Shortly after Steven Spielberg brought the sci-fi classic ET to the cinema, he discovered the novel Schindler’s list of the Australian author Thomas Keneally and was directly shaken by his cruel and moving history. After he first wanted to cede the directing post to Roman Polanski and Martin Scorsese, Spielberg finally staged the historical film himself and made it a treasurer who won seven Oscars and remains unforgettable even over 30 years later.
One of the reasons for this is undoubtedly Ralph Fiennes’ representation of the SS commander Amon Göthwho went into film history with shocking cruelty.
Ralph Fiennes broke the villain in Schindler’s list in a cruel way
From minute 52 we experience Fiennes in Schindler’s list as Amon Göth, the SS officer of the Plaszow concentration camp, whose real model is estimated for the death of over 500 Jew: inside. Poldek Pfefferberg, who, as the survivor of the Plaszow Warehouse, convinced Thomas Keneally to write the Roman Schindler’s list, said about the historical figure:
To see Göth was to see death. He was a creative sadist. He had no scruple to let go of his dogs Ralf and ALF on children and watch how they were eaten.
Fiennes accepted Göth’s frightening cruelty in his representation of the SS officer and embodied it almost realistic. When Pfefferberg’s wife Mila met on the set on Fiennes in Göth’s costume, the survivors of the Plaszow camp had started to tremble, as Spielberg later remembered:
Her knees began to give in. I held them in my arms while Ralph [Fiennes] Excitedly explained how important it was for him to get to know them – and she trembled with fear. She saw no actor. She saw Amon Göth.
Look here a trailer for Schindler’s list:
Schindler’s list – trailer (German)
Ralph Fiennes has never forgotten his role in Schindler’s list
Even if Ralph Fiennes did not have to think long when he was asked by Spielberg for the role, Amon Göth accompanied him for many years. So he later explained (via Slash Film):
I believe, A price had to be paid for this role. If you study such a negative relationship so intensely for three months, you feel a bit strange because you may have enjoyed it sometimes and at the same time you feel so that you are soiled. It raises a number of questions, about acting, about human behavior, that all of this is probably closer to the surface than we would like to think.
If you want to experience Ralph Fiennes again in the role, you can currently stream Schindler’s list at Amazon Prime Video, Wow and Joyn in the subscription. Otherwise, you can currently see Fiennes in Edward Bergers Conclave in the cinema, for which he will be the best leading actor at the Oscars 2025.
A thematically similar article has been published on our sister page Allociné.