene at the end with the descendants
The film's closing scene, showing the descendants of the Schindlerjuden placing stones on Schindler's grave, is a moving and factual tribute to his legacy.
Setting
The Plaszów concentration camp
The Plaszów concentration camp, run by Amon Göth, is depicted with stark realism in the film. The brutality and arbitrary violence of the camp are accurately represented, based on historical accounts.
The overall depiction of the Holocaust
While focused on Schindler's story, the film provides a powerful and generally accurate depiction of the broader context of the Holocaust, including the systematic persecution and extermination of Jews by the Nazi regime.