ListNook

Aregisteredusername Apr 2, 2026 +439

I don’t know if they still do this, but when I was in middle school we watched this movie over the course of a week, discussed the atrocities and the war, then had survivors of Nazi concentration camps come to our classroom to speak with us and answer our questions. That had such a big impact on my hate for nazis and interest in history in general (not that I’m a historian). I hope some schools are still doing that

439

KnownNormie Apr 2, 2026 +149

It’s been 81 years since the war ended. I wonder how many survivors are left that remember what it was like.

149

windindasails Apr 2, 2026 +59

There is a survivor living in Richmond Va who was a child during the holocaust. Poor man can barely walk or speak but he will always offer to talk to anyone who has questions. His name is Jay Ipson.

59

sportredsox Apr 2, 2026 +115

Not enough judging by the current state of the world

115

roastbeeftacohat Apr 2, 2026 +7

some believe never again to be limited to one ethnicity.

7

April_Fabb Apr 2, 2026 +22

Stephen Kapos is still alive and very active. In an interview, he shared this eye-opening story that somehow always stayed with me, [where he describes](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4PFmz4MNdg&t=1112s) how some of his surviving family members, despite their horrific experiences, ended up as supremacists once they arrived in Israel. Btw, the whole interview is fascinating.

22

Deathstroke317 Apr 2, 2026 +6

Often times people just want to be the ones cracking the whip

6

Moderator-Admin Apr 2, 2026 +7

Hurt people hurt people.

7

steak4take Apr 2, 2026 +22

The children of survivors are here. I’m one of them.

22

pontiacfirebird92 Apr 2, 2026 +68

My school taught that the Confederacy was the good guys and victims of the Union. In Mississippi. Where the first line of our letter of secession states it was because they wanted to retain the right to own slaves.

68

BH15568 Apr 2, 2026 +17

Did you go to a public school? My school (and other schools my friends went to) were all pretty accurate with the history of the civil war. Although this was more recent, which might explain it.

17

pontiacfirebird92 Apr 2, 2026 +21

Yea the private schools here are worse than the public schools if you'll believe it. I wish so much that we had been taught real history and not the Confederate, conservative Christian history. We did learn a little bit about WW2 but the atrocities weren't stressed. Didn't learn about those things until college. A co-worker of mine grew up in Louisiana and she was amazed to learn about the existence of dinosaurs... in college. And that the earth could be over 6,000 years old. There's some awful education in the deep south. And that's public schools, the private schools are somehow actually worse.

21

thisiscoolyeah Apr 2, 2026 +8

Ah, you’re the people the holocaust survivors warned us about! (Joking, you seem pretty aware) I’ll never forget that man crying and telling us how “people will tell you this never happened” and it makes sense why people would…it’s easy to ignore what you never learn I guess. I’ll never forget playing cards against humanity with a group of people my age, we were all in school at the same time and they thought The Underground Railroad referred to a train…that was underground…

8

thefinalcutdown Apr 2, 2026 +8

r/ShermanPosting is always on the lookout for recruits to fight against Confederate Lost Cause propaganda.

8

Triple_Crown14 Apr 2, 2026 +9

In the summer of 2014 before my freshman year of high school my middle school had a trip where we went to Washington DC and New York. There was about 20 of us that went on it. In New York we visited the holocaust museum and there was a survivor there sitting at a bench taking some questions. She was an old woman and one of my friends just asked what was the everyday experience like for her in the camp she was at (Chelmno), and she mentioned that she lost both her parents in the camps and woke up every morning wishing she’d die that day during that time.

9

bearwaffles87 Apr 2, 2026 +2

7th grade world history! I remember that class all too well. We watched snippets of this movie and walked through the whole Holocaust. This movie helped support what we were reading about. Since it was such a heavy movie and rated R, we couldn’t watch the whole thing. So, I rented it and watched it at home. As a 7th grader watching this movie for the first time all the way through, man…I couldn’t sleep for weeks. It was so brutal to think about and I couldn’t understand how people could be like that. As an adult now I wish I could have kept the wool over my eyes for a bit longer so I could have enjoyed more time as a kid because this movie and that class changed me. It was rough, BUT important to remember.

2

snarky_witch Apr 2, 2026 +8

My freshman English teacher showed us the movie in its entirety. We had to get parental permission. Strange that it was English and not history.

8

bearwaffles87 Apr 2, 2026 +2

I can only think that it had to do with The Diary of Anne Frank? Depending on where you are (if in the states) around the end of middle school and beginning of high school is when you would read it. We did in the 8th grade. I’m sure it varies, but that’s my guess.

2

snarky_witch Apr 2, 2026 +2

Yes, it did. Thanks you unlocked a memory. We had just read the diary of Anne Frank.

2

Brock_Lobstweiler Apr 2, 2026 +2

This was me after seeing Amistad when I was 15 in a theater by myself. The crushing weight of it changed me forever. My parents always wonder why I'm so politically different than them and am not religious. That movie is one of the reasons.

2

bearwaffles87 Apr 2, 2026 +2

Oh my god I completely forgot we watched snippets of that too in this class to talk about the slave trade and ocean travel. The mother with her baby sitting on the side of the ship pushing off into the water was ROUGH to comprehend, and now that I’m a parent, even worse thinking about how much courage it took to do that. That and the chaining of Africans together with a weight and pushing them off the ship was brutal too. Both stuck in my head and have stuck in my head for decades.

2

OldOnionKnight Apr 2, 2026 +6

My mom’s best friend was a kid when her family was sent to Auschwitz. We toured the camp with her back in the 90s and it was very emotional. She was the only survivor out of her 5 family members. They kept her alive due to her small hands being useful for manufacturing munitions. The fact that we’ve made a full circle and people are regressing into this type of shit makes me hate humanity. We really are just dumb apes who never really learn.

