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The Accidental Hero: Oskar Schindler
| Length: | 30 min |
| Released: | 1999 |
| Ages: |
High School College Adult |
This documentary on Oskar Schindler, the wartime rescuer of 1200 Jews, grapples with the moral ambiguity of a flawed hero. Schindler had joined the Nazi party early on and sympathized with their expansionist views. Personally, he was a gambler, adventurer, womanizer and drinker. How does such a person become the most significant savior of Jews during the war?
In presenting the details of Schindler's life, we hear from survivors, researchers and noted author, Thomas Keneally. Some of the survivors feel that his talent for bribery and deception enabled him to save lives. He embarked upon his rescue mission when he realized that little children were being deported to Auschwitz. The Nazis he had initially admired, turned out to be barbarians.
After the war Schindler's life fell apart, although the "Schindler Jews" tried to save him from alcoholism and poverty. When he died at the age of sixty six, he was buried in Israel, eulogized by those he had saved.
In presenting the details of Schindler's life, we hear from survivors, researchers and noted author, Thomas Keneally. Some of the survivors feel that his talent for bribery and deception enabled him to save lives. He embarked upon his rescue mission when he realized that little children were being deported to Auschwitz. The Nazis he had initially admired, turned out to be barbarians.
After the war Schindler's life fell apart, although the "Schindler Jews" tried to save him from alcoholism and poverty. When he died at the age of sixty six, he was buried in Israel, eulogized by those he had saved.
"This well-done presentation will provide viewers some little known information about Schindler." School Library Journal
