People know Steven Spielberg only as the creator of the ‘Jurassic Park’ franchise. But he is also popular as the creator of various other cult classics and including ‘Schindler’s List.’ The historical drama film was released in 1993 and it was an adaptation of the novel, ‘Schindler’s Ark’, published in 1982.
Made on a budget of only $22 million, the film collected $322 million at the box office. The film was praised for its performances, storyline, and direction and it is a film that is still watched and loved by the public today. It’s true that it has been a recipient of several accolades but people are possibly unaware of the fact that it is based on a true story. Let’s check the facts.
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‘Schindler’s List’ Is Adapted From A Novel
‘Schindler’s List’ is based on the novel, ‘Schindler’s Ark’ by Thomas Keneally, which came out in 1982. The book mostly features fiction blended with accurate details on what exactly happened in reality. According to the novel’s storyline, Oskar Schindler is a capitalist who gets drunk on multiple occasions and he is also a womanizer alongside a Nazi Party member.
While the Second World War begins and Oskar witnesses the results of the Holocaust, he manages to save thousands of Polish Jews from Nazis by giving them jobs in factories. He is assisted by his accountant, Itzhak Stern. One of the survivors, Poldek Pfefferberg, convinced Thomas to write the novel and was also a chief advisor for the same.
Keneally also went to Krakow to learn more about the Holocaust. Fictional dialogues were added in such a way that the historical details could not be recreated. Pfefferberg was also close to Steven Spielberg’s mother and he convinced Spielberg to make a movie based on the incident.
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The Film Features Real Life Characters
Oskar Schindler was one of the lead characters in the film and he is a real-life personality. As mentioned earlier, he was known for saving some Jews during the Holocaust. He was raised in Zwittau, Moravia, and joined the military intelligence service Abwehr in 1936 followed by Nazi Party in 1939. He passed away on October 9, 1974.
The rest of the real characters included Amon Goth, who was the commandant of the Krakow concentration camp and was charged with crimes against humanity. The next is Itzhak Stern, who was his accountant, and Oskar’s wife, Emilie alongside Poldek Pfefferberg, who was a Holocaust survivor.
The supporting characters of the film were mostly Jews who were real-life survivors of the Holocaust. This included Leo Rosner, Mietek Pemper, Joseph Bau, and Diana Reiter.
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