Steven Spielberg’s 1993 Holocaust drama “Schindler’s List” is a harrowing experience just to watch, so one can only imagine what it was like filming it.
The film is based on the true story of Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist and businessman who helped save the lives of more than a thousand refugees from the Holocaust.
He would employ the mostly Polish-Jewish refugees in his factories throughout the war, which gave them protection as industrial workers.
These saved refugees would go on to be called the Schindlerjuden, and their story would be shared with the world in the 1982 novel “Schindler’s Ark” by Thomas Keneally.
“Schindler’s Ark” formed the basis for “Schindler’s List,” which starred Liam Neeson as Schindler, bringing the horrors of the Holocaust to life in stark black and white.
“Schindler’s List” became an instant classic, winning seven Academy Awards including one for Best Picture and another for Best Director.
While there is hope in the film because of Schindler’s efforts, it’s also a brutal look at how terrifying it was to be Jewish when it could very easily end up being a death sentence.
That reality became crystal clear to Neeson just before filming his first scene, and it hit him something fierce.
The moment when Neeson ‘lost it’In an oral history of the film for The Hollywood Reporter, Neeson revealed that his first scene was filmed at the gates of Auschwitz, where he had a conversation with one of the film’s co-producers, Branko Lustig.
Lustig had survived his time at Auschwitz and even pitched his qualifications by rolling up his sleeve and showing off his identification number tattoo. So, when he started sharing some of his experiences, Neeson was truly shaken:
“Before my first scene, we were at the gates of Auschwitz. I was walking outside the barbed wire, waiting to be called to set.
I had my Schindler stuff on, a big fur-lined coat, and I was a little nervous, looking at the huts inside Auschwitz. Branko sidled up beside me and said, ‘How do you feel?’ I said, ‘I feel OK.
It’s an intense scene, and it’ll be good to get it under my belt.’ Branko casually pointed to a hut and said, ‘See that hut there, second from the left?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘That’s where I was.’ F***, I just lost it. He was there at the age of 6.
Two years he spent there. I remember my knees weakened, and I thought, ‘You’ve got to pull yourself together, man. This isn’t acting in just another movie.'”
Not only was Neeson hit with the weight of trying to get the story right, but because “Schindler’s List” was filmed on location, he was also hit with the history of the very ground on which he stood.
The importance of getting Schindler right
While the real story of Oskar Schindler is a bit more complicated than the sheer heroics of Spielberg’s film, he needed to be a hero in the movie to help balance the true-to-life horrors that the Jewish characters in the movie faced in order to make it a bit easier for audiences to process.
The real focus of the movie isn’t really Schindler anyway but instead serves to evoke empathy for both his workers and those refugees who weren’t fortunate enough to find protection through him.
It forces the audience to reckon with the tragedy of the Holocaust on both a global and personal scale.
From Neeson’s retelling of his experience, it sounds like it forced the people making the film to fully comprehend the scope of it all as well.
In the end, Neeson’s Schindler is a man who was haunted by the things he saw, and who tried to help make some small dent in the evils of the world.
Neeson probably drew from his own feelings of being haunted by the atrocity that took place in the very locations where he was filming.
It couldn’t have been easy working on “Schindler’s List,” but it is a vital film that should help remind us of the dangers of nationalism and bigotry, so we should be thankful to Spielberg, Neeson, Lustig, and the rest of the people who helped bring it to the big screen.
News
A Creative Journey: Lady Gaga’s Artistic Growth and Fearless Embrace of Individuality
The weirdness and craziness of star Lady Gaga’s outfits have been increasing every day. Even if she were dressed in rags and beggar clothes, no one would be surprised. Lady Gaga created her own unique, shocking fashion line that no…
Gaga’s Street Style: No Bras, Semi-Sheer Top, and Daring Daisy Dukes in NYC
Lady Gaga recently unveiled the much-anticipated track list for her latest album, Joanne, and she is certainly not shying away from the limelight. The singer was spotted in New York on Saturday confidently flaunting her unique fashion sense. Her daring…
VIDEO : Unexpected Flashback: Old Footage Resurfaces Showing Lady Gaga’s Unusual On-Stage Act with a Girl Vomiting on Her Chest
It’s come back up. A clip of a woman making herself vomit on Lady Gaga during her SXSW performance in 2014 has resurfaced online — and the bile hasn’t aged well. Gaga, 36, incorporated performance artist Millie Brown into her choreography…
My First Piano Teacher Was a Stripper’: Lady Gaga Reveals Dad Hired a Stripper as Her Music Teacher, Linking it to Her Signature Long Nails
Lady Gaga is one of the popular artists who’s known for image reinventions and musical versatility. She rose to fame with her debut studio album, The Fame in 2007 with its chart-topping singles Just Dance and Poker Face. She is not only…
20 Bizarre Photos Prove That Lady Gaga Is The Most Unhinged Fashion Icon Ever
One of the most iconic and multi-talented artists of our time, Lady Gaga, with worldwide hits such as Bad Romance, Judas, and Born This Way, is also known as a composer, an actress, and above all, a fashionista. Known as…
Lady Gaga Goes Makeup-Free for Oscars Performance, Letting People See the Real Her
Oscars executive producer reveals Lady Gaga decided to go makeup-free during her performance to show people the ‘real’ her. Featured Image Credit: ABC Yesterday (March 13), the musician stunned viewers with a performance of the Oscar-nominated song ‘Hold My Hand’…
End of content
No more pages to load