6

Greyhame888 Apr 2, 2026 +2

Not in middle school, but I teach Grade 10-12 Social Studies in Alberta. I show this film to my grade 11s every year as part of the National Interest / Ultranationalism unit. It's incredibly effective.

2

lemieuxster Apr 2, 2026 +2

Around where I live the kids in 8th grade take a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance that has an excellent and depressing and emotional exhibit about the rise of Hitler and the atrocities of WWII. It’s the same outcome, more or less.

2

smakweasle Apr 2, 2026 +2

My family took a trip to Germany in 1999 and we went to Dachau as part of a tour. I was young, but I will never forget the feeling of walking through the "showers." As we exited there was an elderly man standing in all white talking to my mother. He survived the camp and returned to tell his story. He gave me a chocolate bar, and with tears in his eyes said to my mom "hug that kid every day." I'm getting goosebumps typing this. That was 27 years ago and it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. It's a shame kids will not get to hear these stories first hand stories and I suspect is partially why things are the way they are now.

2

Gerald_the_sealion Apr 2, 2026 +1

We had the same thing for us. Really meant a lot meeting the guy and talking to him as a kid.

1

360walkaway Apr 2, 2026 +1

Yea I remember that happened at my brother's middle school. I had had him have one of the survivors sign my copy of Schindler's List.

1

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +576

This movie and The Pianist. I honestly dont know which one was better made. Its close.

576

Lucky_Scientist_109 Apr 2, 2026 +384

They're both absolute masterpieces but hit you in completely different ways. Schindler's List shows the terrifying scale and industrialization of the Holocaust, while The Pianist traps you in the suffocating, isolating terror of just one man trying to survive it. Both are completely devastating.

384

Khelthuzaad Apr 2, 2026 +88

Then it's The Brutalist. The movie shows how trauma continues to linger on Holocaust survivors for the rest of their lives.

88

Anonymous2Yous Apr 2, 2026 +19

I was impressed with the technical aspects of The Brutalist, but just hated the message. I knew what kind of movie it was going to be when he arrives at the beginning and the Statue of Liberty is shown upside down.

19

Khelthuzaad Apr 2, 2026 +17

There is such a thing as generational trauma,if anything the Greeks made sure to make it a primal aspect of their legends. I also didn't liked the movie for different reasons, everyone is entitled to their own opinion after all.

17

girafa Apr 2, 2026 +11

> I knew what kind of movie it was going to be when he arrives at the beginning and the Statue of Liberty is shown upside down. I, too, read that New Yorker article nonsensically crying about "literalism"

11

Anonymous2Yous Apr 2, 2026 +5

Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't read the New Yorker. If you're suggesting I plagiarized my thoughts; it's a pretty heavy-handed metaphor, the director lingers on it for a while at the beginning of the movie. I don't always pick up on metaphors in film, but that one was fairly obvious. Edit: my fault. I looked into it, and that's the point you're making. I felt attacked, I'm an idiot. I need to read that article, this seems exactly what I'm talking about. Directors feel like they need to force feed us a narrative instead of telling a truthful story and allowing us to apply our interpretations.

5

Nearby-Exercise-7371 Apr 2, 2026 +3

So you were upset that it didn’t celebrate the lie that is the “American dream”? What message didn’t you like if not?

3

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +37

The only reason why i lean slightly towards the pianist is the performance by the main actor. Sorry im blanking on his name but i know he is one of the most famous in the world and personally one of my favorite. But anyway, he crushed that movie

37

ATTICUSone Apr 2, 2026 +54

Adrien Brody and yes, he did an amazing job. The scene where he's walking alone through his empty city is haunting.

54

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +13

The scene at the end where he is wearing the german coat. I thought for sure they were gna shoot him. But they finished even better letting us wonder what happened to the german officer that helped him. Of course we know, he dies in the gulag. Just a wild ending

13

DuncanHynes Apr 2, 2026 +5

Then there is Son of Saul. A wild ride. All 3 amazing, and different.

5

Informal-Vacation516 Apr 2, 2026 +22

I'd argue Schindler's List is the better cinematic achievement due to Kaminski's cinematography and the sheer logistical scale of the production, but The Pianist feels far more raw and personal since Polanski actually survived the Krakow ghetto himself.

22

BlackSpinedPlinketto Apr 2, 2026 +2

I actually don’t like the fact SL is in black and white, it makes you feel like it’s an event in the past rather than a horrible reality that people went through.

2

dondox Apr 2, 2026 +3

But when you see that girl…

3

free_billstickers Apr 2, 2026 +6

And ignoring the gravity and humanity of the subject matter...the production value is through the roof...there is no suspension of disbelief, you are there, in those rooms, in those lines. Every aspect, lighting, sound, story telling, acting...just flawless filmaking which is part of the reason the impact is so visceral, you feel like you are there as a spectator. Its taken several watches to divorce the subject matter from the production aspects on their own merits and doing so only elevates what these films really are, which are "perfect game" films where every element comes together to highlight an aspect of the human experience, albeit a horrific one in these instances

6

Capt_Murphy_ Apr 2, 2026 +56

Life is Beautiful is also a strong contender for best holocaust film

56

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +11

I have not heard of it. I will have to watch

11

maxboondoggle Apr 2, 2026 +26

Believe it or not it’s a comedy too. Tragic and extremely well done. Great film.

