I read in an article that when a real Schindler Jew and survivor of Amon Goeth’s cruelty saw Ralph in character and in uniform she instantly broke down into sobs and near screaming. Swearing that Amon Goeth had come back from the grave. Ralph had to tear off the uniform and comfort her an that he was just an actor playing the part. Later, she was at peace she swore Ralph's performance of Goeth was as if a ghost had come alive. Ralph said he’ll never forget that moment and the terror in her eyes as well as what she must have endured and survived in real life.
Mila Pfeifferberg (I think I botched the spelling) was her name. She started trembling uncontrollably when she saw Ralph in uniform because he looked so much like the real Goeth.
It's true. Many of the survivors gave feedback on the characters' representation of who they were to the actors and were also interviewed regarding their reactions to Amon Goethe, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. It was extremely traumatic. I know Spielberg said the work was exceedingly depressing, but we were driven to complete it and didn't expect the film to make a lot of money. He donated his share to Holocaust education and Jewish causes. He called the profits, blood money.
Tommy Lee Jones was great in The Fugitive, but him winning the Oscar instead of Fiennes was such a mistake. Fienne's Amon Goeth was one of the all-time great performances in one of the greatest films of all time. Hindsight I guess.
His Jewish maids said the real Amon Goeth beat them and would've eventually murdered them if he hadn't been arrested for stealing. There's a video testimony.
I'll never forget seeing this film when it was released. The packed theatre would collectively recoil and hold its breath when Ralph Fiennes appeared onscreen. In a career full of superb performances, Fiennes' Goeth is the zenith of his film career. How he lost the Oscar to Jones is baffling. Why he hasn't received an Oscar in the following decades shows how worthless the Academy Awards are.
I’ll never forget seeing this on release. Sadly it’s not as much for the film itself as much as it was for the honest-to-god Neo Nazis who were also in attendance whistling and cheering any time the Nazis on screen did Nazi things.
Goeth's own daughter said she recognized him in the film as her father immediately. There's a great documentary called "Inheritance" from PBS about her finding out who her father really was and trying to come to terms with it
One irony here about the real Amon Göth is that he has an Afrodeutsch granddaughter, Jennifer Susanna Teege, born in 1970, who is married, lives in Germany, and whom he never met. She's the daughter of Monika Hertwig and a Nigerian exchange student. Jennifer discovered the identity of her infamous grandfather when she found a copy of her mother' autobiography in library. She saw the picture of her grandmother, Ruth, with whom she'd lived for few years before adoption. Ruth had been Amon's mistress during the final two years of Plaszow and was Monika's mother. Then she saw the picture of her infamous grndfather and began to put two and two together. Her discovery of who he was had sent her into depresion. A few years ago she wrote a book, "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me". I have the book myself, and she does have her grandfather's contour of face as well as his height. I wonder what would happen if he could come back from the dead only for a moment and see his granddaughter, his great grandchildren, and what a fine woman his mixed race granddaughter turned out to be.
Buuuut she never even knew or met her father....she was too young when he was executed by the Germans for corruption (no he wasn't killed by the allies or Nuremberg)
The fear I felt watching him was so disturbing. His good looks and extreme coldness seemed incongruous. It was a travesty that he didn’t get that Oscar.
@@Daniel-om4ce and you know because he was a personal friend of yours or because you watched Hollywood movies?and we all know who owns these movie studios.
@@DuruttiVisca from personal accounts of the survivors of his death camp. I know there’s no changing your mind but I’d believe those people a hundred times over your conspiracy theories
Man, Ralph Fiennes was phenomenal at his role. He should have won the Oscar. This powerful film is such a tear jerker. My mother and I cried our eyes out. Especially at the end where a clip of the real life survivors paid their respects to Schindler's grave.
The sheer quality, skill and talent of Neeson , Fiennes and Kingsley 's acting in Schindler's list is probably the finest example of film acting you will ever see!. Totally and utterly fantastically good 👍👏👏👏
Neeson was lucky to actually get cast. It was only when Spielberg saw how he good he was at writing lists he realised he would be perfect for the role as Oscar Schindler
I have other films as favourites but I always say that 'Schindler's List' is literally the best film I have ever seen. And probably ever will. Spielberg, the actors, the writing, the music, EVERYTHING is absolute perfection.
@@Daggz90 Wrong - Speilberg interviewed hundreds of Holocaust survivors of which is archived and you can find on his website. One of those testimonies, among theres, was Helen Hirsh who played Goeth's housemaid and much of what was portrayed in Goeth's house came directly from her testimony- including the part where Schindler gives her a kiss in the cellar. If you take time to check the testimony data base you can listen to Helen Hirsh's 5 hour testimony yourself.
@@adamatherton8562they’re liars, and making a killing off of it. It’s literally a propaganda film, by definition. And the fact that people like you think it’s anything kore than fiction is really quite sad.
@@adamatherton8562 The Nuremberg Trials only used 7 witness testimonies of survivors, so where did Spielberg find these "thousands" of people? I think you place too much trust in people whom had both a financial, social, cultural and religious incentive to lie about their experiences. It's like that woman whom claimed to have survived and lived in the forest with a pack of wolves and wrote a book about it lol; pure fiction. There's multiple witnesses testifying of very just and fair terms of living, with an orchestra, soccer team, swimming pool, vouchers to use at the cafeteria to purchase sweets or cigarettes - etc. If you think Hollywood productions are entirely based in truth; you know nothing of the entertainment industry and how it operates. I encourage you to read and learn more; a good start would be "Europa: The Last Battle". Oh and the book itself is in the category "Fiction" and the film is based on the book, so claiming that "all of this is correct and true" is complete and utterly wrong and untrue.
You're darn' tootin'! Tommy Lee is very good in that film, but it's a piece of piss for him, not a very challenging part. Kinda' like Laura Dern winning for 'Marriage Story', an easy part for an actor of her talents.
Right?? No disrespect to Tommy Lee, but there wasn't much to that role. I like the movie, and I enjoy Tommy in it, but I feel like someone could've showed him the Fugitive script for the first time 20 mins before filming began, and we would've seen that same performance.
Ralph Fiennes stole the show. He was a different league. One of the reasons why it was such a chilling performance is that he was incredibly good looking. It was somehow difficult to believe that someone so gorgeous could be pure evil.
For an awful lot of women, evil=gorgeous. That's why so many women are attracted to psychopaths & sociopaths, because their quality of overwhelming self-confidence spells S-E-C-U-R-I-TY to the female. To these women, such a man is the **PERFECT BODYGUARD**, which is exactly what they're after. (Sad, but true...)
Omg are you me !?! Fiennes’ performance as Göeth is one of my favorite performances of all time period, not just as a villain, but in general, and NO ONE really mentions it as much as other characters in films. Thank you for covering this !
It's either "Göth" (real German way to write it) or "Goeth" (for ppl who don't use or can't pronounce "ö". Never both. The "oe" makes the same sound as "ö"
I still remember hearing about a Holocaust survivor being on set, and Fiennes' performance as Göethe scared her badly. They had to console her, and reassure her that it wasn't really him, but an actor portraying him.
Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of Amon Goeth was/is the most brilliant acting I have ever witnessed. Somehow his presence on screen, in every shot, encapsulated the sheer horror of The Holocaust and caused us all to feel shame, sorrow, utter fear and revulsion of what humans are capable of. He really did become that despicable character and like the shots of the little girls in the red coat , he will also be tattooed on our memories forever. 👏
Amon might just be the scariest movie villain I’ve ever seen. He’s a ruthless genocidal maniac with the mind of a child and the fact that he’s based on a real man (who supposedly committed far worse atrocities than the movie version) makes him all the more frightening.
I read that they had to cut back on his real life atrocities because not only would it push the movie into a harder rating (and therefore nullify the reason it was made - to reach a wider audience and show just a taste of the horrors) but also that it would make him appear more of the "stereotypical Nazi", meaning people would dismiss him as a character, when it was important that that the audience should understand he was a person, with unlimited power over life and death and not just a 2D representation.
@jcorbett9620 and also, they feared that people would not think it was realistic as most people would have a hard time believing that someone so cruel could actually exist.
