Actor Sir Ben Kingsley, famous for his portrayal of Gandhi, spoke about his film roles at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum last week.
Kingsley called himself an “offshoot” of the original shamanistic storyteller saying that his major film roles have been a conduit for empathy. He was speaking during the program “The Power of Film and the Holocaust,” on March 1.
Highlighting his roles in Jewish Holocaust-themed films, Kingsley focused on the filming of “Schindler’s List,” directed by Steven Spielberg. In the film he played Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s accountant and collaborator in compiling the list of Jews to be transported to work in Schindler’s factory and saved from facing the final eradication of the Jews of Krakow Ghetto who were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
“To wear a yellow star in film is an enormous responsibility,” Kingsley said of the symbol that the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust.
“To wear a yellow star in a film is very unsettling.” For Kingsley, playing the part of Itzhak Stern was all consuming, a role that he said stretched and completely drained him.
The actor explained that the body and adrenaline does not know you are acting. There was an enormous stress that he felt playing persecuted Itzhak Stern who strove in secret with Schindler.
“Going to Krakow, I felt my stomach was going to dissolve,” he said.
Krakow is the town turned Jewish Ghetto by Nazis and the modern day filming location for segments of “Schindler’s List.”
“I had a strong aversion to Krakow,” Kingsley explained, depicting the bleakness of the ghetto, which is now a historical district and tourist destination.
Kingsley retold after-filming incidents of encountering residual anti-Semitism in places such as bars outside of the ghetto.
“Oh oh oh, here’s another transport,” Kingsley mimicked the jeering of some locals near Krakow when convoys of Jewish visitors arrived. He said this didn’t help, calling it “good ol' Europe” to underline the still prevailing anti-Semitic prejudices in Europe.
“If we deny and ignore history, it will repeat itself,” Kingsley said.
Kingsley said he thinks if Schindler was asked why he did what he did, his answer would have been, “under the circumstances, what else could I have done.”
“We have to be careful not to outlaw tragedy,” said Kingsley, adding that when young children are shown the movie “Schindler’s List,” many do not understand or believe that it is based on history and events that actually took place.
Kingsley explained the importance of using tragedy such as the story of “Schindler’s List” to teach the pitfalls of history.
Kingsley called himself an “offshoot” of the original shamanistic storyteller saying that his major film roles have been a conduit for empathy. He was speaking during the program “The Power of Film and the Holocaust,” on March 1.
Highlighting his roles in Jewish Holocaust-themed films, Kingsley focused on the filming of “Schindler’s List,” directed by Steven Spielberg. In the film he played Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s accountant and collaborator in compiling the list of Jews to be transported to work in Schindler’s factory and saved from facing the final eradication of the Jews of Krakow Ghetto who were sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp.
“To wear a yellow star in film is an enormous responsibility,” Kingsley said of the symbol that the Nazis forced Jews to wear during the Holocaust.
“To wear a yellow star in a film is very unsettling.” For Kingsley, playing the part of Itzhak Stern was all consuming, a role that he said stretched and completely drained him.
The actor explained that the body and adrenaline does not know you are acting. There was an enormous stress that he felt playing persecuted Itzhak Stern who strove in secret with Schindler.
“Going to Krakow, I felt my stomach was going to dissolve,” he said.
Krakow is the town turned Jewish Ghetto by Nazis and the modern day filming location for segments of “Schindler’s List.”
“I had a strong aversion to Krakow,” Kingsley explained, depicting the bleakness of the ghetto, which is now a historical district and tourist destination.
Kingsley retold after-filming incidents of encountering residual anti-Semitism in places such as bars outside of the ghetto.
“Oh oh oh, here’s another transport,” Kingsley mimicked the jeering of some locals near Krakow when convoys of Jewish visitors arrived. He said this didn’t help, calling it “good ol' Europe” to underline the still prevailing anti-Semitic prejudices in Europe.
“If we deny and ignore history, it will repeat itself,” Kingsley said.
Kingsley said he thinks if Schindler was asked why he did what he did, his answer would have been, “under the circumstances, what else could I have done.”
“We have to be careful not to outlaw tragedy,” said Kingsley, adding that when young children are shown the movie “Schindler’s List,” many do not understand or believe that it is based on history and events that actually took place.
Kingsley explained the importance of using tragedy such as the story of “Schindler’s List” to teach the pitfalls of history.
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