26

IceKareemy Apr 2, 2026 +2

I’m so sorry

2

SsurebreC Apr 2, 2026 +7

It's a good movie, a lighthearted comedy more than anything. You're enjoying yourself while not seeing the metal bat about to hit your face.

7

winkingchef Apr 2, 2026 +4

*Principessa!*. Roberto Benigni is a gem of a man. Highly recommend watching him in earlier movies by Jim Jarmusch, particularly *Night on Earth* where he plays the most delightfully unhinged Roman taxi driver. (This movie remains one of my top 5 all time - and Roberto isn’t even the standout)

4

_Vaudeville_ Apr 2, 2026 +2

Not even close

2

AlterMyStateOfMind Apr 2, 2026 +39

Schindler's List wins out because it wasn't made by a pedophile

39

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +14

Haha… touche. Forgot about that.

14

AlterMyStateOfMind Apr 2, 2026 +24

The Pianist is a really good movie and unfortunately Polanski is a good director but it's hard to separate the art from the artist sometimes. Chinatown used to be one of my favorite movies too 😐

24

-FeistyRabbitSauce- Apr 2, 2026 +22

Chinatown, Rosemary's Baby, The Pianist are all masterpieces. And Polanski is an awful piece of shit. But those films can still be enjoyed regardless of him. In some cases it's difficult making that separation, but you end up limiting yourself from *a ton* of art if you don't.

22

theanthonyya Apr 2, 2026

> But those films can still be enjoyed regardless of him. In some cases it's difficult making that separation, but you end up limiting yourself from *a ton* of art if you don't Why do you feel the need to say this. Polanski got away with raping a child. OP said that it's **sometimes** hard to separate art from artist. If they personally can't enjoy his movies anymore, if they personally can't separate him from his art, then so be it

0

-FeistyRabbitSauce- Apr 2, 2026 +10

Because I think it's worth remembering or being reminded that it's okay to enjoy things despite those details.

10

CharlieTeller Apr 2, 2026 +3

The story is very poignant and I can separate the art from the artist pretty well sometimes. It doesn't excuse it but many artists have a lot of baggage so it's a good skill to have if you really want to enjoy just the art.

3

SaucyAustie Apr 2, 2026 +14

Jojo Rabbit is one of my favorites.

14

Effective_Piccolo866 Apr 2, 2026 +7

fr both are wild but lowkey The Pianist hit me harder, idk how to explain it.

7

ItIsTaken Apr 2, 2026 +2

Good choice of words.

2

not_blmpkingiver Apr 2, 2026 +2

I specifically picked those words

2

majorminus92 Apr 2, 2026 +16

I also just recently watched "Come and See" after almost a decade. I hate that nowadays this horrible moment in history has been distilled down to the Jewish victims and comparing their suffering to what's going on today. There were so many more victims and it is all horrendous.

16

SergeantBoop Apr 2, 2026 +17

"Come and See" felt less sensationalized and closer to an actual event too.... Which is awful cause it's absolutely horrific

17

BobTulap Apr 2, 2026 +3

People use historical suffering of others to win their own political arguments today but that shouldn't have any impact on your view of history. Shindler's List and Come and See both explore the horrors of WW2, specifically their impact on civilians, and both films tell an important story in their own right. I don't see the point of trying to compare the two to see who "suffered more" as if it was some sort of competition.

3

Sea-Mango Apr 2, 2026 +7

Come and See is the best movie I never want to see again. You can feel the authenticity dripping from it, and it's too much sometimes.

7

ixion00x Apr 2, 2026 +9

I'm having some real trouble with your comment here. Maybe I'm misunderstanding your point, but these two movies are what I see as two related but different observations and reflections on the same larger event: the German annexation / invasion of Eastern Europe and the consequences of the Nazi regime's racial laws and animosity towards two different (but in their minds' related) peoples or groups of people. Firstly, Schindler's list a very specific reflection the experience of not only the specific Polish jews who worked for Oskar Schindler, but also the inhumanity of the holocaust as it applied specifically to the jews. (And more specifically, to those jews who lived in Eastern Europe and who were subject to the Germans suddenly being there in their country and all the Nazi racial policy that came with it, such as restriction on Jews owning businesses, eventually being segregated into ghettos and then later, being conscripted for slave labor or sent to death in the extermination camps). Come and See is an observation of the brutality, chaos and inhumanity of the German army as they invaded Eastern Europe and later the Soviet Union. But it is not specifically aimed at looking at the holocaust. Come and See is a brilliant film and I would argue probably one of the most insightful and haunting depictions of the Second World War in Russia to ever be put to film. However, I still wouldnt equate the two. Further, I'm having trouble with your claim that the holocaust is somehow being aggrandized today. I interpret your statement to refer to the current justification that many defenders of Israel use as part of their defense of the war in Gaza and now Lebenon, is that correct? In that case, I would agree with you. And I would go farther and say that a people who were once brought to the brink of annihilation should not be seeking to do the same to another people. Regardless, I dont believe that in any way dismisses or diminishes the overall brutality and horror of the war in Eastern Europe. If anything, the lack of awareness speaks to poor education on the subject.

9

mmecca Apr 2, 2026 +1

I dont think anything really captures the horror better than the body conveyor belt into a pyre scene in Schindlers list.

1

LadenBennie Apr 2, 2026 +1

Just wait until the pianist starts to play in this movie, they absolutely went insane by then

1

Slidingoranges Apr 2, 2026 +1

Only other Holocaust movie that stands with those is Zone of Interest. They all approach the horror of it with a different method. Each is so excellently made

1

No-Communication9458 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Oh god that scene in the pianist

1

-DoctorSpaceman- Apr 2, 2026 +1

We watched the Pianist in school. The only bit I remember is when they throw the wheelchair dude off the balcony, and that’s because loads of kids laughed at it!

