10 Things You Never Knew About Schindler's List

The Survivor Who Would Not Shut Up

Poldek Pfefferberg, one of Schindler's Jews, chased Hollywood for decades to get his story on screen. He even tried to launch a biographical movie with MGM back in 1963 before the whole thing collapsed.

Spielberg's Ten-Year Oops

At their first meeting in 1983 Spielberg told Pfefferberg he'd start in ten years. The director later confessed he felt guilty about the delay, worried he wasn't mature enough to tackle a Holocaust film.

View of a major street in Krakow after the liquidation of the ghetto, which is strewn with the bundles of deported Jews. — Stanisław Poznański (oprac./edit.), Walka. Śmierć. Pamięć 1939-1945. W dwudziestą rocznicę powstania w warszawskim getcie 1943-1963, Rada Ochrony Pomników Walki i Męczeństwa, Warszawa 1963 (strony nienumerowane/pages unnumbered), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Scorsese Got Cape Fear Instead

Martin Scorsese was actually attached to direct Schindler's List in 1988. Spielberg swapped him out, handing over Cape Fear instead because he felt he personally had to make the Holocaust film for his family.

Oskar Schindler en Argentina después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Deniers And Neo-Nazis Pushed Him Over The Edge

Spielberg finally said yes after watching Holocaust deniers get serious media airtime. The rise of neo-Nazism after the Berlin Wall fell scared him, feeling it mirrored a dangerous tolerance like the 1930s.

Jurassic Park Was The Price Of Admission

Sid Sheinberg would only greenlight Schindler's List if Spielberg directed Jurassic Park first. He believed the emotional toll of the Holocaust film would stop Spielberg from ever doing a big adventure blockbuster afterwards.

Broadway Saved Liam Neeson

Spielberg cast Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler after seeing him in 'Anna Christie' on Broadway in December 1992. He picked the relatively unknown actor on purpose so his celebrity wouldn't overshadow the character.

Ralph Fiennes Terrified A Real Survivor

Ralph Fiennes bulked up 28 pounds for Amon Göth and studied newsreels plus talked to survivors who knew the real commandant. He became so convincing that survivor Mila Pfefferberg trembled with fear when she met him.

Itzhak Stern Was Three Men In One

Itzhak Stern wasn't just one man. The character was a composite of accountant Stern, factory manager Abraham Bankier, and Göth's personal secretary Mietek Pemper.

The Epilogue Was A Last-Minute Scramble

Spielberg only dreamed up the epilogue with 128 real Schindler survivors at Schindler's grave in Jerusalem halfway through filming. Producers had to scramble to find and fly in the survivors.

Poland Broke Spielberg Open

Filming in Poland left Spielberg in profound emotional upheaval. The subject matter forced him to confront his own childhood experiences with antisemitism and the Shoah stories his grandparents told him.