The symbolism of colour red in Speilberg's Schindler's List

  In the same way that the Soviet Union utilised colour in its propaganda, Schindler's List used black and white film to portray the anguish and suffering of the Jews under the Nazi regime. The power of the red coat against the black and white background has been interpreted as being charged with various symbolic meaning. According to Spielberg, the read coat (being the only colour in the film other than the Shabbat candles), 'evokes the "red flag" the Jews waved at the Allied powers during World War II as a cry for help' (Holocaust Visual Archive
2012). 

  In an interview discussing the relevance of the film's symbolism meaning, Spielberg speaks in detail about his reasoning behind the red coat. Stating that in the scene where Schindler looks down from horseback at the evacuation of the Krakow Ghetto, he is about to turn around, yet something catches his eye. "He saw the little girl in the red dress and wondered why the Nazis, who were rounding up and shooting anyone resistant, why the most obvious person wearing the loudest coat that was crying out to captured". He goes on to say, 'I did it in colour, or at least I did the coat in colour for another reason, which was that the Holocaust was known about in that Roosevelt, Eisenhower and Churchill knew that the Holocaust was taking place - it was as obvious as a little girl in a red coat walking down the street' (Ruiz, 2009). The full interview is available at :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBCj2mPUck 

  

Holocaust Visual Archive, 2012. The Girl in the Red Coat | Holocaust Visual Archive [Online]. Available from: https://holocaustvisualarchive.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/the-girl-in-the-red-coat/ [Accessed 4 April 2018].

Movies & TV Stack Exchange, 2013. analysis - What is the significance of ‘the Girl in Red’ in Schindler’s List?- Movies & TV Stack Exchange [Online]. Available from: https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/16124/what-is-the-significance-of-the-girl-in-red-in-schindlers-list [Accessed 4 April 2018].

Ruiz, S., 2009. Spielberg on Spielberg 2007 07 Schindler’s list [Online]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSBCj2mPUck [Accessed 4 May 2018].