20 Most Inspiring Movies Of All-Time
6. Schindler's List
You could argue that The Color Purple changed peoples perceptions of Steven Spielberg from mainstream sweetheart to serious film-maker but when he took Thomas Keneallys 1982 Booker Prize Winner many thought this was a story well beyond him. Hell, this was the man who was also directing some movie about dinosaurs the very same year!
The story of Oskar Schindler is now, thanks to this film, a universal one. It starts with Schindler moving to Krakow to bribe Nazi officials so that he can open a enamelware factory. He hires a Jewish official, Itzhak Stern, to help run the company but also to utilise his black market contacts. One day, Schindler witnesses a massacre in the ghetto and is affected by this mass murder but also by the singular vision of a red-coated girl.
From here, Schindler vows to save as many lives as possible. As the Germans begin to lose the war, Schindler must create a list of those who can be saved by transferring to his new munitions factory. This soon becomes a race against time as the Red Army begins to march upon the city. Like many of the films here, a brief synopsis really doesnt do justice the over-riding emotion in the film. The inspiration of both Schindler and Stern is juxtaposed to the evil of Ralph Fiennes star-making turn as Amon Goeth, a violent second lieutenant who takes pleasure in shooting Jews from his window.
To act with such courage in the face of this violence is the heart of the film and one which drives the story forward to the moment when the Jewish workers give a tearful, ashamed Schindler a ring with the engraving Whoever saves one life saves the world entire. This is an incredible true story and, in turn, a brilliant film which serves as an inspiration to all of us.