History Characters / SchindlersList

* HistoricalBeautyUpdate: While he's noticeably overweight (at least with his shirt off), he's still more svelte than the real Goeth, who looks borderline obese in some photographs.

* StupidEvil: A crucial element of his character is that, while a truly evil and remorseless mass murderer, he's not actually that ''smart''; killing Jews, even the ones who helped him, for the pettiest possible reasons even when [[PragmaticVillainy he could have benefited from keeping them alive]]. When one of the prisoners reports a structural flaw in the barracks they're building, Goeth has her shot because he won't let a Jew argue with him (even when she's right), and even orders the rest of the crew to rebuild part of the barracks like she said. When things don't go his way, he [[PsychopathicManchild reacts violently]], ignores simpler and more efficient solutions, and on one memorable occasion is outwitted by a child. Most crucially, he never catches on to the blatantly obvious fact that Schindler is only employing the Jews to keep them alive and sabotage the war effort, because the thought never so much as enters his mind, even for a moment, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood that Schindler could be protecting the Jews because he can't stand to see innocent people slaughtered.]] The scene where Goeth tries and fails to shoot an old Jewish man - [[OverlyLongGag repeatedly]] - was actually included for this very reason, Luger guns really were [[TruthInTelevision prone to jamming]], and Spielberg wanted to [[GeniusBonus show how lazy the Nazis (and Goeth in particular) were at taking care of their weapons]].

* TheCharmer: He can make total strangers his close friends in next to no time, and uses his charisma to get a foothold in German industry. He later uses every bit of his power of persuasion trying to convince Goeth to become a more merciful person. [[spoiler: Amazingly, it seems to work, but Goeth quickly abandons it.]]

* BadBoss: ''And how.'' As commandant of Plaszow, he shoots and kills prisoners at random from his balcony in order to scare the rest into working harder.

-->'''Goeth's Mistress''': [[LampshadeHanging Amon, you're such a damn fucking child!]]

* {{Tritagonist}}: He's the third character with the more focus, which is {{justified}} since the RealLife Poldek Pfefferberg was the one who told the story to Thomas Keneally (author of the source book), so a lot of the story is from his point of view.

* CassandraTruth: Played with. On the same night that Schindler kisses the Jewish girl and Goeth brutally beats Helen, Mila tells the rest of the women in her barracks a harrowing story that she heard from somebody who escaped an extermination camp (presumably Auschwitz), detailing what the German overseers and complicit prisoners did to new arrivals before killing them. None of the other women believe it, with Mrs. Dresner telling her to ''[[WhamLine Stop it! Your bedtime stories are scaring everyone!]]'' as she protectively clutches her daughter. But they soon find to their horror that Mila was right after their train from Plaszow is rerouted to Auschwitz by mistake, although Schindler manages to save them in time.

She's Goeth Jewish housekeeper (actually house slave, as she's clearly not paid). She is sadly the victim of his many tempers, along with the [[VillainousCrush unhealthy attachment]] he has for her.

* ThePromise: She states that she'll stay in Krakow with Oskar if he can promise that no one will ever mistake her for one of his mistresses. [[spoiler: He doesn't, and she soon leaves on a train for home. Eventually Oskar does promise her so, but in RealLife their marriage didn't last anyway.]]

[[/folder]]

->'''Played By:''' Creator/LiamNeeson

->'''Played By:''' Creator/BenKingsley

->'''Played By:''' Creator/RalphFiennes

->'''Played By:''' Jonathan Sagall

->'''Played By:''' Adi Nitzan

->'''Played By:''' Creator/EmbethDavidtz

->'''Played By:''' Caroline Goodall

* StupidEvil: A crucial element of his character is that, while a truly evil and remorseless mass murderer, he's not actually that ''smart''; killing Jews, even the ones who helped him, for the pettiest possible reasons even when [[PragmaticVillainy he could have benefited from keeping them alive]]. When one of the prisoners reports a structural flaw in the barracks they're building, Goeth has her shot because he won't let a Jew argue with him (even when she's right). When things don't go his way, he [[PsychopathicManchild reacts violently]], ignores simpler and more efficient solutions, and on one memorable occasion is outwitted by a child. Most crucially, he never catches on to the blatantly obvious fact that Schindler is only employing the Jews to keep them alive and sabotage the war effort, because the thought never so much as enters his mind, even for a moment, [[EvilCannotComprehendGood that Schindler could be protecting the Jews because he can't stand to see innocent people slaughtered.]] The scene where Goeth tries and fails to shoot an old Jewish man - [[OverlyLongGag repeatedly]] - was actually included for this very reason, Luger guns really were [[TruthInTelevision prone to jamming]], and Spielberg wanted to [[GeniusBonus show how lazy the Nazis (and Goeth in particular) were at taking care of their weapons]].

