Schindler’s List: 10 Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Steven Spielberg’s Movie

When he brought the story of Oskar Schindler’s quest to save 1,200 Jews from Nazi concentration camps to the big screen in Schindler’s List, Steven Spielberg created the definitive cinematic portrait of the horrors of the Holocaust, and one of the greatest movies of all time. Everything from the screenplay by Steven Zaillian to the visually striking black-and-white cinematography by Janusz Kamiński made Schindler’s List a cultural landmark.

Making a three-hour epic that captures one of the most devastating tragedies in human history and the faint ray of hope that penetrated it certainly isn’t easy, so there are plenty of interesting details from the making of Schindler’s List.

10 Survivor Poldek Pfefferberg Lobbied For A Schindler Biopic Since 1963

Poldek Pfefferberg was the Polish-American Holocaust survivor who inspired the Australian author Thomas Keneally to write Schindler’s Ark, the Booker Prize-winning novel upon which the movie was based. In the movie, he’s played by Jonathan Sagall (above).

Pfefferberg had been trying to get a biopic of Oskar Schindler made since 1963. He came close with MGM, but the project fell through and remained dormant until Steven Spielberg became interested.

9 Steven Spielberg Initially Wasn’t Going To Direct

Originally, Steven Spielberg was going to produce Schindler’s List, handing over the director’s chair to a fellow filmmaker. He considered Roman Polanski, himself a Holocaust survivor and a relative to some of the Schindlerjuden (which translates to “Schindler Jews”), but he turned it down because the story was too personal. However, he did eventually make The Pianist roughly a decade later, which was also about the Holocaust.

Martin Scorsese was considered, but he felt that the movie needed a Jewish director (Scorsese is a Catholic). Sidney Lumet, Billy Wilder, and Sydney Pollack were all considered before Spielberg decided to just direct it himself.

8 Harrison Ford Turned Down The Role Of Oskar Schindler

At one point, Daniel Day-Lewis, Robert Duvall, Stellan Skarsgård, Kevin Costner, and Bruno Ganz were all considered for the role of Oskar Schindler. Mel Gibson was under consideration since he was a big star back then but in hindsight, him getting the role would’ve aged the movie horribly given that his anti-Semitic comments came to light years later.

Harrison Ford was also considered, but turned down the role because he didn’t want his star power to detract from the importance of the story. This inspired Spielberg to cast Liam Neeson, who was relatively unknown at the time.

7 Claire Danes’ Parents Wouldn’t Let Her Star In The Movie

Spielberg considered a then-teenage Claire Danes for a role in Schindler’s List (suspected to be Danka Dresner, because Danes is just a year older than Anna Mucha), but her parents wouldn’t let her take the part.

The shoot would’ve required Danes to move to Poland for a few months in the middle of a school year and Spielberg was unable to promise the availability of an on-set tutor. The role of Danka Dresner then went to Anna Mucha.

6 Spielberg Didn’t Take A Salary

Steven Spielberg felt that taking payment for directing Schindler’s List would’ve been “blood money,” so he forwent a salary for the movie. All his royalties and residuals from the movie have gone to the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, which records and preserves testimonies from genocide survivors.

The director also left his fun and gimmicky E.T.-inspired Amblin logo out off the movie to ensure that its tone would be 100% serious. Additionally, he refuses to autograph Schindler’s List-related materials.

5 Robin Williams Worked Out Material For Aladdin While Cheering Up The Cast & Crew

Since the Schindler’s List shoot left the cast and crew feeling depressed for obvious reasons, Steven Spielberg recruited his friend Robin Williams to entertain them with jokes and sketches over speakerphone.

At the time, Williams was preparing to voice Genie in Aladdin, so he used this as an opportunity to work out material for the character.

4 Ralph Fiennes’ Performance As Amon Göth Terrified A Holocaust Survivor

Ralph Fiennes’ performance as the monstrous Amon Göth was so hauntingly accurate that when real-life Holocaust survivor Mila Pfefferberg was introduced to him on the set, she began shaking uncontrollably, because he reminded her so much of the real Göth.

In preparation for his performance as Göth, Fiennes gained 28 lbs by drinking tons of Guinness stout. Spielberg cast him because, like Liam Neeson, he was relatively unknown at the time and didn’t have a celebrity status that would accidentally distract viewers from the role he was tasked with.

3 Spielberg Watched Seinfeld To Cheer Himself Up

Steven Spielberg would become so depressed restaging the horrors of the Holocaust that at the end of each shoot day, he’d watch Seinfeld episodes to cheer himself up. When Jerry Seinfeld heard about this, he included a playful parody of Schindler’s List in the Seinfeld two-parter “The Raincoats.”

In the parody, Jerry and Rachel actually watch Schindler’s List but they end up making out. This becomes the topic of one of the sitcom’s signature tirades. Aaron also all but recreates Oskar’s breakdown at the end of the movie when he regrets not being able to do more for Jerry’s visiting parents.

2 John Williams Didn’t Think He Was Good Enough To Write The Score

When Steven Spielberg tapped his go-to composer John Williams to write the score for Schindler’s List, he screened an early cut of the movie for him. Williams was so moved by the movie that he needed a few minutes to gather himself after it was over.

He told Spielberg that the movie needed a better composer to do it justice. Spielberg quipped, “I know, but they’re all dead.” Williams then composed the film’s heartbreaking music, which won numerous awards including the Oscar for Best Original Score.

1 The Hand That Places Two Roses On The Stones At The End Belongs To Liam Neeson, Not Steven Spielberg

At the end of Schindler’s List, a lot of the surviving Schindlerjuden, their descendants, and the actors who played them in the film visit Oskar Schindler’s grave and place stones on it, which is a traditional Jewish sign of respect when visiting somebody’s grave.

The final visitor places two roses on top of the stones. For the longest time, this was widely believed to be Steven Spielberg’s hand, but it’s actually Liam Neeson’s.

About The Author

Ben Sherlock
(3465 Articles Published)

Ben Sherlock is a writer, comedian, independent filmmaker, and Burt Reynolds enthusiast. He writes lists for Screen Rant and features and reviews for Game Rant. He’s currently in pre-production on his first feature (and has been for a while, because filmmaking is expensive). You can catch him performing standup at odd pubs around the UK that will give him stage time. Previously, he wrote for Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop.

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