This is a remarkable movie and the heart of the story is very beautiful. Two stories are intertwined. The first is simply the story of the persecution of the Jews by the Nazis during World War II. The second is the story of Oskar Schindler, a German businessman, determined to profit from the war by hiring Jews as cheap laborers. He is a womanizer, living the high life through in spite of the suffering around him. Steven Spielberg has artfully combined these themes by contrasting Schindler with the Nazi Commandant he interacts with and by the positive changes that develop in Schindler even as the evils of the Holocaust grow.

The movie is available (probably at your local library) on two video tapes. The first tape basically sets up the story of the Holocaust and how brutal it was. I understand that Spielberg thought this was important because he had become aware that many people today don't believe the Holocaust actually happened. There is a great deal of gore, nudity and other difficult content. Given the desensitization in our culture to gore and violence in movies in general, Spielberg may have felt that a graphic and realistic portrayal was necessary. I personally don't believe it is necessary to see all of this in order to grasp the importance of the story (particularly since most of my readers probably have no doubts about the reality of the Holocaust). I also don't think it's particularly healthy - spiritually or psychologically if you will - to plant such images in the imagination - particularly for young people. I suggest skipping this entire first tape.

The second tape focuses on the story of Oscar Schindler and how he rescued over a thousand Jews from certain death in the Nazi concentration camps. Even though it is milder in content than the first tape, it still contains some offensive/mature/objectionable content. Parents should definitely preview it before considering it for more mature high schoolers. Even then, it would probably be reasonable to edit certain portions with the fast-forward button. The ending is amazing and very powerful as we see the dramatic change in Schindler's character, his return to his wife and the Faith and, especially, his overpowering realization of the value of human life.

Despite the graphic scenes, the morals offered by the story in its entirety are good. I'm appreciative of Spielberg's acknowledgments within the story that Schindler's Catholic faith is connected with his good deeds.

For those who don't want to tackle this rather difficult movie, the story of Oskar Schindler is also told in A Place to Hide: True Stories of Holocaust Rescues by Jayne Pettit

A true story of Italian Catholics helping Jews escape from the clutches of the Nazis during the Holocaust. It focuses on Padre Rufino, the superior of St. Francis' own church of San Damiano. I especially love the scene where a Mother Abbess who is hiding Jews in her cloister stands up to the Nazi officials and refuses to allow them to search the convent. Most appropriate for upper grade school or high school, depending on the sensitivity of your children. The movie is very well done, appears to be very carefully researched and was filmed on location is Assisi, Italy.

This is the dramatic story (and probably true or based-on-a-true story) of a young boy in Japanese-occupied China who is separated from his parents and baby sister. He travels with his pet pig through dangerous territory and aids a wounded American airman. Still seeking his parents, he is adopted by the airmen (sixty "fathers") at an American military base who fly him about the area to find his parents in gratitude for his assistance to their fellow soldier.

The story is beautiful and thoughtful and gives a picture of life in an oft-forgotten portion of the World War II "drama". We Americans tend to focus on the stories of Europe and the Holocaust. Appropriate for ages ten and up.

Christopher Plummer and Gregory Peck play arch-enemies in this story of a remarkable Irish Monsignor living in the Vatican who runs a network of safehouses for Jews, escaped POWs and others seeking refuge in Nazi-occupied Rome. Monsignor O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) boldly collects funds for his work at high-profile parties and events and narrowly escapes capture at every turn. As Nazi Commandant Hoffer (Christopher Plummer) realizes the scope of O'Flaherty's threat to Nazi purposes, the good Monsignor's danger increases. Virtually a prisoner in the Vatican, he invents daring disguises in order to keep his network running and often remove refugees to safety just moments before the Nazis show up for an arrest attempt. This is a great movie - true story, compelling plot, great cast, etc. My only uncertainty is whether Sir John Gielgud's portrayal of Pope Pius XII is fair (he comes across as rather wimpy), but this is a rather minor part of the movie.