work in progress.
aye, no me gusta.
"There was a Schindler. There was no Wiesler". That, according to the director of the Hohenschoenhausen prison museum, is the key difference between the two film characters, and the reason that the director of Das Leben Der Anderen was not permitted to film the movie's opening scene in the actual prison in which it is set. (Tyranny of Terror, Guardian.co.uk). It is true that Oskar Schindler liberated workers from concentration camps through careful manipulation of the Nazi's system, and it is true that no Stasi operative could possibly have intervened on behalf of an author such as Georg Dreyman and not been caught. The most important element of the stories, however, is that they were willing to take extra-ordinary steps to counter the oppression of the system under which they had previously operated. There is a necessity among humanity to find people who find a way back from the brink of complete cruelty and inhumanity.
There are those who fervently hope and believe that even under the worst circumstances there are slight means of redemption. There are also those who are swept up in their world. They are believers in a system, which to us has long been proven inhuman, but they are capable in the end of discerning when a great injustice has occurred. They see through the actions of others what great injustices can occur under the system that they have committed themselves to. We see these characters both in Der Untergang and Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage. In Der Untergang the realization isn't completely made by Traudl Junge until years after her service as Adolf Hitler's secretary. Junge realizes this after a visit to the Scholl-Sibling memorial, dedicated to the events chronicled in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage. These movies, Das Leben Der Anderen, Der Untergang, Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage, and Schindler's List all present various imaged of characters who can be considered to be "good bad-guys". There are three types of characters that display this. Characters such as Schindler in Schindler's List or Wiesler in Das Leben Der Anderen that show humanity develop in the inhumane. Mohr in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage, whose characterization is more indiscernible, although internal strife is demonstrated. Lastly, there is Hitler in the opening scene of Der Untergang, the flip side of the 'evil' man who has a change of heart, an evil man who is presented as a kindly boss.
Schindler's List is such a renowned film, and has been enmeshed in the pop-culture zeitgeist so thoroughly, that it is hard to view with fresh eyes. The film has been dissected, evaluated, re-evaluated, and the like so deeply that little new can be said about it. The film's use of the girl in the red sweater even serves as a visual inspiration for the scene in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage in which the titular character first steps into the streets of Nazi Germany. The plot of Schindler's List is straightforward, along with its theme. Schindler's realization of the evils of the National Socialist regime is masterfully crafted, as is the desperate race to save as many workers as possible. The scenes in which Schindler witnesses the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto, the violence of the concentration camp, and Schindler's arrest for kissing a Jewish girl and the like slowly build to a turning point. After this, we see Schindler's drive to save as many people as possible take full force. He rushes to ensure children are not separated from parents, gives water to those trapped on overcrowded trains, and feverishly works to ensure as many people as possible are put on his list of necessary workers. Schindler's actions are the core of the film. The visual peripheries are masterful, but in the end the true story of heroism is the only key point that comes through most poignantly to the casual viewer. Schindler's List has become a film standard, by which heroic man vs. system tales are measured.
as Dr Hubertus Knabe, the director of the Hohenschoenhausen museum stated, "there was a Schindler, there was no Wiesler". The reason perhaps that Wiesler was created, then, was because of the need to believe that given the chance people will make the correct decision and rebel against an oppressive system. Wiesler's transformation is remarkably similar to Schindler's, although Wiesler is changed by the story of one man, and not the plight of thousands. The important part is that interpersonal connections change one person and make him realize the error of his ways.
"There was a Schindler. There was no Wiesler". That, according to the director of the Hohenschoenhausen prison museum, is the key difference between the two film characters, and the reason that the director of Das Leben Der Anderen was not permitted to film the movie's opening scene in the actual prison in which it is set. (Tyranny of Terror, Guardian.co.uk). It is true that Oskar Schindler liberated workers from concentration camps through careful manipulation of the Nazi's system, and it is true that no Stasi operative could possibly have intervened on behalf of an author such as Georg Dreyman and not been caught. The most important element of the stories, however, is that they were willing to take extra-ordinary steps to counter the oppression of the system under which they had previously operated. There is a necessity among humanity to find people who find a way back from the brink of complete cruelty and inhumanity.
There are those who fervently hope and believe that even under the worst circumstances there are slight means of redemption. There are also those who are swept up in their world. They are believers in a system, which to us has long been proven inhuman, but they are capable in the end of discerning when a great injustice has occurred. They see through the actions of others what great injustices can occur under the system that they have committed themselves to. We see these characters both in Der Untergang and Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage. In Der Untergang the realization isn't completely made by Traudl Junge until years after her service as Adolf Hitler's secretary. Junge realizes this after a visit to the Scholl-Sibling memorial, dedicated to the events chronicled in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage. These movies, Das Leben Der Anderen, Der Untergang, Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage, and Schindler's List all present various imaged of characters who can be considered to be "good bad-guys". There are three types of characters that display this. Characters such as Schindler in Schindler's List or Wiesler in Das Leben Der Anderen that show humanity develop in the inhumane. Mohr in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage, whose characterization is more indiscernible, although internal strife is demonstrated. Lastly, there is Hitler in the opening scene of Der Untergang, the flip side of the 'evil' man who has a change of heart, an evil man who is presented as a kindly boss.
Schindler's List is such a renowned film, and has been enmeshed in the pop-culture zeitgeist so thoroughly, that it is hard to view with fresh eyes. The film has been dissected, evaluated, re-evaluated, and the like so deeply that little new can be said about it. The film's use of the girl in the red sweater even serves as a visual inspiration for the scene in Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage in which the titular character first steps into the streets of Nazi Germany. The plot of Schindler's List is straightforward, along with its theme. Schindler's realization of the evils of the National Socialist regime is masterfully crafted, as is the desperate race to save as many workers as possible. The scenes in which Schindler witnesses the liquidation of the Krakow Ghetto, the violence of the concentration camp, and Schindler's arrest for kissing a Jewish girl and the like slowly build to a turning point. After this, we see Schindler's drive to save as many people as possible take full force. He rushes to ensure children are not separated from parents, gives water to those trapped on overcrowded trains, and feverishly works to ensure as many people as possible are put on his list of necessary workers. Schindler's actions are the core of the film. The visual peripheries are masterful, but in the end the true story of heroism is the only key point that comes through most poignantly to the casual viewer. Schindler's List has become a film standard, by which heroic man vs. system tales are measured.
as Dr Hubertus Knabe, the director of the Hohenschoenhausen museum stated, "there was a Schindler, there was no Wiesler". The reason perhaps that Wiesler was created, then, was because of the need to believe that given the chance people will make the correct decision and rebel against an oppressive system. Wiesler's transformation is remarkably similar to Schindler's, although Wiesler is changed by the story of one man, and not the plight of thousands. The important part is that interpersonal connections change one person and make him realize the error of his ways.