Him becoming Amon Goeth was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Ralph Fiennes is one of the best actors there is. Thank you for showing the world this man amazing work and talent
Fiennes portrayal of Amon Goeth was one of the greatest acting performances of all time. The fact that it didn’t win Fiennes a best supporting actor at the 1994 Oscar’s only served to devalue the Oscars in my eyes. It’s 30 years ago, but I’ve never held the Oscars in as high regard since. As a black man it’s ironic that it wasn’t the mass of black acting talent being ignored at the Oscars that hit me first. It was the ignorance of this 1 great performance depicting a real life sadistic psychopathic evil operating within the most racist killer regimes of all time that hit me square between the eyes 🙏🏽
It's always been a popularity contest As a white guy the slight of Ted Williams for MVP several times because he just wasn't liked helped show me that it could also be black people that weren't like - FOR NO REASON Awards are for popularity, usually given by those who were never popular themselves Why is it such a big deal when " the first black person to win blah blah blah " - WHAT THE ACTUAL F WHY NOT SIMPLY " THE BEST WON THIS YEAR " SOMETIMES BLACK ARE BETTER, SOMETIMES WHITE ARE BETTER, SOMETIMES NO ONE IS BETTER Because we are all the same - humans that excel at some things and fail at others As a bullied kid now an adult I hate popularity contests I hate awards Most people know who was " best " - and sometimes it's equal
In the long run, it's best to remember this is all an illusion and the Academy Awards is at the top of the list! Your comment was great and much appreciated by seekers of Truth. 🙏
All the ones you mentioned plus Gary Oldman and gene hackman, maybe they have been in bad films but always turned in an A-game performance, Daniel Day Lewis is easily number 1 or 2 , apparently for Lincoln he developed his voice and mannerisms a year before filming and stayed in character from then on until filming wrapped, he done similar with Bill th butcher and for last of the mohicans he learned to hunt and build canoes and stuff , tremendous .
@@justinpino8115I also like the fact that Sir Ben Kingsley can obviously read & memories his parts in scripts far better than YOU can apparently read, memorize, & even spell, his NAME!!... 🤔🤣😉
This was the first role I saw Ralph Fiennes in. I thought he was actually German. He was so thoroughly convincing in the role that it's still hard for me to see him as anyone else. When I see him in a calm, compassionate role, I actually feel mildly relieved! I can't believe he was passed over for the Oscar. It was one of the very best performances of the 20th century.
When I first- and last- watched Schindler’s list it was this scene in the cellar with Helen Hirsch I suddenly had to leave my seat and ran, ran, ran uphill until I had to stop because I was out of breath. I was untrained at that time, the sheer horror made me capable to run so far. I didn’t tell my husband nor my friend I had to leave, I just left. I was so sick to my stomach. The two didn’t notice.I couldn’t stand this scene. I never watched the whole film but some clips. Later I watched Fiennes resisting to enter a cafe in this uniform although the lady who ran it invited the comrade who asked Fiennes to go in there with him.This was the touch of dignity I had to attribute to Fiennes the actor. The composer Spielberg asked to create the music composed the violin part, listened to the whole part with his music in it and rejected to go ahead. He told Spielberg he wasn’t good enough to do this. Spielberg told him, I know. But those who are good enough are dead. So the composer agreed to continue.
I've only been able to bring myself to watch it three times over the years. It's such a well done movie with brilliant acting, but at the same time it's so hard to watch.
I don’t know if you mention this in the video yet but Ralph was so good as goeth that one of the survivors of the płaszów camp started shaking uncontrollably when she met him in full uniform
"hey everyone, you know that 'trauma' you suffered? come meet this guy dressed as them so we can tell everyone how sad you were! we will sell millions of tickets, and reach a new generation of suckers to simp for that little nation in the M.E." i call BS on this story
I've long felt that they don't like to give it to British actors. It took many years for Anthony Hopkins to get one, and he's one of the best actors ever.
Jones did a talented portrayal of character development from hunter to protector. Fiennes affected a bland accent and played a bland psychopathic mass murderer from history who got a stool kicked out from under him at the end. It wasn't some 'study' of a man.
@@dannyms5159 No I was not - I was merely suggesting that other factors, especially when it comes to the Oscars, come into play when the winner is announced. It used to be thought that the Oscar goes to someone who goes the distance with their performance, does something extraordinary or is very transformative in the role. None of those things apply to the performance of Tommy Lee Jones and they most certainly apply to Fiennes' performance. Just my personal taste is all. Jones is fine & reliable in the role. And I like Jones very much indeed - see The Executioner's Song for that and even his very honest and sensitive performance recently in Hope Springs. Thank you - your comment made me pause a bit - just a bit mind you.
Ralph Fiennes as Goeth and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh are truly the most haunting villains in cinematic history. Sad thing is that Goeth was a real life monster!
I first watched him in Shindler's list but seing him in The Constant Gardener made me realise how good acter he really is. Totaly different character. Brilliant.
Ralph Finnnes acting in this “Schindler’s List” was a masterclass effort of acting especially for this actor who was so young at the time and just beginning his career. His immersion into the character of Amon Goeth and all his horrific, vile and sadistic characteristics and sub-human nature was at many times throughout the movie virtually heart stopping! It’s beyond any reasonable understanding how Hollywood would pass him by for the Oscar for his beyond convincing betrayal of Amon Goeth! The winner, Tommy Lee Jones, was good in his role in the fugitive…however he’s always Toomey Lee Jones in every movie he does. The actor Ralph Finnnes had completely immersed himself in the role of Amon Goeth, so much so that he completely became that character he was portraying…he therefore should have won the Oscar that year instead of Jones!
My favourite thing about Amon goeth in this film is honestly the fact that he’s a terrible human not a terrible monster not a terrible character just a terrible human capable of friendship and love (even if it’s in his own horrific way) and it’s shown at multiple points (for love when he lets Schindler put helen on the list which he knows will save her life and Schindler all over the place) that he does genuinely feel these things it makes such an evil guy look human (I think it would be difficult to find something in him that you can’t relate to at least a little bit even if what it’s about are of very different situations to what you deal with on a day to day basis) and that makes him truly terrifying he’s not some monster we could never be like he’s a human who we could become if we aren’t careful
Watching Fiennes was unnerving, especially those scenes with Ms. Hirsch, seeing the confliction of a monster with whatever tiny shred of humanity he had left. Shivers. Great performance. Great video. Already subbed, will be back for more.
Ralph Fiennes as well known as he now is, is still an underrated talent. I first saw this movie when I was 12 and his performance definitely changed the way I looked at the world at that young age.
I knew, instinctively, that I was watching a performance that wasn't really a 'performance' in Fiennes as Goeth. It was so real and honest, and I was mesmerised. It is one of my favourite pieces of acting by anyone ever. Quite astonishing. But for all my instinctive feelings about the brilliance of Ralph's work, I could never dissect and explain it the way you have done - so thorougly and eloquantly. This is a wonderful analysis of Fiennes' role in Schindler's List.
@@RideAcrossTheRiver Okay, so you want to believe that Goeth has changed his name to Fiennes, and is an exceptionally young looking 116 year old actor now, that is really non of my business. We will just have to agree to disagree.
Great psychological assessment of Amon Goeth played by Ralph fiennes ,your breakdown of the character made me realise just how much effort Ralph truly put into this role ,truly oscar worthy ,
The Helen and Amon cellar scene is such a masterclass in opposite acting from them both, a well as a genius study in tension. Him, pacing around like a nervous schoolboy, declaring his first love, and her absolutely frozen in abject terror. OOOOPH!!! Even the costume choices, both out of their respective uniforms, give this scene a disturbing intimacy, like in any other context this should be a romantic scene instead of a horror. Then the juxtaposition of him being fully-clothed and dry next to her wet near-nakedness, emphasizing his objectifying desire for her... Argh! Gives me chills every time. 😱
I remember seeing this movie as a child (probably far younger than I should have been seeing it). This entire scene, with how it ends, I remember it was the first scene I ever remember literally gasping out loud to and covering my mouth. The jolt from his attempts at "romance," to his lashing out, I just remember staying with me far after the movie had finished.
@laurena9563 Oh, I also saw this quite young, then again in high school for a Jewish American class elective, so I'm right there with you. It's certainly a movie that sticks with you. Especially towards to end, where Oskar asks Amon to let him put Helen on the list and take her with him. Amon stupidly says that he loves her and he's gonna marry her, but then does the one good thing in his entire life by letting her go. Jesus, such a powerful performance!
It's absolutely brilliant. In an ocean of good work from RF in this film, this is his and Embeth Davitz's best scene. I know that in reality, Helen Hirsch said that Goeth had no interest in her except to beat her. But what a terrifying AND strangely poignant way to show that Goeth could so easily have been more humane. The scene terrifies me every time I watch SL. But you just can't take your eyes away.
Nazis are over saturated in history, cus that's all you are ever fed, try growing up in communist china during the civil war or soviet union Russia, even the japs did more heinous things than the nazis in the pacific theatre. The notion that evil is equated to a party and army is laughable because that are way more worse examples out there today like the Mexican Cartel and ISIS
This is the one movie that made me shed a tear. The girl in the red dress and the scene of the execution as she was driven out of the ghetto was very emotional to me. And the rest is just plain evil. So evil you become a little numb for a moment.
Wow. Incredible breakdown and explanations here. Terrific video. And what a performance by Fiennes. Quite a lot I didn't realize I was even seeing him do. Again, great video and nice work!
I particularly enjoyed how the film avoided having Goeth give a diatribe to explain himself. He was an absolute monster but somehow also unsure of himself and even pitiable in a strange way.