* EvilCannotComprehendGood: He attempts to be merciful after Schindler lectures him about true leadership but fails rather miserably at it, immediately succumbing to his sadistic impulses.

* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Even by ''Nazi'' standards he is incredibly bigoted and sadistic, as he has a penchant for killing Jews and other concentration camp prisoners for the pettiest reasons imaginable.

* ChivalrousPervert: He's quite popular with the ladies, but he would never take advantage of an unwilling woman or a woman in a vulnerable state. When he is alone with Helen Hirsch, even though he finds her attractive, he talks to her as a friend, gives her a chocolate bar, and kisses her [[AnywhereButTheirLips on the forehead]], taking care to specify it's "[[PlatonicKissing not that kind of kiss]]".

* HistoricalVillainDowngrade: Yes, ''really''. As bad as he is in the movie, he was ''even worse'' in real life. The real Goeth did things like torture prisoners in his basement and sic starving dogs on them; ''conservative'' estimates of his personal body count (that is, murders he personally committed) are around 500 people. His villainy was toned down due to time constraints and because Spielberg thought audiences [[RealityIsUnrealistic wouldn't have believed it]]. The real Goeth was so evil even [[EvenEvilHasStandards other Nazi's were disgusted by him and he was eventually dishonorably discharged by the SS]].

* EvilIsPetty: He has a penchant for killing the prisoners for the smallest reasons possible. Such as doing sloppy work or missing a spot when cleaning.

The ProtagonistTitle guy, an ethnic-German businessmen who (initially) exploits the war to profit from Jewish labor, until it hits his moral compass and also kick the plot.

* BenevolentBoss: Even before he starts putting his life on the line to rescue his workers, he makes an effort to treat them decently. One notable scene later has him getting a Rabbi to stop work and prepare for the Sabbath, inviting him up to his office for a drink.

* BadBoss: Oh man! Despite how bad and mean your boss can be, he's probably never gonna shoot your guts from a balcony.

* LastWords: He shouts one last "Heil Hitler" before his hanging.

* MercyKill: Almost on the receiving end of one. Goeth considers to kill her instead of sending her to Auschwitz by the time that Płaszów is being dismantled. Fortunately for her, Schindler manages to manipulate Goeth into ceding Helen to him.

** Schindler makes sure she's on his list of people that must be saved from Auschwitz.

A Jewish smuggler who is instrumental for Schindler to obtain the cash for buying his factory. Also a damn good GuileHero, and the one who will eventually bring the whole story to light decades after.

* EveryoneHasStandards: He is offered to join the Judenrat (the Jewish police in the ghetto, who answers to the SS), despite he could hold some privilege in the ghetto and have more rations, but refuses because he holds in contempt those who are collaborating with the SS.
* FriendInTheBlackMarket: Schindler's friend. He's the one who has the guts to introduce a Nazi party member (Schindler) to retired Jewish bankers who would fund his factory. Also, he used to provide (at the time nearly unfindable) luxury goods for Schindler to bribe Nazi officers with.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: He would eventually move to America, settling in Los Angeles and opening up a successful leather goods store in Beverly Hills while trying to tell screenwriters about Oskar Schindler, to let the world know of his heroism. He then happened to run into Thomas Kennealy in 1980, who needed a new suitcase while in LA on a trip from Sydney, and told him the remarkable story about Schindler, resulting in the subsequent book and film, and founding the Oskar Schindler Humanities Foundation before passing away in 2001.

* SitcomArchnemesis: Has this relationship with Marcel Goldberg, who got a job as a Judenrat while Poldek didn't and [[ComeToGawk Goldberg liked to gloat at him]].

* ThePromise: She states that she'll go back to Oskar and stay at his side if he can promise that the porter won't ever mistake her for one of his mistresses. [[spoiler: Eventually Oskar does promise her so, but in RealLife their marriage didn't last anyway.]]

** He's introduced killing a Jewish engineer for suggesting an improvement before implementing it anyways.
** He makes a habit of sniping random prisoners from his rooftop ForTheEvulz.
** When one prisoner tries to escape he makes him watch Goeth kill 25 others.
** After developing an attraction to Helen Hirsch he blames her for it and beats her senseless.