Arts , Humanities & Social Science

Abstract

Throughout Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List (1994), motion is used in various ways for different purposes. At 1:28’00”, a prisoner is taken out of a factory in order to be executed by Ralph Fiennes. During this relatively short encounter between the prisoner and Fiennes, questions involving fate enter the viewer’s mind. But why? All because of motion (or a lack thereof). Spielberg, in this film, employs motion and/or non-motion to convey complicated and meaningful ideas. Ultimately, in this essay, I propose to (i) analyze this somber scene in its production (i.e., why and how did the scene work so well), and (ii) postulate that, in this specific scene, the ability to move freely is restricted to those who are not facing certain death.