Okay, so here's a maybe more lighthearted story about Ralph Fiennes and this part. Waaaaaaaay back in 1991, I was at Oxford on an exchange program. One of the classes I took was Shakespeare in Performance, which meant we went to London on the regular (and Stratford too) to see every play we could manage. This was right when they started working on the New Globe, so the RSC was still at Barbican Centre, Anyway, we went one night to see this performance of Troilus and Cressida. And when the actor who played Troilus came out on stage for the first time, my jaw dropped (literally and embarassingly) and I got this physical sensation that I usually only get around my favorite musicians,. He was GORGEOUS, not wearing much clothing, and all I could think was, "who is *that*?"--especially because h0ly cow that guy could act. As part of our course, we got to hang around afterwards and talk to the cast, but the hot guy who played Troilus didn't join us. I did, however, purchase a program, and I remember looking at his picture and wondering, "How do you say that guy's name?" I think he turned up again in another production we saw that summer, but T&C was special because it was in this tiny theater in the round that maybe sat 150 people, so we were all right up close to the action, which was just on the floor--not even a stage. So, forward a couple years, and I go see Schindler's List with my mom at the holidays, and I see that guy's name . . . it had to be him,, right? And then omg, when he appeared on the screen--I remembered his eyes so vividly--and I couldn't believe it was (1) really him and (2) how incredible he was in the movie. And now, of course, he's Ralph effing Fiennes and I know how to say his name. I really wish he'd stayed and talked to our class that night, but I still feel fortunate to have seen him on a tiny stage doing Shakespeare and just vibing on his mad charisma. Thanks for making this video---RF is one of the greats of our generation, and we are lucky to have him
Thank you, I enjoyed your story. What a great memory! I too have seen Ralph perform Shakespeare live and he's just got THE THING. He clearly loves the material and his method of saying the verse is fantastic. I would have given anything to see his "Hamlet," but am so glad that I've been able to see so much of his stage work over the years, as well as his work in films. I'm sorry you didn't get to speak to him. I did meet Ralph some years ago in NYC. He was playing the lead in "The Faith Healer." He came out of the stage door after the performance and started to see us waiting for him. He had to really shake himself to get out of his intense performance. I was so nervous, but I had been a fan since SL and approached him. I really wanted most to thank him for the integrity of the work he's done. He was rather shy but did thank me, and I remember how intently he looked at me. Wow are those eyes for real. I also like to amuse people by telling them that Ralph is 10 times better looking in person than on screen. Mind boggling as that is to imagine. 😂
What an absolutely wonderful story, and thanks so much for sharing it, not just for the vicarious experience it provides but for also exemplifying what social media can and should be--the sharing of meaningful and memorable events such as yours, rather than the constant onslaught of banal trolls and off-topic lunacy that prevails.
The 2 of you are so lucky to have seen Ralph on stage, & I can affirm how dazzling he is up there because I was privileged to see his Tony-winning performance of Hamlet on Broadway twice! My sister & I walked down to the theatre every night just to see him arrive & leave, & got so many things autographed & many photos! They even had the Tonies after-party in our hotel. Just a note... Damian Lewis (now known for Homeland & Billions) played Laertes in that stellar production.
I saw Ralph in a play in London some years ago and hung around the bar afterwards so that I could speak to him. I waited until he had finished talking to his friend and then as he went to walk away I said " Mr Fiennes" well, he looked at me and just waved me away with his hand as if to dismiss me and walked off towards a group of waiting sniggering women.
I watched a short documentary about Schindler’s List. There was a survivor of the Krakow-Plaszgow concentration camp. The lady being interviewed said that when Ralph Fiennes was on the screen, his portrayal was so close to the actual Amon Goeth, she was shaking in fear.
Depending one's personal beliefs it was like he was channelling Goeth's actual spirit, Fiennes himself stated he had a dreadful time getting that "character" out of his psych long after the film had finished production. And it's well documented the sheer terror some of the survivors on set felt when he walked on set such was the accuracy of his portrayal.
That's kinda creepy. This is one of the best movies of all times and I've seen it exactly once. It's so perfectly done but it's not supposed to be enjoyable.
As a kid, I couldn't stand to watch this film, and could not see all the subtleties. As a middle-aged man, I am a massive fan of this film. The more times you watch, the more you appreciate how amazing of a filmmaker Spielberg was in the 80's & 90's. Even after same year Jurassic Park, broke the all-time box office record, held by his own, ET, I believe this movie to be his very best. Yes, the events are horrible, but it's just like Saving Private Ryan, or any engrossing film. You can't look away. And the rewatch value, is off the roof. I go back to watching this masterpiece from time to time, and it's certainly, one of my favorite movies ever. Top 10 easy.
Spielberg I'd an unbelievable director. His use of light and shadow. To direct duel, jaws, indiana jones, Schindler's list and private ryan. I think only kubrick can beat him or share joint 1st. The only downside to spielberg is he put his name to a lot of bubble gum movies which has kinda tarnished his output. Stanley k just made outstanding film one after another.
@@scousewahwah Stanley, every movie, needs a documentary, and I do love all his films, BUT, they are all, deeply disturbing, and these days, I like to have fun. I consider this movie fun, even if the topic is tragic. I mean, there is even humor in it, if you watch it many times. The scene where they are clearing the ghetto, and a soldier is playing the piano inside the building, while 2 peeps try to figure out the author, that was hilarious. It does have scenes like that.
Goeth was even worse than Fiennes portrayed onscreen, having camp prisoners brought to his room, handcuffed to the wall and tortured. A monster. Fiennes has had, is having, a great acting career. Portraying Goeth, though, was the greatest role of his life.
This was an amazing video! So very well-made and the interpretations and explanations were on point. I'd like to add that I recently watched a film version of Wuthering Hights by Emily Brontë with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff, who is also a deeply troubled, conflicting but very interesting character. The film didn't get good reviews, I think, and isn't too well known. But Fiennes' performance is stellar. I heard his performance in Wuthering Hights, is what made Spielberg consider Ralph Fiennes for the role of Amon Göth. You can see, that many of the elements that made his performance in Schindler's List so great, were already there in Wuthering Hights. Spielberg was an amazing talent scout there, it seems.
Ralph Fiennes' performance was both mesmerizing and fabulous. He really hit it out of the park!. Fiennes was so convincing that when survivor, Mila Pfefferberg, was introduced to Ralph Fiennes on the set, she began shaking uncontrollably, as he reminded her too much of the real Amon Göth.
EXCELLENT observations and analyses. Seriously, this is coming from someone who studied acting and performed over several decades; your attention to the details are very good. What so few "moviegoers" ever realize is just how many factors come into play during the filmmaking (or theatrical) process. Lighting... costuming... props... BLOCKING (actor movement)... pauses... vocal choices, timbres, tempos, etc. All of it. And then, of course, there are the choices which actors can make... if the director permits it. In the case of "Schindler's List", it did indeed appear as though Steven S. got the bloody heck out of the way and allowed a lot of organic nuances to fill the entire production. And what a film it was. Neeson's work was also exemplary. Entire cast and crew were obviously excellent as well--Kingsley too, of course.
Thank you for your feedback. Ralph said that Steven Spielberg really didn't "direct" him much. His biggest bit of input, according to Ralph, was that Spielberg didn't want Ralph to give him "the steteotypical Nazi."
@@cherylhulting1301 You're welcome. I appreciate your comment. I will quickly share that about 30 years ago, I was tasked with portraying a young Polish solider who was enlisted and soon handed "Nazi power" for a run of stage performances regarding the holocaust. The writer was an instructor at the university where this took place, and the storyline was extremely similar to "Schindler's List". I can't tell you just how difficult it was to "be" someone like that. And... on one particular evening of the show... we--cast and crew--all knew that survivors of the holocaust (and/or family of survivors or those who were lost) were going to be in the audience. I had a very specific monologue during one scene where I essentially *addressed the house* as if THEY were all my prisoners--ready to be eradicated by "the chambers". I delivered several lines on the lip of the proscenium arch, picking out individuals one by one, spitting "control and hatred" directly into their eyes... and souls. :/ Not a pin-drop could have been heard, and I could literally FEEL, taste, smell, and comprehend the hatred and fear they had for me. Well... for my character. It took me a long time to "undo the damages" I had from portraying that role. People have *NO* idea what it takes to portray legitimate villains. They think it's just so easy, so "fun". Yeah. Fun to watch, perhaps.
One of my favorite scenes was when Liam Neeson (Schindler) was talking one on one with him and told him that true power was forgiving someone. Seeing him try to practice it and then rejecting it was horror. Awesome performance
I did a paper in psychology on the film for extra credit. I'd never seen the movie prior to that. The movie is a goldmine. Although the focus of the paper was more on Schindler, I couldn't help but touch on some of the other characters around him. I usually didn't like writing papers, but that one felt like the easiest one I've ever written. That failed execution scene was especially dark, I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until after.
Glad you did this video. As horrifying as this character was, I thought this was one of the best acting jobs ever. The fact he didn't win the Oscar showed me that the Academy Awards was a joke.
