An important moment or event is the wedding scene at Plazow labour camp. Three scenes are interwoven. Schindler celebrates his birthday while Goeth beats Helen Hirsch (a Jewish servant) in the basement, and a wedding takes place between a Jewish couple in the labour camp. This event is significant as it helps reinforce one of the films main themes - that even in dire situations hope persists, as Spielberg shows us by splicing the scene of Helen's beating with the wedding in the labor camp. The brutality of this scene is also contrasted with the hope and joy of the wedding and birthday celebrations: Goeth brutally beats Helen Hirsch in her basement room after attempting to seduce her. The contrast between Helen’s desolation and the happiness of the participants in the two celebrations forces viewers to confront the reality of the Jewish situation during the Holocaust, when violence and death were always just around the corner. Techniques Used in this Scene:
Parallel Editing – crosscutting between wedding, Helen’s beating, Schindler’s birthday
Diegetic sound – laughing, kissing, happy music – noises of Goeth’s beating of Helen
Lighting – Godly, high-key lighting on married couple à symbolises hope
Symbolism – Chuppa and Lightbulb à Jewish traditions
Significance: This scene is important as it portrays the theme of the film – the triumph of the human spirit
An important moment or event is the wedding scene at Plazow labour camp. Three scenes are interwoven. Schindler celebrates his birthday while Goeth beats Helen Hirsch (a Jewish servant) in the basement, and a wedding takes place between a Jewish couple in the labour camp.
This event is significant as it helps reinforce one of the films main themes - that even in dire situations hope persists, as Spielberg shows us by splicing the scene of Helen's beating with the wedding in the labor camp. The brutality of this scene is also contrasted with the hope and joy of the wedding and birthday celebrations: Goeth brutally beats Helen Hirsch in her basement room after attempting to seduce her. The contrast between Helen’s desolation and the happiness of the participants in the two celebrations forces viewers to confront the reality of the Jewish situation during the Holocaust, when violence and death were always just around the corner.
Techniques Used in this Scene:
Significance:
This scene is important as it portrays the theme of the film – the triumph of the human spirit