kids encyclopedia robot

Schindler's List facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Schindler's List
Schindler's List movie.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Steven Spielberg
Produced by
Screenplay by Steven Zaillian
Starring
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Janusz Kamiński
Editing by Michael Kahn
Studio
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date(s) November 30, 1993 (1993-11-30) (Washington, D.C.)
December 15, 1993 (1993-12-15) (United States)
Running time 195 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $22 million
Money made $322.2 million

Schindler's List is a 1993 American movie set in World War II, and directed by Steven Spielberg. It is based on Schindler's Ark, a 1982 book by Thomas Keneally. The movie and the book owe their names to the list of over a thousand Jews who worked in the title character's factory.

Ideas for a film about the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) were proposed as early as 1963. Poldek Pfefferberg, one of the Schindlerjuden, made it his life's mission to tell Schindler's story. Spielberg became interested when executive Sidney Sheinberg sent him a book review of Schindler's Ark. Universal Pictures bought the rights to the novel, but Spielberg, unsure if he was ready to make a film about the Holocaust, tried to pass the project to several directors before deciding to direct it.

Principal photography took place in Kraków, Poland, over 72 days in 1993. Spielberg shot in black and white and approached the film as a documentary. Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński wanted to create a sense of timelessness. John Williams composed the score, and violinist Itzhak Perlman performed the main theme.

Schindler's List premiered on November 30, 1993, in Washington, D.C., and was released on December 15, 1993, in the United States. Often listed among the greatest films ever made, the film received universal acclaim for its tone, acting (particularly Neeson, Fiennes, and Kingsley), atmosphere, score, cinematography, and Spielberg's direction; it was also a box office success, earning $322 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. It was nominated for twelve awards at the 66th Academy Awards, and won seven, including Best Picture, Best Director (for Spielberg), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Score. The film won numerous other awards, including seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked Schindler's List 8th on its list of the 100 best American films of all time. The film was designated as "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress in 2004 and selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Following the success of the film, Spielberg founded the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, a nonprofit organization with the goal of providing an archive for the filmed testimony of as many survivors of the Holocaust as possible, to save their stories. He continues to finance that work. Spielberg used proceeds from the film to finance several related documentaries, including Anne Frank Remembered (1995), The Lost Children of Berlin (1996), and The Last Days (1998).

Plot

In Kraków during World War II, the Nazis force local Polish Jews into the overcrowded Kraków Ghetto. Oskar Schindler, a German Nazi Party member from Czechoslovakia, arrives in the city, hoping to make his fortune. He bribes Wehrmacht (German armed forces) and SS officials, acquiring a factory to produce enamelware. Schindler hires Itzhak Stern, a Jewish official with contacts among black marketeers and the Jewish business community; he handles administration and helps Schindler arrange financing. Stern ensures that as many Jewish workers as possible are deemed essential to the German war effort to prevent them from being taken by the SS to concentration camps or killed.

Cast

  • Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler
  • Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern
  • Ralph Fiennes as Amon Göth
  • Caroline Goodall as Emilie Schindler
  • Jonathan Sagall as Poldek Pfefferberg
  • Embeth Davidtz as Helen Hirsch
  • Małgorzata Gebel as Wiktoria Klonowska
  • Mark Ivanir as Marcel Goldberg
  • Beatrice Macola as Ingrid
  • Andrzej Seweryn as Julian Scherner
  • Friedrich von Thun as Rolf Czurda
  • Jerzy Nowak as Investor
  • Norbert Weisser as Albert Hujar
  • Anna Mucha as Danka Dresner
  • Adi Nitzan as Mila Pfefferberg
  • Piotr Polk as Leo Rosner
  • Rami Heuberger as Joseph Bau
  • Ezra Dagan as Rabbi Menasha Lewartow
  • Elina Löwensohn as Diana Reiter
  • Hans-Jörg Assmann as Julius Madritsch
  • Hans-Michael Rehberg as Rudolf Höß
  • Daniel Del Ponte as Josef Mengele
  • Oliwia Dąbrowska as the Girl in Red

Accolades

Spielberg won the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film for his work, and shared the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture with co-producers Branko Lustig and Gerald R. Molen. Steven Zaillian won the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The film also won the National Board of Review for Best Film, along with the National Society of Film Critics for Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematography. Awards from the New York Film Critics Circle were also won for Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Cinematographer. The Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded the film for Best Film, Best Cinematography (tied with The Piano), and Best Production Design. The film also won numerous other awards and nominations worldwide.

Major awards
Category Subject Result
Academy Awards
Best Picture Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Steven Zaillian Won
Best Original Score John Williams Won
Best Film Editing Michael Kahn Won
Best Cinematography Janusz Kamiński Won
Best Art Direction
  • Ewa Braun
  • Allan Starski
Won
Best Actor Liam Neeson Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Ralph Fiennes Nominated
Best Makeup
  • Christina Smith
  • Matthew Mungle
  • Judy Alexander Cory
Nominated
Best Sound
  • Andy Nelson
  • Steve Pederson
  • Scott Millan
  • Ron Judkins
Nominated
Best Costume Design Anna B. Sheppard Nominated
ACE Eddie Award
Best Editing Michael Kahn Won
BAFTA Awards
Best Film
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Branko Lustig
  • Gerald R. Molen
Won
Best Direction Steven Spielberg Won
Best Supporting Actor Ralph Fiennes Won
Best Adapted Screenplay Steven Zaillian Won
Best Music John Williams Won
Best Editing Michael Kahn Won
Best Cinematography Janusz Kamiński Won
Best Supporting Actor Ben Kingsley Nominated
Best Actor Liam Neeson Nominated
Best Makeup and Hair
  • Christina Smith
  • Matthew W. Mungle
  • Waldemar Pokromski
  • Pauline Heys
Nominated
Best Production Design Allan Starski Nominated
Best Costume Design Anna B. Sheppard Nominated
Best Sound
  • Charles L. Campbell
  • Louis L Edemann
  • Robert Jackson
  • Ronald Judkins
  • Andy Nelson
  • Steve Pederson
  • Scott Millan
Nominated
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
Best Film
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Gerald R. Molen
  • Branko Lustig
Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Screenplay Steven Zaillian Won
Best Cinematography Janusz Kamiński Won
Best Actor Liam Neeson Won
Best Supporting Actor Ralph Fiennes Won
Golden Globe Awards
Best Motion Picture – Drama
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Gerald R. Molen
  • Branko Lustig
Won
Best Director Steven Spielberg Won
Best Screenplay Steven Zaillian Won
Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama Liam Neeson Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Ralph Fiennes Nominated
Best Original Score John Williams Nominated
American Film Institute recognition
Year List Result
1998 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies #9
2003 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Heroes and Villains Oskar Schindler – #13 hero; Amon Göth – #15 villain
2005 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes "The list is an absolute good. The list is life." – nominated
2006 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Cheers #3
2007 AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) #8
2008 AFI's 10 Top 10 #3 epic film

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: La lista de Schindler para niños

kids search engine
Schindler's List Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.