The Holocaust movie so traumatic, Spielberg couldn't watch his OWN dailies. Behind the black-and-white nightmare.
Revisiting the making of the film through the voices of those involved, including director Steven Spielberg and stars like Liam Neeson and Ben Kingsley. These accounts reveal the challenges of bringing Thomas Keneally's book to the screen, from production difficulties in Poland to the studio's initial reluctance to the all-black-and-white cinematography. The oral history also explores the film's enduring legacy.
Direction
Spielberg's therapeutic obsession—filming his own therapy.
Cinematography
Janusz Kamiński's shadow play—light as moral witness.
Production
Shooting in actual camps; survivors visited sets daily.
Director
Adam Zanzie
Steven Spielberg
Self (archive footage)
Gerald R. Molen
Self (archive footage)
Tom Pollock
Self (archive footage)
Branko Lustig
Self (archive footage)
Thomas Keneally
Self (archive footage)
Bill Clinton
Self (archive footage)
Steven Zaillian
Self (archive footage)
Sid Sheinberg
Self (archive footage)
Liam Neeson
Self (archive footage)
Ralph Fiennes
Self (archive footage)
Ben Kingsley
Self (archive footage)
Embeth Davidtz
Self (archive footage)
Caroline Goodall
Self (archive footage)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Spielberg funded the entire $22 million budget himself when Universal hesitated, calling it his 'riskiest bet.' No salary, either.
Ralph Fiennes's performance as Göth was so convincing that Holocaust survivors on set had panic attacks seeing him in costume.
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