1

Mortlach78 Apr 2, 2026 +1

There is a scene in the new Neurenberg movie that genuinely shook me. It shows actual archive footage of >!piles of human bodies in one of the nazi death camps - Bergen-Belsen I believe - being moved with a bulldozer.!<

1

VictoriaAutNihil Apr 2, 2026 +1

Try Benigni's Life Is Beautiful and Wertmuller's Seven Beauties for a different Nazi WWII perspective.

1

madtowntripper Apr 2, 2026 +1

A completely different tone and please don't think I'm trying to conflate the three but the opening sequence of Inglorious Bastards is just gripping cinema.

1

VenusValkyrieJH Apr 2, 2026 +1

Also Life is Beautiful! Horrible, but beautiful movie.

1

SpringChikn85 Apr 3, 2026 +1

If you ever have the chance to watch, "Come and See" just prepare yourself as it's on the same level and deals with the same subject matter however, the main protagonist followed is a young teenage Russian/Kossac boy who's journey from the beginning to the end of the film is horrifically transformative in the worst way emotionally.

1

Mooniekate Apr 3, 2026 +1

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas broke me for a few days after.

1

Tenshizanshi Apr 2, 2026 +57

Why was the man executed?

57

majorminus92 Apr 2, 2026 +137

By the time of the liquidation of the ghetto, the only Jews allowed to be there were documented to be essential workers. The Nazis were notorious for keeping detailed records and they had a list of people who had gamed the system and knew who was "undocumented" and who was not. The man who was shot was technically "undocumented" and should have been sent to Belzec (the nearest death camp to Krakow) a while back. So he was seen as unessential and killed on the spot.

137

DasMotorsheep Apr 2, 2026 +24

Sounds very plausible. They were calling out a name several times - probably his, since they stopped calling it out when they had him.

24

geta-rigging-grip Apr 2, 2026 +7

That sounds scarily precient. History doesn't repeat, but it certainly rhymes.

7

Frandaero Apr 3, 2026 +1

Please, can you not be braindead and compare mass murder to what's going on now? It's not even close and you're diminishing the holocaust's horror for upvotes.

1

pigeonwiggle Apr 2, 2026 +155

he showed is papers and has the armband, he was likely a prominent or educated man like a doctor or something. when you're oppressing a people you don't want people with influence to remain. they can become leaders and give people hope. when Maoists took over china, many educated people were killed for fear they would preach the logic of the old order. this obviously led to a bit of a disaster as an entire generation of educated people were eradicated - and it would take close to 40 years to revitalize the schools. there's a shot later in the movie where a jewish woman is an architect helping plan a building and is killed for daring to disagree with one of the SS Officers about the rationale of his demands - the other officers are shocked by the murder and claimed their preference for her expertise, but the murderer explains they'll get "a german" architect instead. (unless i'm forgetting how this movie went) -- the scene was just to further prove that Fiennes was a psychopath.

155

hellsfoxes Apr 2, 2026 +166

If I remember correctly, in that scene she says the building project will need to be torn down and started over because of a fatal flaw in the planning. He shoots her because she is too bold and confident in her assertion, then orders his men to do exactly what she suggested and start the project over. He knew she was correct but couldn’t let her live with that power.

166

ZippyDan Apr 2, 2026 +76

He killed her for being right. He knew she was right but he couldn't allow a Jewish engineer to be smarter than a German one.

76

Gloomy_Necesary Apr 2, 2026 +3

I dont think thats the point. Had she been subservient and right, it would have been fine

3

NikoOo1204 Apr 2, 2026 +23

He says "we're not gonna start to argue with these people!" Had she been subservient, she would not have said anything, she was condemned the moment she used her expertise, and being Jew...

23

0x53r3n17y Apr 2, 2026 +2

Yeah, that's the terrifying message: you are literally nothing, least of all human. And that's why she was shot. There is no other reason, story or grand idea beyond that. It's the culmination of a long road of foundational changes in politics, economics, culture, education, media, and so on, that had permeated German society with this abhorrent ideology. It wasn't just propaganda, it had become core beliefs that had been collectively deeply internalized. There was no other frame of reference. As far as Goeth, played by Fiennes, and his guards in that scene, and throughout the film, were concerned, their presence, the job, the camp, the entire setup wasn't something they desired to do. It was perceived as a banal necessity. Something on par with putting out the trash. The actual repulsive part in all of this isn't merely the cruelty itself. It's the banality of it all. As Hannah Arendt aptly pointed out: the banality of evil. That's what that scene tries to convey.

2

prezuiwf Apr 2, 2026 +4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r34uvEay1fg

4

Kaiisim Apr 2, 2026 +71

Luckily modern people love intelligent people and experts and we'll never fall for this ever again

71

babautz Apr 2, 2026 +12

:(

12

Rasp_Lime_Lipbalm Apr 2, 2026 +2

Yep sure worked out super well during Covid!

2

-Gumbercules Apr 2, 2026 +22

When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime took power in Cambodia they did the same even going as far as executing teachers and anyone that wore glasses out of fear of them being intelligent.

22

gloomycloud Apr 2, 2026 +4

I'm not defending the Khmer Rouge in any way as they are one of the most shocking examples of humanity's capacity for genocide, but it's not strictly accurate to say that they murdered "anyone that wore glasses". Certainly the intelligentsia were heavily targeted, particularly in the early days of their rule. Moreover, wearing glasses was one of the factors that caused suspicion, especially when the actions of the regime were known and few were willing to admit to being part of the educated class, however it was not as simple as being killed purely for requiring eyeglasses.