Very good observation. It's funny, I can't think of Ralph Fiennes without thinking about this specific performance. I know there's a whole new generation that will associate him with Valdermort, but IMO, he will always be Amon Goeth. I knew he did a lot of research for this role, but had no idea the lengths he went to achieve the actual human being that was Amon Goeth (Reading Mein Kampf, trying to actually get inside their brains and trying to understand their beliefs)...incredible. I'm surprised he didn't need therapy after this role (who knows, maybe he did).
Shindler's List sits in my top ten greatest movies of all time, but is one I've never been able to fully sit through a second time. Mostly due to Fiennes portrayal of Goethe who until recently held the top spot as the scariest villain I'd ever seen. That spot now goes to Antony Starr's Homelander, who ironically is almost identical in nature as being a man child given an unreasonable degree of power to indulge their whims. Only in the case of Homelander, that power is dialed up to literal superhuman levels. Retrospectively I can't help but think that Starr either conciously or subconciously took inspiration from Fiennes in his portrayal.
Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Amon Goethe was genius. When we looked at the screen, we didn't see the actor Ralph Fiennes playing the part of Amon Goethe. No. We saw Amon Goethe.
Okay. I'm the world's biggest Ralph Fiennes fan. 😂 But we've got to admit that Liam Neeson was really bringing his A game too. The air between them crackles in their scenes.
I have seen Ralph in a comedy role 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' he is a SUPERB actor but when I saw this IT TERRIFIED ME he became absolutley definitively EVIL. He is a FRIGHTENINGLY good character actor......on a chat show he actually said he scared himself AND his friends.... THAT is talent. VERY good assessment.
Tommy Lee Jones performance in the Fugitive and his Oscar will not be remembered as anything more than a footnote in history and sink without a trace, Ralph Fiennes' Goeth will live on in nightmares and cinema history for all time. Who cares about the Oscars.
I think Jones and Ford were miscast. They should have played each other’s characters. Going against typecasting (Harrison = goody, TLJ = baddie) would have been brilliant and left the audience guessing.
It's hard to find the words to describe how brilliant Ralph Fiennes' performance was in this film. I was petrified of him and hated him to my core. It doesn't get any better than this when it comes to acting. Masterclass.
What I've understood is that the actor playing this Amon character was so impressively life-like, that a real survivor of those camps actually started to shiver of fear once seeing this actor.
Great video. I think we all know someone like Amon Goeth or not as powerful and destructive, I hope. . Ralph Fiennes was superb in his interpretation of Amon's character. All of Ralph's movies are worth watching. Chilling reminder of the brutality of the Nazi regime. The message I get from this film is that this can happen again. The only essential ingredient is the thwarted participation of a 'human being'.
One of the most horrifying variables regarding the Nazi camp guards and staff (Germans only) is just how lighthearted, fun loving and care free they were when having social gatherings and parties outside of their posts and the constant malice they imposed on innocent civilians. Their are several photos taken of Camp factions where they're all genuinely smiling and laughing together unfazed by the atrocities they'd committed and the countless more they'd yet to inflict. Truly terrifying psychopaths.
I don't think most of them were psychopaths that's the thing. you look into the rape of nanking and you see regular ass Japanese soldiers committing the most heinous acts I've ever heard in my life. I genuinely think an average person can be put in a mindset to do horrible things
@timbo240 I can agree with your perspective due to how easy both Imperial Japan and National-Socialist Germany took the weight, as well as the responsibility of said atrocities committed by the "orders/employment" given from and recieved by regular people (farmers/tailors/blacksmiths/etc.) who were only enlisted bec they could either be a guard at the camps or be guarded at the camps.
You can see the contemporary equivalent of this behaviour in Israeili soldiers, how they are having fun and even showing it off on social media as they committ mass murder, torture and outright genocide against Palestinians. And many ordinary people around the world are cheering them on. These are all brainwashed human beings, not monsters, unfortunately.
Fiennes was absolutely robbed of the Oscar , I love Tommy Lee Jones but Ralph’s portrayal of Amon Goeth was cinematic Gold
Marisa Tomei - Not an Oscar worthy actress, but won an Oscar. Tommy Lee is worthy of an Oscar but not that role.
Tommy Lee Jones probably thinks or thought so too.
cmon now, you think Hollywood wud give the Oscar to a literal Nazi character?
You are SPOT ON, after I reviewed this 'perfected role' by Fiennes, I agree COMPLETELY.
@@jungleboy1 - Yes, Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds
I read in an article that when a real Schindler Jew and survivor of Amon Goeth’s cruelty saw Ralph in character and in uniform she instantly broke down into sobs and near screaming. Swearing that Amon Goeth had come back from the grave. Ralph had to tear off the uniform and comfort her an that he was just an actor playing the part. Later, she was at peace she swore Ralph's performance of Goeth was as if a ghost had come alive. Ralph said he’ll never forget that moment and the terror in her eyes as well as what she must have endured and survived in real life.
Mila Pfeifferberg (I think I botched the spelling) was her name. She started trembling uncontrollably when she saw Ralph in uniform because he looked so much like the real Goeth.
It's the uniform
🙄
It's true. Many of the survivors gave feedback on the characters' representation of who they were to the actors and were also interviewed regarding their reactions to Amon Goethe, portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. It was extremely traumatic. I know Spielberg said the work was exceedingly depressing, but we were driven to complete it and didn't expect the film to make a lot of money. He donated his share to Holocaust education and Jewish causes. He called the profits, blood money.
yet the real Amon was ugly af, unlike Ralph, so I never understood that story. physically I don't see any resemblance between the two.
Tommy Lee Jones was great in The Fugitive, but him winning the Oscar instead of Fiennes was such a mistake. Fienne's Amon Goeth was one of the all-time great performances in one of the greatest films of all time. Hindsight I guess.
I agree. I think this was his greatest role. Just my opinion. He's a great actor.
No, point on
@@crashburn3292 They were both great, so just leave it.
He didn’t win because majority of the academy are Jews. They felt they would be giving the award to Goeth.
Brilliant ,.
,
He wasnt just acting. He became Amon.
Excellent performance. One of the best in cinema history
The survivors all said the same. Which had to be really fucking hard for them.
His Jewish maids said the real Amon Goeth beat them and would've eventually murdered them if he hadn't been arrested for stealing. There's a video testimony.
Right up there with Jim Carey in Man on the Moon
This is called acting…
He was also outstanding in that desert archaeology love story movie, set at the outbreak of war in the cave of swimmers.
He was perfect in every way. The accent the body language everything. He REALLY deserved the Oscar and most people agree.
He gave life to the monster.
I'll never forget seeing this film when it was released. The packed theatre would collectively recoil and hold its breath when Ralph Fiennes appeared onscreen. In a career full of superb performances, Fiennes' Goeth is the zenith of his film career. How he lost the Oscar to Jones is baffling. Why he hasn't received an Oscar in the following decades shows how worthless the Academy Awards are.
I’ll never forget seeing this on release. Sadly it’s not as much for the film itself as much as it was for the honest-to-god Neo Nazis who were also in attendance whistling and cheering any time the Nazis on screen did Nazi things.
The Academy is a joke.
I had to turn him off, he repulsed me so. I forgot he was an actor. His image is burned in my mind.
When gangs of New York didn't get an Oscar for anything that was the moment I lost faith in award shows.
@@AnneHathawayRules Agreed 100%!
Goeth's own daughter said she recognized him in the film as her father immediately. There's a great documentary called "Inheritance" from PBS about her finding out who her father really was and trying to come to terms with it
Thanks! I’ll look for that documentary.
One irony here about the real Amon Göth is that he has an Afrodeutsch granddaughter, Jennifer Susanna Teege, born in 1970, who is married, lives in Germany, and whom he never met. She's the daughter of Monika Hertwig and a Nigerian exchange student. Jennifer discovered the identity of her infamous grandfather when she found a copy of her mother' autobiography in library. She saw the picture of her grandmother, Ruth, with whom she'd lived for few years before adoption. Ruth had been Amon's mistress during the final two years of Plaszow and was Monika's mother. Then she saw the picture of her infamous grndfather and began to put two and two together. Her discovery of who he was had sent her into depresion. A few years ago she wrote a book, "My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me". I have the book myself, and she does have her grandfather's contour of face as well as his height. I wonder what would happen if he could come back from the dead only for a moment and see his granddaughter, his great grandchildren, and what a fine woman his mixed race granddaughter turned out to be.
Buuuut she never even knew or met her father....she was too young when he was executed by the Germans for corruption (no he wasn't killed by the allies or Nuremberg)
@@thegoddessdiana9185He would've shot himself dead.
Ralph didn't realize he was filling in the boots of the creep despite his humility speech ❤
The fear I felt watching him was so disturbing. His good looks and extreme coldness seemed incongruous. It was a travesty that he didn’t get that Oscar.
