The Success Story of Spielberg: Schindler's Career Journey (2024)

FAQs

The Success Story of Spielberg: Schindler's Career Journey? ›

The movie tells the story of Oskar Schindler

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.

The 46-year-old Spielberg had just won his first Oscar — as best director for “Schindler's List,” an unflinching look at the Holocaust and its horrors.

He started making amateur films while in his teens and later studied film at California State University, Long Beach. In 1969, his twenty-two-minute short Amblin was shown at the Atlanta Film Festival, which led to his becoming the youngest director ever to sign a long-term deal with a major Hollywood studio.

Thirty years ago, Schindler's List, directed by the illustrious Steven Spielberg, debuted in theaters across the United States. It not only was the most consequential English-language movie about the Holocaust up to that point but also shaped filmmaking and public consciousness of the genocide for years to come.

'Schindler's List' made $320 million at the box office, and Steven Spielberg refused to take a cent. He told the President of Universal it was 'blood money'. He donated his earnings to Jewish organizations and Holocaust education.

In movies set in modern times, a director's choice to use black and white might seem trite and artistically showy. In Schindler's List, however, the black-and-white presentation effectively evokes the World War II era and deepens the impact of the story.

Work hard: Spielberg's success is a result of his hard work and dedication to his craft. He was willing to put in the hours and effort to achieve his goals. Take risks: Spielberg's innovative techniques and willingness to take risks set him apart from other directors.

While Schindler's List is a brilliant film, its three-plus hour running time and true-to-life grisly violence make it mostly a film for adults. If you have a particularly mature teen, share this film with him and talk about it afterward.

When Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List was banned in Malaysia in 1994, most Westerners probably saw the act as a simple case of anti-Semitism by the Islamic government of a relatively obscure Third World nation. Although anti-Semitism certainly was a factor, the case was hardly simple.

Who did Steven Spielberg inspire? ›

With Spielberg's direction, he influenced James Cameron 16 years later with his film, Avatar, where the majority of the movie was shot using CGI.

As he grew older, Spielberg became ashamed of his roots. Sometimes he told people his last name was German, not Jewish. (Incidentally, the moniker “Fabelman” “sounds like Jewish wordplay on the idea of fables, or storytelling,” as the Jewish Telegraphic Agency puts it.)

Throughout his career, Spielberg has made a name for himself as a master storyteller and an unrivalled visual stylist, successfully marrying innovative techniques with emotionally resonant narratives. His movies have grossed billions of dollars worldwide, and his influence on the film industry is immeasurable.

The decision to make the film came at a point in Mr. Spielberg's life when being Jewish has taken on more of a personal focus. The fact that Mr. Spielberg now finds himself the father of five children has, he said, deepened his sense of mortality and religion.

Businessman Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) arrives in Krakow in 1939, ready to make his fortune from World War II, which has just started. After joining the Nazi party primarily for political expediency, he staffs his factory with Jewish workers for similarly pragmatic reasons. When the SS begins exterminating Jews in the Krakow ghetto, Schindler arranges to have his workers protected to keep his factory in operation, but soon realizes that in so doing, he is also saving innocent lives.

Schindler's List / Film synopsis

Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List drew international attention to the site of Płaszów, a former Nazi concentration camp in Poland near the city of Kraków. This increased attention on the site impacted the area, leading to an increase in film-tourism, shown both in organized tours and published guidebooks.

Steven Spielberg said he asked George Lucas to help him make "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List." The director was so impressed with the "Schindler's List" script he wanted to film it straightaway. The "Star Wars" creator then helped Spielberg finish the sound editing on "Jurassic Park."

Spielberg and Scorsese's Alleged Film Swap: The Making of Schindler's List. Key Takeaways: – Steven Spielberg had initial doubts about directing Schindler's List. – Martin Scorsese was slated to direct Schindler's List, but ended up directing Cape Fear instead.

Psycho

1960

Vertigo

1958

The Birds

1963

Rear Window

1954

North by Northwest

1959

To Catch a Thief

1955

"I think we found a door to allow people to talk about the consequences of hatred in all its forms in a more open way,” Spielberg says. “Films have that capacity to move people to explore and understand the most tragic and horrific events in history, and at the same time to highlight the resiliency of the human spirit.