World War II films from different eras

1990s

Schindler's List

A scene from Schindler's List. [Photo/Mtime]

Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic historical period drama directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the life of Oskar Schindler, an ethnic German businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories.

A member of the Nazi party, Schindler was essentially apolitical but knew how to deal with the bureaucracy and those in power to get what he wanted. He didn't hesitate to use Jewish slave labor in his new factory. However, over time, he was deeply affected by the treatment of Jews and began to take steps to protect the 1,500 or so people who worked for him. He convinced the authorities to build a new factory where the employees were interned and went out of his way to hire those who faced the wrath of the camp commandant, Amon Goeth. When the camp was closed, he arranged for "his" Jews to be transferred to a new factory in Czechoslovakia. When the train carrying the women was diverted to Auschwitz, the notorious German concentration camp, he raced to have them freed using a part of his fortune to have them released to him. By the end of the war, Schindler lost everything but saved the lives of over 1,000 of his employees.

Often listed among the greatest films ever made, Schindler's List was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2004. The film was the recipient of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score.