4

-Gumbercules Apr 2, 2026 +3

Yeah I should of specified that they didn't outright kill anyone for wearing glasses.

3

semperknight Apr 2, 2026 +9

It's the same reason Republicans are all about de-funded public education. They even successfully de-funded public broadcasting (PBS), but are all about funding private education (schools only in rich white areas). It's the same playbook.

9

SandersSol Apr 2, 2026 +8

Because the government in charge said he was no longer a human being with inherent rights.

8

Garth_AIgar Apr 2, 2026 +1

Idk, but that nazi actor could be cast as Jonathan Ross

1

Particular_Wear_6960 Apr 2, 2026 +166

It's worth watching a few times. After the initial shock and dismay of the traumatic things portrayed goes away, you'll truly appreciate just how well made the movie is. The little details shown here and there, the choreography, the acting. It's SO GOOD. Highly suggest just watching the side characters, the ones in the background. You'll start noticing that there's a little story involving all of them. Spielberg's best movie out of a host of other good movies.

166

defiancy Apr 2, 2026 +51

I mean Spielberg is the master for a reason, especially when it comes to period pieces

51

585AM Apr 2, 2026 +41

This is going to sound strange, but I highly recommend watching the Vanilla Ice film Cool as Ice—or Rifftrax or some YouTube video discussing it. Terrible movie, but also fascinating as the cinematographer’s next project would be Schindler’s List for which he would win an Oscar. You can tell watching Cool as Ice that he basically used the film to create a demo reel for future projects. And from there he ends up winning Oscars from Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Really interesting example of making the best of an opportunity. https://ironicsans.substack.com/p/008-the-art-of-cool-as-ice

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OiGuvnuh Apr 2, 2026 +8

Ha, interesting, TIL Janusz Kaminski was DP on Cool as Ice. Definitely in the - ‘so bad it’s good but still really really bad’ - category of film. It does look like he had about a half dozen projects between Cool as Ice and Schindler though.

8

djkhan23 Apr 2, 2026 +11

Because Spielberg was cooking during that period. Jurassic Park, Saving Private Ryan, and Schindler's List. Arguably all 3 should be in any credible top ten movies list of the 90s.

11

Particular_Wear_6960 Apr 2, 2026 +5

IKR. I saw both Jurassic Park and Saving Private Ryan in theaters, all three I'd argue in the top ten movies of all time. I still to this day remember seeing JP with my dad when I had to have been 10 I think (I was born in 84). I specifically remember when the infamous "boom" part started happening, I asked my dad if we could leave. Fortunately, we did not leave lol. There was a baby in the theater with a in a few rows in front of us but it was quiet the whole time . Spielberg's 90's run was quite the incredible time, kinda helped shape the cultural zeitgeist with his movies for lack of better words.

5

djkhan23 Apr 3, 2026 +2

And he literally pushed filmmaking further. The brutality and despair of SL. Having the courage to shoot it in black and white. Breaking graphical barriers and becoming such a hit that the 2019 nba champs Toronto Raptors are still named after with Jurassic Park. And ain't no one convincing me otherwise that Saving Private Ryan is still the best war movie of all time. Spielberg has a goat argument for having so many great films and and like you said, having such a cultural impact we still can recognize today.

2

nothisistheotherguy Apr 2, 2026 +2

At least 2/3 of those are in the AFI’s list of the 100 greatest movies of all time

2

mediaphile Apr 3, 2026 +2

He was editing Jurassic Park while he was shooting Schindler's List. Absolutely nuts.

2

Jon-INFP Apr 2, 2026 +6

For sure it's not an easy film to re-visit, but you are right that the movie is so well made that it more than merits doing so. Just one example, the "Introduction to Schindler" sequence at the beginning is utterly brilliant cinema, a masterpiece of visual character building. We know everything we need to know about Oskar before he's even said a word.

6

The_Mellow_Tiger Apr 2, 2026 +6

I only ever watch it every 5 years or so. Because I want to believe human beings aren't capable of being such monsters. But they are, and they are right now. The film itself is haunting. It reminds me it can happen literally anywhere, including where I am; which it basically is. Looks like the 5 years is up, time for another rewatch. This film is a warning.

6

Particular_Wear_6960 Apr 2, 2026 +3

Absolutely. These people were neighbors, friends, and colleagues. There were plenty of examples of people who were normally good acquaintances all the sudden selling each other out. I think about that when I see my neighbors on occasion. If the far right Christo-fascists took over, which side would they be on? I have a feeling many of them would be on the Nazi side of things. It's kinda fucked up, but its true. Now there was a culture of paranoia going on that I'm not going to fully expand on, but yeah... I don't know how that would play out in modern days.

3

The_Mellow_Tiger Apr 2, 2026 +2

This is my thing, the paranoia has extended into a vast expanse alongside technology. There really is no telling anymore. These days you don't even need your neighbors to sell you out, it's all on the device you hold in your hands, or what sits at your desk. If they ever gained control, I mean true unchecked control, I'm legitimately fucked. If they ever decided to round up the LGBTQ+ I'm a goner. We're worlds away from Germany in the 1930s. We are all staring down the barrel, immigrants are always first, we're next, then it's who they decide they don't like. Dangerous times.

2

lil_poppapump Apr 2, 2026 +1

I’ve never seen this, almost 40 prolly bout time I do. Like others said, Spielberg is the man for a reason. His world/set building is second to none.

