History Awesome / SchindlersList

* When Schindler convinces the head and guards of Auschwitz, first by bribes, to let the women who accidentally got sent there free as well. Then he convinces the guards to let the children go by saying that their smaller hands are needed to polish the inside of shells. The kids never ended up doing that, and the ''entire factory'' ends up being, as the narration states, "the model of nonproduction".

** This was undoubtedly just fine with the guards. Any other assignment at this juncture of the war would've resulted in almost certain death. Very few German men from barely teens to middle-aged survived the war.
* Oskar inviting and reminding the rabbi he had working for him to observe the Sabbath once they entered the final factory. Said rabbi recited the prayers loud enough for every guard in the facility to hear, and yet had no negative repercussions whatsoever.

* A brief moment in the epilogue: Amon Göth [[KarmicDeath being hanged by the Polish army]]. While he [[FaceDeathWithDignity has a stoic face throughout]] and even [[DoNotGoGentle says "Heil Hitler" as his last words]]. However, his death is [[UndignifiedDeath not as dignifying]] as he might have wanted, as the executioner had to kick his support several times before he got hung.
** Just the fact that this thing masquerading as a human being got hung like a piece of meat [[DyingAlone at an execution attended by practically no one]].

* Poldek managing to survive the ghetto liquidation by turning around when his tunnel escape is ruined and then pretending to be stacking some suitcases for the Germans so they'll overlook him.

* Itzhak getting the Jewish workers jobs in the factory before they can be marked nonessential at the beginning of the film. He's clearly determined to recur as many of his people as he can.

-->'''Oskar Schindler''': I know you have received orders from our commandant, which he has received from his superiors, to dispose of the population of this camp. Now would be the time to do it. Here they are; they're all here. This is your opportunity. Or, you could leave, and return to your families as men instead of murderers.
-->''([[WhatYouAreInTheDark The guards slowly leave]].)''

-->'''Schindler:''' "[[MeaningfulEcho He was a metal-press operator. Quite skilled]]."

* The beginning of Oskar's HeelFaceTurn after [[spoiler:the one-armed man he just hired is killed]].

!!Meta
* One for Creator/StevenSpielberg, for just making the movie, as well as for refusing a salary so as not to profit off of the senseless murder of millions. For him, this was more than a movie, it was his obligation as a Jew.
** For this movie, ''the credits'' are essentially a list of awesome people.
* Another meta example: Just over thirty years after dropping out of college a few courses shy of finishing his Bachelor's degree in film study to sign a Hollywood movie contract, director Steven Spielberg went back to school to finish his requirements. His advanced cinematography course had as a final requirement the completion of a film by the students. Most such films typically are in the 15-20 minute range; Spielberg submitted Schindler's List. His professor, presumably with a straight face, waived the normal length requirements with the explanation that Schindler's List adequately demonstrated applied learning of the course material. One hopes for the sake of the other students enrolled in the course that the final project was not graded on a curve.
* Music/JohnWilliams, when asked by Spielberg to make the soundtrack for this film, said in all honesty that he didn't think he was good enough for the job. Spielberg's answer? "Anyone better [than you] is dead". And Master Williams pulled off what may be his finest work of all.

* A brief moment in the epilogue: Amon Göth [[KarmicDeath being hanged by the Polish army]]. While he [[FaceDeathWithDignity has a stoic face throughout]] and even [[DoNotGoGentle says "Heil Hitler" as his last words]]. However, his death is not as dignifying as he might have wanted, as the executioner had to kick his support several times before he got hung.

* Stern's mild speech toSchindler where he makes clear his belief that no, Goth is not a PunchClockVillain.

* Music/JohnWilliams, when asked by Spielberg to make the soundtrack for this film, said in all honesty that he didn't think he was good enough for the job. Spielberg's answer? "Anyone better [than you] is dead".

* Stern's midl speech toSchindler where he makes clear his belief that no, Goth is not a PunchClockVillain.

* Poldek managing to survive the ghetot liquidation by turning around when his tunnel escape is ruined and then pretending to be stacking some suitcases for the Germans so they'll overlook him.

* Music/JohnWilliams, when asked by Spielberg to make the soundtrack for this film, said in all honesty that he didn't thought he was good enough for the job. Spielberg's answer? "Anyone better [than you] is dead".

* A brief moment in the epilogue: Amon Göth [[KarmicDeath being hanged by the Polish army]].
** [[NegatedMomentOfAwesome Ruined]] [[FaceDeathWithDignity by the stoic look upon his face as he accepts his fate]].
** Granted he was pretty stoic when hanged in real life.
** And for someone as sociopathically broken as Goeth, nothing would have elicited a reaction from him anyway. He was executed for his crimes; there is no more blood to wring from that stone.

* One for Creator/StevenSpielberg, for just making the movie. For him, it was more than a movie, it was his obligation as a Jew.

* Spielberg himself gets a RealLife one for refusing a salary for this movie, as he claimed it would be "blood money". Doubles as a Heartwarming moment.

* Creator/JohnWilliams, when asked by Spielberg to make the soundtrack for this film, said in all honesty that he didn't thought he was good enough for the job. Spielberg's answer? "Anyone better [than you] is dead".

* Another meta example: Spielberg presenting this film to his alma mater as the thesis film he never made. And having it be ''accepted!''

** This is something that was unique in the history of Auschwitz.