Remember that expression "an angel faced demon"? That's it right there. Agree. Absolutely off the scale screen work. ❤
Amon was nothing like this Hollywood fool, it was just theatre
@@DuruttiViscayou’re right, he was much worse
@@Daniel-om4ce and you know because he was a personal friend of yours or because you watched Hollywood movies?and we all know who owns these movie studios.
@@DuruttiVisca from personal accounts of the survivors of his death camp. I know there’s no changing your mind but I’d believe those people a hundred times over your conspiracy theories
Man, Ralph Fiennes was phenomenal at his role. He should have won the Oscar. This powerful film is such a tear jerker. My mother and I cried our eyes out. Especially at the end where a clip of the real life survivors paid their respects to Schindler's grave.
I just finished watching this movie after meaning to watch it for years. Yeah, these guys were phenomenal actors!
@elhajjmalikel6266 Yes!!
The sheer quality, skill and talent of Neeson , Fiennes and Kingsley 's acting in Schindler's list is probably the finest example of film acting you will ever see!. Totally and utterly fantastically good 👍👏👏👏
Nah! Fiennes is in a class of his own. 😁
I agree.
Neeson was lucky to actually get cast. It was only when Spielberg saw how he good he was at writing lists he realised he would be perfect for the role as Oscar Schindler
And Directing. And Cinematography. And Score. And Writing. And pretty much everything. One of the greatest films of all time, period.
I have other films as favourites but I always say that 'Schindler's List' is literally the best film I have ever seen. And probably ever will. Spielberg, the actors, the writing, the music, EVERYTHING is absolute perfection.
Fiennes portrayal of Goeth will go down as one the most iconic acting performances of all time. He made Goeth real and thus the film real.
He made him real and therefore terrifying
No, it's based on a fictional novel.
Nothing in this film is based on real events.
@@Daggz90 Wrong - Speilberg interviewed hundreds of Holocaust survivors of which is archived and you can find on his website. One of those testimonies, among theres, was Helen Hirsh who played Goeth's housemaid and much of what was portrayed in Goeth's house came directly from her testimony- including the part where Schindler gives her a kiss in the cellar. If you take time to check the testimony data base you can listen to Helen Hirsh's 5 hour testimony yourself.
@@adamatherton8562they’re liars, and making a killing off of it. It’s literally a propaganda film, by definition. And the fact that people like you think it’s anything kore than fiction is really quite sad.
@@adamatherton8562 The Nuremberg Trials only used 7 witness testimonies of survivors, so where did Spielberg find these "thousands" of people?
I think you place too much trust in people whom had both a financial, social, cultural and religious incentive to lie about their experiences.
It's like that woman whom claimed to have survived and lived in the forest with a pack of wolves and wrote a book about it lol; pure fiction.
There's multiple witnesses testifying of very just and fair terms of living, with an orchestra, soccer team, swimming pool, vouchers to use at the cafeteria to purchase sweets or cigarettes - etc.
If you think Hollywood productions are entirely based in truth; you know nothing of the entertainment industry and how it operates. I encourage you to read and learn more; a good start would be "Europa: The Last Battle".
Oh and the book itself is in the category "Fiction" and the film is based on the book, so claiming that "all of this is correct and true" is complete and utterly wrong and untrue.
How Tommy Lee Beat him at the Oscar's I'll never know.
You're darn' tootin'! Tommy Lee is very good in that film, but it's a piece of piss for him, not a very challenging part. Kinda' like Laura Dern winning for 'Marriage Story', an easy part for an actor of her talents.
The sequel was 90's tripe movie making.
Free palestin 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸💓😍💓
Free palestin 🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸💓😍💓
Right?? No disrespect to Tommy Lee, but there wasn't much to that role. I like the movie, and I enjoy Tommy in it, but I feel like someone could've showed him the Fugitive script for the first time 20 mins before filming began, and we would've seen that same performance.
Ralph Fiennes stole the show. He was a different league. One of the reasons why it was such a chilling performance is that he was incredibly good looking. It was somehow difficult to believe that someone so gorgeous could be pure evil.
This film was not "a show."
For an awful lot of women, evil=gorgeous. That's why so many women are attracted to psychopaths & sociopaths, because their quality of overwhelming self-confidence spells S-E-C-U-R-I-TY to the female. To these women, such a man is the **PERFECT BODYGUARD**, which is exactly what they're after. (Sad, but true...)
@@RideAcrossTheRiverPlease; do go on …
@@gerardstephens58 Please, do go off.
@@RideAcrossTheRiver Get a life.
Omg are you me !?! Fiennes’ performance as Göeth is one of my favorite performances of all time period, not just as a villain, but in general, and NO ONE really mentions it as much as other characters in films. Thank you for covering this !
It's either "Göth" (real German way to write it) or "Goeth" (for ppl who don't use or can't pronounce "ö". Never both. The "oe" makes the same sound as "ö"
I still remember hearing about a Holocaust survivor being on set, and Fiennes' performance as Göethe scared her badly. They had to console her, and reassure her that it wasn't really him, but an actor portraying him.
Honestly, Ralph could receive every accolade in the world and he'd still be underrated. I hope that history remembers him as one of the true greats.
Ralph Fiennes’ portrayal of Amon Goeth was/is the most brilliant acting I have ever witnessed. Somehow his presence on screen, in every shot, encapsulated the sheer horror of The Holocaust and caused us all to feel shame, sorrow, utter fear and revulsion of what humans are capable of. He really did become that despicable character and like the shots of the little girls in the red coat , he will also be tattooed on our memories forever. 👏
He embodied Goeth in black and white especially in the eyes and physically by getting fat and being evil and ruthless.
Totally agree. Till I saw Cillian as Oppenheimer. Equal top stuff ever! ❣️❣️
Beautifully written Dear, a treasured comment for future readers; Thank you.
Amon might just be the scariest movie villain I’ve ever seen. He’s a ruthless genocidal maniac with the mind of a child and the fact that he’s based on a real man (who supposedly committed far worse atrocities than the movie version) makes him all the more frightening.
I read that they had to cut back on his real life atrocities because not only would it push the movie into a harder rating (and therefore nullify the reason it was made - to reach a wider audience and show just a taste of the horrors) but also that it would make him appear more of the "stereotypical Nazi", meaning people would dismiss him as a character, when it was important that that the audience should understand he was a person, with unlimited power over life and death and not just a 2D representation.
@jcorbett9620 and also, they feared that people would not think it was realistic as most people would have a hard time believing that someone so cruel could actually exist.
Amon and Hanz Landa.
So true but so silly. The worst evil one could think of has existed on this planet many times over
And somehow, the real man was even worse.
Him becoming Amon Goeth was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen. Ralph Fiennes is one of the best actors there is. Thank you for showing the world this man amazing work and talent
Fiennes was absolutely ROBBED of the Oscar that he ABSOLUTELY deserved.
Fiennes portrayal of Amon Goeth was one of the greatest acting performances of all time. The fact that it didn’t win Fiennes a best supporting actor at the 1994 Oscar’s only served to devalue the Oscars in my eyes. It’s 30 years ago, but I’ve never held the Oscars in as high regard since. As a black man it’s ironic that it wasn’t the mass of black acting talent being ignored at the Oscars that hit me first. It was the ignorance of this 1 great performance depicting a real life sadistic psychopathic evil operating within the most racist killer regimes of all time that hit me square between the eyes 🙏🏽
I understand your opinion but TLJ killed it too. And cuz he killed it they chose the more famous actor. As always.
Dude was so real that after I saw that movie, every time I saw him in another role, I still hated that evil mfer.
It's always been a popularity contest
As a white guy the slight of Ted Williams for MVP several times because he just wasn't liked helped show me that it could also be black people that weren't like - FOR NO REASON
Awards are for popularity, usually given by those who were never popular themselves
Why is it such a big deal when " the first black person to win blah blah blah " - WHAT THE ACTUAL F
WHY NOT SIMPLY " THE BEST WON THIS YEAR "
SOMETIMES BLACK ARE BETTER, SOMETIMES WHITE ARE BETTER, SOMETIMES NO ONE IS BETTER
Because we are all the same - humans that excel at some things and fail at others
As a bullied kid now an adult I hate popularity contests
I hate awards
Most people know who was " best " - and sometimes it's equal
Liam Neeson should have won best actor instead of Tom Hanks in Philadelphia. Tom was great but Neeson gave an epic performance.
In the long run, it's best to remember this is all an illusion and the Academy Awards is at the top of the list! Your comment was great and much appreciated by seekers of Truth. 🙏
Ralph Fennes has always been one of my favorite actors. Along with Daniel day Lewis and Anthony Hopkins.
agreed
All the ones you mentioned plus Gary Oldman and gene hackman, maybe they have been in bad films but always turned in an A-game performance, Daniel Day Lewis is easily number 1 or 2 , apparently for Lincoln he developed his voice and mannerisms a year before filming and stayed in character from then on until filming wrapped, he done similar with Bill th butcher and for last of the mohicans he learned to hunt and build canoes and stuff , tremendous .