1

DraculaTickles Apr 2, 2026 +92

>The entire film is full of moments that made me question my faith but I feel this scene is relevant with current events of people being forced to leave their homes with no warning. yeah… this shit happened to us too. I was born in communist romania, in constanța county. i was like 5, so i don’t remember everything clean, just flashes. one night there’s screaming outside, banging, chaos. people getting dragged out of their homes like animals. then houses burning. they were tearing everything down for that stupid project, the danube black sea canal… ceaușescu’s little nightmare, built on people’s backs, prisons, forced labor, all of it. I remember my dad rushing us, telling my mom to grab us and run out the back. he stayed behind. I didn’t understand why. I just remember being scared as hell. We ran to the next village, to my grandpa. My father showed up way later that night. I still see his face… swollen, beaten, blood. he didn’t say a single word. not one. just sat there.

92

WitchOfKyiv Apr 2, 2026 +12

It's a truly wild experience to be part of a former soviet bloc state and see americans willingly doing to themselves what russians have, and calling or freedom. I saw Americans (maga, of course) interviewed claiming Putin is a great leader and russia has more freedoms than America and was just.... so sad for them, lol. But some people refuse to see reality until it's THEM dragged out of their homes and shot in the street like animals. They don't understand that the moment they begin to allow their government to take away the rights of one group they don't like, that this line will move. It will always move, and eventually they find themselves on the other side and wonder how it ever could have come to this. One of the biggest dangers America has faced, domestically, is the same thing that was for a very long time, a strength behind the American "dream": confident optimism. That same quality is behind the idea that America is immune to such things as this. It could never happen. That only happens elsewhere. I told my friends still trapped in Russia, years ago, that the danger with American democracy is that it worked too well for just long enough that people grew complacent and stopped paying attention. But there have always been wolves testing for holes in the fence line, and the moment you stop watching, they find their ways in. And now things in the US are rapidly becoming closer and closer to russia. I see less overt versions of it happening in many other places, but I think the one possible silver lining is much of Europe is also so horrified by what is happening in America that it may very well counteract some of the right wing swing of the pendulum. But I would very much like to not be in America right now. It's like a f****** fever dream watching this same exact thing happen here. It's like I'll never goddamn escape putin or soviet era influence. 🥲

12

alligatorislater Apr 2, 2026 +2

Very well stated. It’s mind boggling and depressing to see how well compliancy and propaganda have worked on some Americans. Wolves testing the fence is right!

2

RedPandaActual Apr 2, 2026

This right here is what disgusts me when I see communist flags bent flown publicly with no shame. To think that a communist flag is better than a nazi one when you don’t hear as many stories like this.. they’re both abhorrent flags of authoritarianism, and the communists have a death count that would make hitler blush.

0

TheHancock Apr 2, 2026 +9

This is my biggest gripe. Do not supplant one evil for another simply because you don’t understand it (weren’t told to hate X).

9

thewidowgorey Apr 2, 2026 +1

That’s awful. I’m so sorry

1

dakjelle Apr 2, 2026 +73

Remember when someone says they are a nazi.. this is nazis

73

Tolkfan Apr 2, 2026 +23

I remember seeing it in the cinema with my school in Poland, and there's an unfortunate "comedic" moment during the scene where they're burning piles of bodies. The title screen that comes up says "Chujowa Górka", which translates to "Shitty Little Hill" and doesn't sound very serious, especially to a cinema full of school kids. Another one that always makes me smirk is the hospital poisoning scene, where the bottle has Polish text on it saying "Poison" with a big skull and bones. Why would a hospital have a bottle with a label literally saying "☠ Poison"? :| Apparently there's a similar thing with the ending song being funny to Israeli audiences, so they had to replace it.

23

darkamyy Apr 2, 2026 +20

Carbolic acid used to be used as a surgical antiseptic and was stored in bottles with poison written on them

20

DonKlekote Apr 2, 2026 +13

I haven't watched the movie for years so I don't remember this scene but it's historically accurate. "Chujowa Górka" or actually "Hujowa Górka" loosely translates to "D***/Prick Hill" it was a dark humor word play made by the actual inmates to mark a place or mass executions conducted by Albert Hujar, a German officer. Hujar = (c)Huj [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hujowa\_G%C3%B3rka](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hujowa_G%C3%B3rka) There's another place close to the hill with a similar past named a "[C*** Hole](https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szaniec_FS-22#:~:text=Wi%C4%99%C5%BAniowie%20nadali%20mu%20nazw%C4%99%20Cipowy%20Do%C5%82ek)"

13

Wyatt821 Apr 2, 2026 +8

Iodine has warnings with the skull and crossbones.

8

TheZealand Apr 2, 2026 +6

> Why would a hospital have a bottle with a label literally saying "☠ Poison"? :| Rat/other vermin control potentially

6

EngineerSame6262 Apr 2, 2026 +7

must watch movie for younger generation. its a masterpiece from spielberg.

7

[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +36

[removed]

36

[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +12

[removed]

12

Gamerxx13 Apr 2, 2026 +5

people should watch this movie every few years. it’s just to understand what humans are capable of if unchecked. Douglas Kelley during Nuremberg was saying this can happen to anyone , that was the scary thing. the capacity for monstrous evil exists in ordinary people, and that the Nazi personality could be found anywhere—including in America.

5

Jaxxlack Apr 2, 2026 +49

And people ask "why were the British so intent on going to war with Germany" Churchill met mr.hitler and had the cut of his jib to the degree he came home and went straight to meet with the king and explain what a lunatic he'd just met as a "dangerous gangster and monster" *Before anyone jumps on my neck of CHURCHILL WAS.. yes he wasn't perfect but he was what the British needed at the time..

