Schindler's List

One of my favorite movies is Schindler's List.  It is a film I believe everyone should see at some point in their life.  The acting is spot-on, the music is beautiful, and the cinematography is haunting.  It is a rather difficult film to watch, but it deals with a rather difficult issue; I think Spielberg made the decision to keep the film slightly (and more than slightly in certain points) uncomfortable throughout its duration.  It is so easy for Hollywood (and authors) to glorify stories into dramatic movies about World War II and the Holocaust; it's harder to deal with the grit and grime of what actually happened.

Schindler's List is based on a book of the same title by Thomas Keneally.  Though it is advertised as a novel, it is the result of Keneally's research on the life of one of history's most unlikely heroes: Oskar Schindler.  Having seen the film multiple times already, I produced a clear mental image of the scenes in my head as I read the words.  Keneally does an excellent job of providing detailed background information about Oskar's family and childhood, as well as the development of his character as he relates the story of how one man saved hundreds of lives during one of man's most brutal regimes.  Keneally thoroughly researched his book, speaking with many of the Schindler survivors; the book was originally published in the early 80s and so many of the Jewish individuals who worked for Schindler were still alive. 

If you are unfamiliar with the life of Schindler, I highly suggest you read the book or watch the movie (or both).  The story of Oskar Schindler should be an example for all of humanity in that if there is something so clearly wrong in the world, we must fight however we can.  Schindler was not an overly moral man, but he did not fail to act in the face of evil; let us not fail to do the same.