10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oskar Schindler - Rake and Saviour, February 10, 2000
This review is from: Schindler (1983 documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
The Holocaust is the systematic slaughter of 11 million individuals wiped off the Earth by the Nazi regime because of racism and hate.
But there was Oskar Schindler, one remarkable man who outwitted Adolf Hitler and the Nazis to save more Jews from the gas chambers than most of the heroic rescuers during WWII.
Oskar Schindler toiled through the rough waters of the confusions of war. But he was one of only a handful who surfaced from the chaos, and generations will remember him for what he did ...
When asked, Schindler told that his metamorphosis during the war was sparked by the shocking immensity of the Final Solution. In his own words: "I hated the brutality, the sadism, and the insanity of Nazism. I just couldn't stand by and see people destroyed. I did what I could, what I had to do, what my conscience told me I must do. That's all there is to it. Really, nothing more."
Oskar Schindler died in Frankfurt on the 9th of October, 1974, at an age of 66. From 1939 to the day he died he was such in love with his Jewish people, that he wanted to be buried in Jerusalem. Poldek Pfefferberg asked him shortly before he died, why he wanted to be buried here. He answered :"My children are here ....."
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
the enigma that was Schindler, June 4, 2005
This review is from: Schindler (1983 documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
A fascinating documentary, this HBO/Thames International production gives us a look into the life of Oskar Schindler (1908-1974), who was an incredibly complex character, and a character that varied according to who he was dealing with. He was a wealthy man who made a fortune through black marketeering, a bon vivant and womanizer, a heavy drinker, gambler, Nazi spy, and to many Jews in Poland, a savior.
The archival footage used is amazing, and often wrenching. The destruction of Poland, the intense, horrific suffering of the Jews, and as Schindler said, the suffering was implemented in incremental steps, starting with a few small rights being taken away, and ending in "The Final Solution" and the gas chambers.
Many of the people who survived thanks to Schindler are interviewed, as well as his wife Emilie, and absolutely riveting are the sections with Amon Goeth's mistress. Goeth ("The Nazi Butcher"), was commandant of the Plaszow Camp, and in charge of the "liquidation" of the Crakow Ghetto (and was the sadistic character played by Ralph Fiennes in "Schindler's List"). Schindler had a lot of dealings with Goeth, and was often at his house. Goeth's mistress, dying of emphysema, speaks with evasions, excuses, contradictions and rationalizations; it is an incredible thing to watch this tortured soul denying the truth.
After the war, Schindler didn't fare so well; he went to Argentina with his wife and mistress (Emilie was most understanding of his many women), later moving to Germany alone. Gone were the riches, the intrigue, and the many women, but as the old Jewish saying states, "he who saves one soul, is as if he saved the entire world", and Schindler saved 1000 souls, who now have descendents that have Schindler to thank for their lives.
Superbly written, produced and directed by Jon Blair and narrated by Dirk Bogarde, the music is by survivors Herman and Leopold Rosner, and total running time is 82 minutes.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Schindler - To A Thousand Jews He Was A Savior, December 13, 2004
This review is from: Schindler (1983 documentary) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Do not miss this HBO Home Video. True stories are told by the actual people Schindler saved. These are the true stories that formed the basis for the award winning movie "Schindler's List." This video is especially moving and contains rarely seen archive film and photographs including rare footage of Schindler himself. During the horror of the 2nd World War, Schindler, almost singlehandedly saved the lives of over one thousand Jews.
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