49

TeoKajLibroj Apr 2, 2026 +39

>And people ask "why were the British so intent on going to war with Germany" I don't think any reasonable person who has read up on the 1930s could think the British were intent on war with Germany. They did absolutely everything they could to avoid a war and were basically forced into one by Hitler.

39

mulder00 Apr 2, 2026 +3

I guess people forget Neville Chamberlain.

3

Allobroge- Apr 2, 2026 +3

France and England made exactly zero effort to either prepare against or interfere with Hitler plans in the 30s. Hence why one was defeated in 2 months and the other was turtling for the whole war. No one was intenting anything.

3

Big_erk Apr 2, 2026 +16

I feel this is one of the greatest movies ever made. But I just can't bring myself to watch it again. It is that effective in it's storytelling.

16

standread Apr 2, 2026 +176

God watched the Holocaust and did nothing. Just like he does nothing when kids get cancer and evil men get away with horrible crimes. That is because he only ever existed in your head.

176

[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +14

[removed]

14

MemoriesOfShrek Apr 2, 2026 +4

Either their god was never real or he is simply the most evil being in the history of the universe. But they will ignore all facts and reason, and keep pretending. And they will allow others to needlessly suffer and die in the name of their god and call it mercy, justice or good.

4

Ducky_Mcgee Apr 2, 2026 +36

Fedorable

36

Lucetti Apr 2, 2026 +23

John Fedora invented the problem of evil in 300 BC

23

CDHmajora Apr 2, 2026 +2

Something something free will… No… you’re correct. No benevolent being would ever allow its creations to commit such atrocities. It would have created us to be incapable of such actions to begin with.

2

standread Apr 2, 2026 +2

It's really weird to me how the free will argument is used to explain away evil, while at the same time it's asserted that the only way to be moral and good is to embrace God's teachings without question. If a person exercises their free will and lives a moral and just life according to God's demands but does not embrace Jesus as their savior, they don't go to heaven and are damned to hell at the final judgement. What is this, some kind of trap?

2

Rasp_Lime_Lipbalm Apr 2, 2026 +3

iam14andthisisdeep

3

ElectricBanker Apr 2, 2026 +10

💯

10

Tolkien-Minority Apr 2, 2026 -20

Absolute Listnook moment

-20

MysticSkies Apr 2, 2026 +32

One of those listnook moments I can get behind.

32

poeticentropy Apr 3, 2026 +1

Meh, but why not let the person relate their personal experience without shitting on their beliefs. Like they're not exerting it on you so who cares. Do you spoil Santa Clause for kids too because you're a dark edgelord? This is coming from an atheist

1

Positive_Hall_3207 Apr 2, 2026 +3

I was born in France in the 70s , I heard first hand stories from my grandparents, family and older people I knew . My father was 8 years old when the war ended in 1945. My maternal grandfather escaped a “Work “ camp in Prussia and found his way back to our country house in the south of France. My maternal grandmother was in occupied Paris with a toddler before she joined my grandfather to the “Free zone” . I knew people who helped the resistance , work on underground passage for Jewish people and hid children in Farms. My grandfather was part of it but he was sleek with his words. He said:”I fished a lot .” He had very telling stories about the good done , the ethical grey area and the bad/ horrific. I also know people who lost family in the camps and some who had a collaboration past attached to their family. The French police helped rounding people, the government facilitated this horror. it is such an horrible fact about France. People use delation on others , so many letters are archived now . People settled scores after the War in horrible ways: Shaved women’s head and paraded them, killed each other over Black market or petty reasons. Many were killed or deported because they were Jewish or they were different, communist political affiliations, resistance members,intellectuals, gays, disabled . Paris looks beautiful compared to Post War London because of the “Deal” made with the Nazi regime. So as a Parisian born I remind people at what cost it stands in its beautiful self.I would take a destroyed Paris any day if those lives would have been saved. I never forget . My father never wanted to talk about his experiences as a young boy . The worst thing to be called was Collaborator , Collabo is a loaded word , the worst insult in my personal opinion. I can’t watch this movie and other films without feeling it deep in my core.

3

esarmstr Apr 2, 2026 +3

The Holocaust and Slavery made me lose faith in humanity.

3

[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +69

[removed]

69

jojosmartypants Apr 2, 2026 +5

In before 🔒

5

im_not_a_gay_fish Apr 2, 2026 +7

And remember their justification. "This country is for us. They are not real citizens. They don't belong here. They are illegal occupants. They are criminals, many of them violent. They will be locked up until we can find out where to send them. This is to keep us safe"

7

Sonnycrocketto Apr 2, 2026 +2

Just evil.

2

brokenmessiah Apr 2, 2026 +2

In hindsight, while I love that its in black and white, I wish it wasn't because black and white makes it feel like its cinema when it should feel like real events(dramatized but still). I think its important to see Nazis in color.

2

iconboy Apr 2, 2026 +5

I'm getting current IDF vibes.

5

anti_zero Apr 2, 2026 +4

“You made out during Schindlers List?!”

4

DannarHetoshi Apr 2, 2026 +4

Schindler's List should be required watching in every Freshman High School History class.

4

[deleted] Apr 2, 2026 +5

[removed]

5

smegabass Apr 2, 2026 +4

There will be a Gaza genocide version of this movie one day. There will be many many stories to tell.

4

ValuableItchy Apr 2, 2026 +3

Oh the irony

3

Just-Stop-Temporary Apr 3, 2026 +1

Explain the irony. Edit: you immediately blocked me.

1

miraj753 Apr 3, 2026 +1

What's the irony?

