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To what extend do you agree that the production features of a particular scene can contribute to a film’s central idea(s)? It is undeniable that the Oskar Schindler’s altruistic act in Steven Spielberg’s “Schindler’s List” underline title has educated and touched the heart of millions. Rendered with an almost black and white style, often handheld cameras, and the melancholy Jewish choir music, the scene of the liquidation of Ghetto in particular, highlights the coexistence of indifference and social consciousness in humanity and contributes to the idea that ‘indifference is the greatest sin and punishment of the Holocaust’. Lovely intro In an attempt to “bear witness” to the Holocaust and evoke the World War Two Era with a realistic version of life, Spielberg establishes the film primarily in a black and white documentary style. The pure white snow stained by the dark, oozing blood of slain Jews; the gray ash, floating through the city from the incinerated bodies; and the white faces of the dead in the streets against the murky background during evacuation; it is through these colourless yet contrasting images in the liquidation scene that we witness the stark difference between life and death, the indifferent Germans and the innocent Jews. Aim to connect your paragraphs and have a clear statement sentence alerting us to the main content to follow Alone, aimless and strolling with almost no awareness of the brutality surrounding her in a powerful distant shot, the little Jewish girl in a poppy red coat symbolizes Spielberg’s way of dramatizing the humanity of each member of the huddled, grey mass of the poor Jewish people. The significance of the use of colour here as opposed to black and white is twofold – in a stark contrast to the dehumanized Jewish crowd, red stands out to represent hope, innocence and the individuality that has long been indistinguishable since the liquidation of Ghetto. Evocative and eye-catching, the glimpse of red in the midst of terrifying death suggests hope and the instinct of making ethical choices will still prevail if one man still embodies social consciousness and the fundamental goodness of human nature, and is capable of acknowledging their identities. To Schindler, the girl in red not only awakens his sympathy but also represents the Jewish blood that will be drained and annihilated had no one offers help to them. They become more than just numbers on Nazi’s orderly list or names that “creates extra paper work”. He realizes for the first time that it is wrong to deprive other’s lives and people are dying through no fault of their own. Identified by colour, it is the girl’s appearance in the liquidation scene, and the juxtaposition of red and black and white that help us recognize the difference in Schindler and the Germans, the humanity in the Jews, and contributes to the idea of the co-existence of indifference and goodness in humanity. Some great discussion and analysis here. Aim perhaps to include one or two more quotes. Ironically, just as we gradually come to an understanding that Jews are more than just numbers or a crowd and deserves to be treated with an equitable manner, Spielberg’s framing of SS soldier aiming at a Jewish woman who is ‘no thinner, fatter or different’ with the girl in red in a same frame, attests something different. While humans are capable of goodness and making instinct moral choices, in most cases, we are like the German solder, who acts upon his ‘selfish’ deed and is more capable of being ignorant and indifferent towards others. In comparison to Schindler’s sensational speech at the end of the film, (“I could have saved more.”), it is the close-up shot of Goeth’s stating, “I wish this fucking night was over”, that becomes the most disturbing and unforgivable of all. Indifference, and even a degree of satisfaction enjoyed by the Nazis in the arbitrarily slaughter is evident in the variations of shots and angle movements in the terrifying scene of the liquidation. We see Goeth, attempting to deny the existence of the Jews by stating, “they never happened. Today is history.” in a close up shot; a German soldier, arbitrarily pulled out a Jewish man and machine gun fired him with no mercy or particular reasons in a overpowering high-angle shot; and a German colleague, calmly playing piano in the midst of death, gunshots and all calamity in a full shot. The juxtaposition of such indifferent attitudes with imageries of death, and gothic overtones remarkably emphasizes the ignorant, indifferent side of humanity. Capturing the brutality, repulsion and indifference of the Germans, the usage of handheld cameras on a deeper level, puts viewers down with the Jews and conveys the notion that it is our failure to empathize, to remember the costly consequences of discrimination and ignorance that has become the most inexcusable, and the ‘greatest sin and the punishment of the Holocaust’. The co-existence of indifference and moral consciousness is further illustrated by the mixed use of sound during the evacuation scene. Echoes of the noise of the growling dogs, trucks and firing gunshots are oddly blended with a peaceful, melancholy Jewish choir music when the little girl in red appears in our sight. Alone and shielded by somewhat supernatural protection, she, as well as the mixed music, symbolizes the existence of hope and innocence in the most desperate situations. The connotation of a German soldier playing Bach’s music all the while ignoring the sound of the gunshots and screams surrounding him is dramatically ironic. Civilization and the art of music is degraded to such an extent that he simply does not pay any attention to the dreadful event around him. Disturbing yet stereotypical, the German soldier fundamentally represents ignorance, and “the greatest sin and punishment of the Holocaust”. Sound, colour and cinematographic features such as angle movements and shots variations, it is through the subtle use of these techniques that Spielberg portrays the co-existence of indifference and social conscious in humanity. He implies that the so-called ‘inevitable’ is perhaps, merely a pretty reason that we use to disguise our darker deeds; For as German soldiers failed to comprehend that Jewish people too, are human beings who deserve life and the acknowledgement of their humanity, some of us too, are still trying to “claim that it never happened” in the present society. This is a very very good essay. To make it even more convincing you need to make your connections beyond the text clearer. This means you need to take your theme a explain its relevance to the ‘real world’. Could be something you have heard, read or observed in contemporary society or it could be historical. You do mention the holocaust but I think you need something else.