Same , along with John Hurt and Ben Kingsly
@@justinpino8115I also like the fact that Sir Ben Kingsley can obviously read & memories his parts in scripts far better than YOU can apparently read, memorize, & even spell, his NAME!!... 🤔🤣😉
I fully agree with you.
This was the first role I saw Ralph Fiennes in. I thought he was actually German. He was so thoroughly convincing in the role that it's still hard for me to see him as anyone else. When I see him in a calm, compassionate role, I actually feel mildly relieved! I can't believe he was passed over for the Oscar. It was one of the very best performances of the 20th century.
Goeth is an Austrian actually in real life.
When I first- and last- watched Schindler’s list it was this scene in the cellar with Helen Hirsch I suddenly had to leave my seat and ran, ran, ran uphill until I had to stop because I was out of breath. I was untrained at that time, the sheer horror made me capable to run so far.
I didn’t tell my husband nor my friend I had to leave, I just left. I was so sick to my stomach. The two didn’t notice.I couldn’t stand this scene.
I never watched the whole film but some clips.
Later I watched Fiennes resisting to enter a cafe in this uniform although the lady who ran it invited the comrade who asked Fiennes to go in there with him.This was the touch of dignity I had to attribute to Fiennes the actor.
The composer Spielberg asked to create the music composed the violin part, listened to the whole part with his music in it and rejected to go ahead. He told Spielberg he wasn’t good enough to do this.
Spielberg told him, I know. But those who are good enough are dead. So the composer agreed to continue.
Fiennes is one of the reasons I have never seen Schindler's List a second time. Too disturbing and brilliant. This is an insightful and worthy review.
I've only been able to bring myself to watch it three times over the years. It's such a well done movie with brilliant acting, but at the same time it's so hard to watch.
Same
Same here. I was too traumatised to watch it again.😮
Seriously.
I don’t know if you mention this in the video yet but Ralph was so good as goeth that one of the survivors of the płaszów camp started shaking uncontrollably when she met him in full uniform
Her name was Mila Pfeifferberg (pardon the spelling). Ralph had to take off the uniform and reassure her that he was just an actor and nothing else.
I was thinking this very thing when watching this video.
Never meet your heroes
There was another. Danka Dresner was her name.
"hey everyone, you know that 'trauma' you suffered? come meet this guy dressed as them so we can tell everyone how sad you were! we will sell millions of tickets, and reach a new generation of suckers to simp for that little nation in the M.E." i call BS on this story
This only makes you understand more how the Oscar often goes to someone for reasons other than talent. Case in point Fiennes losing to Jones.
I've long felt that they don't like to give it to British actors. It took many years for Anthony Hopkins to get one, and he's one of the best actors ever.
Jones did a talented portrayal of character development from hunter to protector. Fiennes affected a bland accent and played a bland psychopathic mass murderer from history who got a stool kicked out from under him at the end. It wasn't some 'study' of a man.
You are not implying that Tommy Lee Jones is not talented, are you? Because that is laughable. Is not like Ralph lost to Norm Macdonald or something.
@@dannyms5159 No I was not - I was merely suggesting that other factors, especially when it comes to the Oscars, come into play when the winner is announced. It used to be thought that the Oscar goes to someone who goes the distance with their performance, does something extraordinary or is very transformative in the role. None of those things apply to the performance of Tommy Lee Jones and they most certainly apply to Fiennes' performance. Just my personal taste is all. Jones is fine & reliable in the role. And I like Jones very much indeed - see The Executioner's Song for that and even his very honest and sensitive performance recently in Hope Springs. Thank you - your comment made me pause a bit - just a bit mind you.
@@dannyms5159 Oh and.. who is Norm Macdonald? I didn;t get that.
Mr. Fiennes truly scared me with his portrayal of Amon Goeth. A very hard watch.
Absolute power corrups Absolutely
He wasn't 'portraying'. Fiennes just mimed what horrors Goeth did.
He is incredibly scary
@@RideAcrossTheRiver That's by definition portraying in acting, is it not?
@@crustymario1216 Fiennes wasn't acting. Acting is interpretation.
I think it says a great deal about Fiennes that in an interview I read, he said the part of Goeth gave him nightmares for years after.
Ralph Fiennes as Goeth and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh are truly the most haunting villains in cinematic history. Sad thing is that Goeth was a real life monster!
I think the fact that he’s devilishly handsome makes him even more unnerving. Like he’s not evil in that he looks grotesque or scary.
True
I was literally thinking the entire time watching this thinking "I don't remember him being this hot, what was Spielberg's intention here."
Yes! He's so gorgeous that it somehow makes it even harder to watch him do those horrible things.
Pure Narcissist. They all have or most of them the good looks.😊
Why do you equate handsome as a sign of goodness?
I first watched him in Shindler's list but seing him in The Constant Gardener made me realise how good acter he really is. Totaly different character. Brilliant.
The moment when he's told his wife has died is one of the finest bits of silent acting I've ever seen. He really is a master.
Ralph Finnnes acting in this “Schindler’s List” was a masterclass effort of acting especially for this actor who was so young at the time and just beginning his career. His immersion into the character of Amon Goeth and all his horrific, vile and sadistic characteristics and sub-human nature was at many times throughout the movie virtually heart stopping! It’s beyond any reasonable understanding how Hollywood would pass him by for the Oscar for his beyond convincing betrayal of Amon Goeth! The winner, Tommy Lee Jones, was good in his role in the fugitive…however he’s always Toomey Lee Jones in every movie he does.
The actor Ralph Finnnes had completely immersed himself in the role of Amon Goeth, so much so that he completely became that character he was portraying…he therefore should have won the Oscar that year instead of Jones!
My favourite thing about Amon goeth in this film is honestly the fact that he’s a terrible human not a terrible monster not a terrible character just a terrible human capable of friendship and love (even if it’s in his own horrific way) and it’s shown at multiple points (for love when he lets Schindler put helen on the list which he knows will save her life and Schindler all over the place) that he does genuinely feel these things it makes such an evil guy look human (I think it would be difficult to find something in him that you can’t relate to at least a little bit even if what it’s about are of very different situations to what you deal with on a day to day basis) and that makes him truly terrifying he’s not some monster we could never be like he’s a human who we could become if we aren’t careful
Watching Fiennes was unnerving, especially those scenes with Ms. Hirsch, seeing the confliction of a monster with whatever tiny shred of humanity he had left. Shivers. Great performance. Great video. Already subbed, will be back for more.
Ralph Fiennes as well known as he now is, is still an underrated talent. I first saw this movie when I was 12 and his performance definitely changed the way I looked at the world at that young age.
I knew, instinctively, that I was watching a performance that wasn't really a 'performance' in Fiennes as Goeth. It was so real and honest, and I was mesmerised. It is one of my favourite pieces of acting by anyone ever. Quite astonishing.
But for all my instinctive feelings about the brilliance of Ralph's work, I could never dissect and explain it the way you have done - so thorougly and eloquantly. This is a wonderful analysis of Fiennes' role in Schindler's List.
Yes it is.
Fiennes was not acting.
@@RideAcrossTheRiverYes, he did. The technique he used is called method acting, and it is fairly common among serious actors.
@@Kari.F. No he didn't.
@@RideAcrossTheRiver Okay, so you want to believe that Goeth has changed his name to Fiennes, and is an exceptionally young looking 116 year old actor now, that is really non of my business. We will just have to agree to disagree.
this was magnificently done by Feinnes. He deserved the Academy Award for this one.
Great actor, made you truly hate his character.
Great psychological assessment of Amon Goeth played by Ralph fiennes ,your breakdown of the character made me realise just how much effort Ralph truly put into this role ,truly oscar worthy ,
The fact that he didn’t win an Oscar for this is absolutely insane
The Helen and Amon cellar scene is such a masterclass in opposite acting from them both, a well as a genius study in tension. Him, pacing around like a nervous schoolboy, declaring his first love, and her absolutely frozen in abject terror. OOOOPH!!! Even the costume choices, both out of their respective uniforms, give this scene a disturbing intimacy, like in any other context this should be a romantic scene instead of a horror. Then the juxtaposition of him being fully-clothed and dry next to her wet near-nakedness, emphasizing his objectifying desire for her... Argh! Gives me chills every time. 😱
I remember seeing this movie as a child (probably far younger than I should have been seeing it). This entire scene, with how it ends, I remember it was the first scene I ever remember literally gasping out loud to and covering my mouth. The jolt from his attempts at "romance," to his lashing out, I just remember staying with me far after the movie had finished.
@laurena9563 Oh, I also saw this quite young, then again in high school for a Jewish American class elective, so I'm right there with you. It's certainly a movie that sticks with you.
Especially towards to end, where Oskar asks Amon to let him put Helen on the list and take her with him. Amon stupidly says that he loves her and he's gonna marry her, but then does the one good thing in his entire life by letting her go. Jesus, such a powerful performance!