1

Capt_Stoopid Apr 2, 2026 +4

Israel is basically doing this in the West Bank and Gaza

4

julesmanson Apr 2, 2026 +1

The moment Oskar Schindler first recognized the gravity of the society he was comfortably living in.

1

humansruineverything Apr 2, 2026 +1

Shoah.

1

weltvonalex Apr 2, 2026 +1

Even after all those years I still cannot rewatch that. Na I pass, it's too much for me.

1

FlynnerMcGee Apr 2, 2026 +1

I saw this movie at The Classic cinema in Elsternwick, Melbourne. Melbourne had one of the largest surviving holocaust populations by city, and Elsternwick is among the areas most populated by the Jewish community. The crowd mostly contained parents or grandchildren accompanying grandparents, and the sobbing continued throughout the movie. I will never experience a more moving situation in film.

1

laikalou Apr 2, 2026 +1

My middle school had a great program for teaching about the Holocaust, though oddly enough it was done through 8th grade English class rather than history. We had a whole semester dedicated to it: reading several books together as a class, a research paper, a screening of Schindler's List, and then Jack Van Der Geest (member of Dutch resistance, sent to then escaped from Buchenwald, wrote the book **Was God on Vacation?**) would speak about his experience and answer questions.

1

chad-shinchan Apr 2, 2026 +1

one of the best piece of work i witnessed

1

SMILESandREGRETS Apr 2, 2026 +1

My sixth grade teacher inspired my interest in learning all that I could about WWII and the Holocaust. While on the topic of World War II during the school year, NBC was going to broadcast Schindler's List over the weekend. I remember the whole week leading up to the broadcast, she would drop hints about tuning in and watching it. She couldn't outright tell us to watch it because of the nature of it. Of course I watched. I couldn't wait to go back to school on Monday to give us a better perspective that I'm sure our sixth grade minds could handle. You were my favorite teacher Ms. Torres. The best!

1

nicksnotsane Apr 2, 2026 +1

This movie and the college class I took at the time, Psychology of the Holocaust, really opened my eyes to what was going on in the world during this time. Got to interview my grandmother as part of a class project. She came to the US from Ukraine in 1935. My grandfather followed a year later. My grandmother being a US citizen saved our family.

1

BackgroundKitchen928 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Watched this for the first time in a long time recently, I didn't remember most of it and this was hard to watch. Phenomenal movie.

1

mortraineyhat Apr 2, 2026 +1

I still remember the scene about people hiding in c*** and it traumatized me as a little kid. I’ve yet to watch this movie again.

1

heyscot Apr 2, 2026 +1

I still wonder how they did the squibs in this movie. Never saw anything like it before.

1

Ornery-Dragonfruit96 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I just can't.

1

Maremontagna Apr 2, 2026 +1

I love movies like this

1

evilRainbow Apr 2, 2026 +1

I remember in an interview Spielberg said the way he depicted it was tame compared to reality. Spielberg didn't show the nazi's throwing babies over the balconies.

1

nickeypants Apr 2, 2026 +1

When they eat the valuables, or sew them into their clothing... The other side of this is seen in Zone of Interest where a friend of Hedwig Höss remarks to her on how clever they are as she sometimes finds diamonds sewn into the seams of her 'repurposed' coats or in tubes of toothpaste.

1

slipperyslope69 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Hopefully this never happens again… 🤨

1

azmodan72 Apr 2, 2026 +1

If you have not seen it yet, watch One Life. (2023).

1

Forrestfunk Apr 2, 2026 +1

One of the best movies I will never watch again

1

TestTheTrilby Apr 2, 2026 +1

You think that's bad? Remember the time I watched Come and See?

1

CallMeMrGone Apr 2, 2026 +1

"They are gonna be in trouble come the midterms"

1

larisa5656 Apr 2, 2026 +1

The "Today is History" monologue lives rent free in my head.

1

Jlx_27 Apr 2, 2026 +1

The movie with the infinate cigarette.

1

Jesuismieux412 Apr 2, 2026 +1

I’ve been to Kraków several times…a small little paradise in Central Europe. It’s hard to imagine that such atrocity and injustice could have occurred there.

1

ainus Apr 2, 2026 +1

\> current events of people being forced to leave their homes with no warning. Who are you referring to?

1

user_name_unknown Apr 2, 2026 +1

Nice to know that probably all the nazis involved were killed by the allies.

1

dakilazical_253 Apr 2, 2026 +1

Everyone should see this film. I saw it in the theater when I was 15 and it had a huge impact on my life. I still think about it a lot and I haven’t watched it in 25 years or so

1

dmfuller Apr 3, 2026 +1

I’ve never seen this movie, why are they eating the gold?

1

majorminus92 Apr 3, 2026 +3

Jews were prohibited from owning anything in the ghetto. Money, jewels, valuables. Many people hid jewelry and would eat them wrapped in bread. They would do this in the camps as well in the event they needed to exchange it for food or just to keep family heirlooms from being confiscated by the SS.

3

dmfuller Apr 3, 2026 +2

Oh damn wtf that’s crazy, thank you for the info! I need to watch this one. If you haven’t seen it then check out Life Is Beautiful, really good holocaust film

2

SanTheMightiest Apr 3, 2026 +1

And have people/certain leaders and their supporters learned from this period in history that wasn't even 100 years ago?

1

c_r_a_s_i_a_n Apr 3, 2026 +1

If the abrahamic god exists, they are a cruel, selfish and psychopathic being that does not deserve adoration.

1

Independent_Heat_997 Apr 3, 2026 +1

The only thing I remember about this movie is that little girl in the red her coat her coat was the only thing in color and the unalived that little girl.

1

Schindler's List (1993) The Krakow Ghetto is liquidated

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