Semiotics in Schindler's List

In Schindler’s List, Oskar Schindler, played by Liam Neeson, attempts to save the lives of the Jewish people who work in his factory during the Holocaust. The movie was important in educating the masses of the horrible crimes of the Holocaust as well as showing the impact it had on survivors. The original movie print depicts an adult and a child holding hands as well as an enumerated list of names in the background. I chose this print because of its powerful symbolism. Through semiotic analysis, I was able to decipher the symbols’ meanings.

The little girl holding hands with the adult is symbolic of the help offered by the Oskar Schindler in saving the little girls people. At a larger scale, it symbolizes the effort by the Allies in defeating the Axis powers in order to liberate the Jewish people.

The hands could also symbolize the unity of the Jewish people at the time. They were helpless, unarmed and could not flee; all they could do was stay together and hope for the best. Families were torn apart and would never see each other again but one thing was common: They all had Jewish heritage that bonded them. In times of great distress, people will band together in order to get through struggles they may be facing. The trouble the Jewish people were facing was far greater than one could even imagine but they still would stay together because that is all they had.

Another symbol in the print is the red coat worn by the girl which is a major motif in the movie. The entire movie is in black and white except for the little girl’s red coat. She appears early on, walking through the streets unnoticed while the Nazi soldiers are breaking into Jewish people’s houses and killing them or transporting them to camps. Schindler watches her until she disappears into a house. Later, in the movie, Schindler sees her lifeless body still wearing her the coat in a cart full of dead corpses.

The red coat on the little girl is symbolic in that is shows the innocence of the Jewish people during the Holocaust. The little girl is young, pure and innocent yet she dies in a horrific way. Likewise, the Jewish people were being killed by the thousands because the Nazis felt that they were scapegoats; they believed the Jewish people were to blame even though they did no wrong. The Jewish people were innocent and yet they were executed regardless. The red coat also exemplifies the horrors of the war as men, women, and children alike were all killed.

Opposing the bright red is a black background. This symbolizes the dark times of the Holocaust. For the Jewish people, there were only feelings of sorrow, grief, hopelessness, and confusion as to why this was happening to them. Black is also the color of death. Millions died during the six years and many had to watch their family and friends die before them. They were very dark times for the those who suffered.

The Schindler’s List movie poster is able to deliver a powerful message in a very simple way. It only uses two images and, yet, is able to tell so much. The holding hands showing innocence and unity and the contrasting dark background symbolizing death and misery give us a sense of how terrible the Holocaust was as well as the impact it had on the survivors. It makes sense that movie with such a powerful and emotional message would have a print to match it.