It's absolutely brilliant. In an ocean of good work from RF in this film, this is his and Embeth Davitz's best scene. I know that in reality, Helen Hirsch said that Goeth had no interest in her except to beat her. But what a terrifying AND strangely poignant way to show that Goeth could so easily have been more humane.
The scene terrifies me every time I watch SL. But you just can't take your eyes away.
That's the problem after 20 years in forensic psychiatry I have never met anyone who did evil things who, well, was not in fact, human....
Nazis are over saturated in history, cus that's all you are ever fed, try growing up in communist china during the civil war or soviet union Russia, even the japs did more heinous things than the nazis in the pacific theatre. The notion that evil is equated to a party and army is laughable because that are way more worse examples out there today like the Mexican Cartel and ISIS
U will find one
Extremely human. They embody the negative side of human emotion and the dark side of humanity in general 😢
All evil is human.
Yep. Anyone who thinks of themselves as incapable of doing evil, just hasn’t experienced something that makes them, at least, consider it.
This is the one movie that made me shed a tear. The girl in the red dress and the scene of the execution as she was driven out of the ghetto was very emotional to me. And the rest is just plain evil. So evil you become a little numb for a moment.
When they drove the waving children past the mothers. That part killed me as a parent, I could never imagine that.
Wow. Incredible breakdown and explanations here. Terrific video. And what a performance by Fiennes. Quite a lot I didn't realize I was even seeing him do. Again, great video and nice work!
I particularly enjoyed how the film avoided having Goeth give a diatribe to explain himself. He was an absolute monster but somehow also unsure of himself and even pitiable in a strange way.
Okay, so here's a maybe more lighthearted story about Ralph Fiennes and this part. Waaaaaaaay back in 1991, I was at Oxford on an exchange program. One of the classes I took was Shakespeare in Performance, which meant we went to London on the regular (and Stratford too) to see every play we could manage. This was right when they started working on the New Globe, so the RSC was still at Barbican Centre, Anyway, we went one night to see this performance of Troilus and Cressida. And when the actor who played Troilus came out on stage for the first time, my jaw dropped (literally and embarassingly) and I got this physical sensation that I usually only get around my favorite musicians,. He was GORGEOUS, not wearing much clothing, and all I could think was, "who is *that*?"--especially because h0ly cow that guy could act. As part of our course, we got to hang around afterwards and talk to the cast, but the hot guy who played Troilus didn't join us. I did, however, purchase a program, and I remember looking at his picture and wondering, "How do you say that guy's name?" I think he turned up again in another production we saw that summer, but T&C was special because it was in this tiny theater in the round that maybe sat 150 people, so we were all right up close to the action, which was just on the floor--not even a stage. So, forward a couple years, and I go see Schindler's List with my mom at the holidays, and I see that guy's name . . . it had to be him,, right? And then omg, when he appeared on the screen--I remembered his eyes so vividly--and I couldn't believe it was (1) really him and (2) how incredible he was in the movie. And now, of course, he's Ralph effing Fiennes and I know how to say his name. I really wish he'd stayed and talked to our class that night, but I still feel fortunate to have seen him on a tiny stage doing Shakespeare and just vibing on his mad charisma. Thanks for making this video---RF is one of the greats of our generation, and we are lucky to have him
Thank you, I enjoyed your story. What a great memory! I too have seen Ralph perform Shakespeare live and he's just got THE THING. He clearly loves the material and his method of saying the verse is fantastic. I would have given anything to see his "Hamlet," but am so glad that I've been able to see so much of his stage work over the years, as well as his work in films.
I'm sorry you didn't get to speak to him. I did meet Ralph some years ago in NYC. He was playing the lead in "The Faith Healer." He came out of the stage door after the performance and started to see us waiting for him. He had to really shake himself to get out of his intense performance. I was so nervous, but I had been a fan since SL and approached him. I really wanted most to thank him for the integrity of the work he's done. He was rather shy but did thank me, and I remember how intently he looked at me. Wow are those eyes for real. I also like to amuse people by telling them that Ralph is 10 times better looking in person than on screen. Mind boggling as that is to imagine. 😂
What a lovely memory!
What an absolutely wonderful story, and thanks so much for sharing it, not just for the vicarious experience it provides but for also exemplifying what social media can and should be--the sharing of meaningful and memorable events such as yours, rather than the constant onslaught of banal trolls and off-topic lunacy that prevails.
The 2 of you are so lucky to have seen Ralph on stage, & I can affirm how dazzling he is up there because I was privileged to see his Tony-winning performance of Hamlet on Broadway twice! My sister & I walked down to the theatre every night just to see him arrive & leave, & got so many things autographed & many photos! They even had the Tonies after-party in our hotel. Just a note... Damian Lewis (now known for Homeland & Billions) played Laertes in that stellar production.
I saw Ralph in a play in London some years ago and hung around the bar afterwards so that I could speak to him. I waited until he had finished talking to his friend and then as he went to walk away I said " Mr Fiennes" well, he looked at me and just waved me away with his hand as if to dismiss me and walked off towards a group of waiting sniggering women.
I watched a short documentary about Schindler’s List. There was a survivor of the Krakow-Plaszgow concentration camp. The lady being interviewed said that when Ralph Fiennes was on the screen, his portrayal was so close to the actual Amon Goeth, she was shaking in fear.
It was Mila "I won't hide in the sewers" Pfefferberg.
Torn between wanting to see this performance again and watching the horror of it all.
Same
I sat through it once. I cannot force myself to feel this movie again.
Ralph Fienne’s portrayal of Amon Goth was superb and terrifying
Depending one's personal beliefs it was like he was channelling Goeth's actual spirit, Fiennes himself stated he had a dreadful time getting that "character" out of his psych long after the film had finished production. And it's well documented the sheer terror some of the survivors on set felt when he walked on set such was the accuracy of his portrayal.
*His haircut is still 10/10*
He's the one reason I go back to that movie.
Incredible performance.
I think the movie gives the German people a bad name.
It's Hollywood. Fiction. But propaganda all the way.
That's kinda creepy. This is one of the best movies of all times and I've seen it exactly once. It's so perfectly done but it's not supposed to be enjoyable.
As a kid, I couldn't stand to watch this film, and could not see all the subtleties. As a middle-aged man, I am a massive fan of this film. The more times you watch, the more you appreciate how amazing of a filmmaker Spielberg was in the 80's & 90's. Even after same year Jurassic Park, broke the all-time box office record, held by his own, ET, I believe this movie to be his very best. Yes, the events are horrible, but it's just like Saving Private Ryan, or any engrossing film. You can't look away. And the rewatch value, is off the roof. I go back to watching this masterpiece from time to time, and it's certainly, one of my favorite movies ever. Top 10 easy.
Spielberg I'd an unbelievable director. His use of light and shadow.
To direct duel, jaws, indiana jones, Schindler's list and private ryan.
I think only kubrick can beat him or share joint 1st.
The only downside to spielberg is he put his name to a lot of bubble gum movies which has kinda tarnished his output.
Stanley k just made outstanding film one after another.
@@scousewahwah Stanley, every movie, needs a documentary, and I do love all his films, BUT, they are all, deeply disturbing, and these days, I like to have fun. I consider this movie fun, even if the topic is tragic. I mean, there is even humor in it, if you watch it many times. The scene where they are clearing the ghetto, and a soldier is playing the piano inside the building, while 2 peeps try to figure out the author, that was hilarious. It does have scenes like that.
@@AlabamaWyatt wow, first time I ever heard SL called fun. ??
Its moody as hell. I'll have to check that scene out next time I watch it.
Goeth was even worse than Fiennes portrayed onscreen, having camp prisoners brought to his room, handcuffed to the wall and tortured. A monster.
Fiennes has had, is having, a great acting career. Portraying Goeth, though, was the greatest role of his life.
This was an amazing video! So very well-made and the interpretations and explanations were on point. I'd like to add that I recently watched a film version of Wuthering Hights by Emily Brontë with Ralph Fiennes as Heathcliff, who is also a deeply troubled, conflicting but very interesting character. The film didn't get good reviews, I think, and isn't too well known. But Fiennes' performance is stellar. I heard his performance in Wuthering Hights, is what made Spielberg consider Ralph Fiennes for the role of Amon Göth. You can see, that many of the elements that made his performance in Schindler's List so great, were already there in Wuthering Hights. Spielberg was an amazing talent scout there, it seems.
Ralph Fiennes' performance was both mesmerizing and fabulous. He really hit it out of the park!. Fiennes was so convincing that when survivor, Mila Pfefferberg, was introduced to Ralph Fiennes on the set, she began shaking uncontrollably, as he reminded her too much of the real Amon Göth.
when subject matter is so haunting it costs an epic performance an Oscar
EXCELLENT observations and analyses. Seriously, this is coming from someone who studied acting and performed over several decades; your attention to the details are very good. What so few "moviegoers" ever realize is just how many factors come into play during the filmmaking (or theatrical) process. Lighting... costuming... props... BLOCKING (actor movement)... pauses... vocal choices, timbres, tempos, etc. All of it. And then, of course, there are the choices which actors can make... if the director permits it. In the case of "Schindler's List", it did indeed appear as though Steven S. got the bloody heck out of the way and allowed a lot of organic nuances to fill the entire production. And what a film it was. Neeson's work was also exemplary. Entire cast and crew were obviously excellent as well--Kingsley too, of course.
Thank you for your feedback. Ralph said that Steven Spielberg really didn't "direct" him much. His biggest bit of input, according to Ralph, was that Spielberg didn't want Ralph to give him "the steteotypical Nazi."
@@cherylhulting1301 You're welcome. I appreciate your comment. I will quickly share that about 30 years ago, I was tasked with portraying a young Polish solider who was enlisted and soon handed "Nazi power" for a run of stage performances regarding the holocaust. The writer was an instructor at the university where this took place, and the storyline was extremely similar to "Schindler's List". I can't tell you just how difficult it was to "be" someone like that. And... on one particular evening of the show... we--cast and crew--all knew that survivors of the holocaust (and/or family of survivors or those who were lost) were going to be in the audience. I had a very specific monologue during one scene where I essentially *addressed the house* as if THEY were all my prisoners--ready to be eradicated by "the chambers". I delivered several lines on the lip of the proscenium arch, picking out individuals one by one, spitting "control and hatred" directly into their eyes... and souls. :/ Not a pin-drop could have been heard, and I could literally FEEL, taste, smell, and comprehend the hatred and fear they had for me. Well... for my character. It took me a long time to "undo the damages" I had from portraying that role.
People have *NO* idea what it takes to portray legitimate villains. They think it's just so easy, so "fun". Yeah. Fun to watch, perhaps.
This is worth a bachelor's degree. Well done.
One of my favorite scenes was when Liam Neeson (Schindler) was talking one on one with him and told him that true power was forgiving someone. Seeing him try to practice it and then rejecting it was horror.
Awesome performance
'you are giving them hope Schindler, it is YOU who are cruel'.
I did a paper in psychology on the film for extra credit. I'd never seen the movie prior to that. The movie is a goldmine. Although the focus of the paper was more on Schindler, I couldn't help but touch on some of the other characters around him. I usually didn't like writing papers, but that one felt like the easiest one I've ever written.
That failed execution scene was especially dark, I didn't realize I had been holding my breath until after.
Glad you did this video. As horrifying as this character was, I thought this was one of the best acting jobs ever. The fact he didn't win the Oscar showed me that the Academy Awards was a joke.
The extent of detail which went into this portrayal is scary. The character had to be portrayed, but his actions during the film are quite chilling.
Oskar Schindler was the best actor. He encouraged Ralph to listen to him despite his emotional distress after he rose to the rank of lieutenant.
Very well done. The fact that Fiennes didn’t win the Academy award just shows you what the academy award is worth. That is to say, very little.
maybe an industry full of Jewish people didn't feel right picking an nazi
Ralph Fiennes. One of the greatest actors of all time!!! 👏👏👏👏
Masterful analysis!
This portraying of Goeth was the best acting performance in a long long time.
Very good observation. It's funny, I can't think of Ralph Fiennes without thinking about this specific performance. I know there's a whole new generation that will associate him with Valdermort, but IMO, he will always be Amon Goeth. I knew he did a lot of research for this role, but had no idea the lengths he went to achieve the actual human being that was Amon Goeth (Reading Mein Kampf, trying to actually get inside their brains and trying to understand their beliefs)...incredible. I'm surprised he didn't need therapy after this role (who knows, maybe he did).
Shindler's List sits in my top ten greatest movies of all time, but is one I've never been able to fully sit through a second time. Mostly due to Fiennes portrayal of Goethe who until recently held the top spot as the scariest villain I'd ever seen. That spot now goes to Antony Starr's Homelander, who ironically is almost identical in nature as being a man child given an unreasonable degree of power to indulge their whims. Only in the case of Homelander, that power is dialed up to literal superhuman levels. Retrospectively I can't help but think that Starr either conciously or subconciously took inspiration from Fiennes in his portrayal.
So true...twins
His performance in Red Dragon was absolutely terrifying. THIS role, however, was horrific.....because it happened in real life.
The sentence that always gets me is, when he's in the cellar with Helen, saying: I realize, you're not a person in the strictest sense of the word.
tommy in the fugitive is genuinely iconic but actually acting fiennes blows him out the water
You never miss with these impeccable analysis videos. They fly by when watching
Great video! The balcony sniper scene was always the most disturbing to me
Free palestina🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸😮
@@user-ki1thstop being a 💩
It actually happened! (Eye-witness testimony)
@@user-ki1th go home 🏴☠️🏴☠️🏴☠️
It's one of the finest performances in film history
The Fiennest performance
Ralph Fiennes' portrayal of Amon Goethe was genius. When we looked at the screen, we didn't see the actor Ralph Fiennes playing the part of Amon Goethe. No. We saw Amon Goethe.
Over my 77 years, One of the finest performances I have ever seen.
Very well conducted analysis & review of the performance. His acting was Superb.
In every scene with both Neeson and Fiennes you eyes are drawn inexorably to Fiennes.
Okay. I'm the world's biggest Ralph Fiennes fan. 😂 But we've got to admit that Liam Neeson was really bringing his A game too. The air between them crackles in their scenes.
Very good summary. His character is exactly as you describe. Fiennes is a major reason why the movie is so good.
I've seen Schindler's List many times, and it is Ralph Feinnes' scenes that haunt me the most. He was terrifying.
I have seen Ralph in a comedy role 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' he is a SUPERB actor but when I saw this IT TERRIFIED ME he became absolutley definitively EVIL. He is a FRIGHTENINGLY good character actor......on a chat show he actually said he scared himself AND his friends.... THAT is talent. VERY good assessment.
Tommy Lee Jones performance in the Fugitive and his Oscar will not be remembered as anything more than a footnote in history and sink without a trace, Ralph Fiennes' Goeth will live on in nightmares and cinema history for all time. Who cares about the Oscars.
I think Jones and Ford were miscast. They should have played each other’s characters. Going against typecasting (Harrison = goody, TLJ = baddie) would have been brilliant and left the audience guessing.
He should have won the Oscar.... Period...
Those Eyes...Posture. Small details
What we are being told here are things that we didn't really notice. But, even unnoticed, they made us hate Goeth. Because we DID notice them.
@@xhagast Many comments here show titillation for Goeth. "Ooo, tee-hee, I hate him!"
It's hard to find the words to describe how brilliant Ralph Fiennes' performance was in this film. I was petrified of him and hated him to my core. It doesn't get any better than this when it comes to acting. Masterclass.
What I've understood is that the actor playing this Amon character was so impressively life-like, that a real survivor of those camps actually started to shiver of fear once seeing this actor.
Great video. I think we all know someone like Amon Goeth or not as powerful and destructive, I hope. . Ralph Fiennes was superb in his interpretation of Amon's character. All of Ralph's movies are worth watching. Chilling reminder of the brutality of the Nazi regime. The message I get from this film is that this can happen again. The only essential ingredient is the thwarted participation of a 'human being'.
Ralph Fiennes looked so good in this movie
One of the greatest performances ever filmed.
This is by no argument one of the most masterful and persuasive depictions of Goeth ever.He should of got the Oscar.
Fantastic review and observation of the character. Thank you for posting this.
Amon Goeth was truely a lost soul. I hope his victims have found peace.
One of the most horrifying variables regarding the Nazi camp guards and staff (Germans only) is just how lighthearted, fun loving and care free they were when having social gatherings and parties outside of their posts and the constant malice they imposed on innocent civilians. Their are several photos taken of Camp factions where they're all genuinely smiling and laughing together unfazed by the atrocities they'd committed and the countless more they'd yet to inflict. Truly terrifying psychopaths.
I don't think most of them were psychopaths that's the thing. you look into the rape of nanking and you see regular ass Japanese soldiers committing the most heinous acts I've ever heard in my life. I genuinely think an average person can be put in a mindset to do horrible things
@timbo240 I can agree with your perspective due to how easy both Imperial Japan and National-Socialist Germany took the weight, as well as the responsibility of said atrocities committed by the "orders/employment" given from and recieved by regular people (farmers/tailors/blacksmiths/etc.) who were only enlisted bec they could either be a guard at the camps or be guarded at the camps.
You can see the contemporary equivalent of this behaviour in Israeili soldiers, how they are having fun and even showing it off on social media as they committ mass murder, torture and outright genocide against Palestinians. And many ordinary people around the world are cheering them on. These are all brainwashed human beings, not monsters, unfortunately.
How he didn’t win an Oscar for this portrayal is unbelievable
This was a very insightful review of Fiennes' marvelous work. This movie was packed with stellar performances....
Love how thorough your research is, thank you for your videos
Fiennes portrayed a FIEND without empathy or conscience. His blazé sadism was the most chilling part of this performance.