Schindler's List (1993)

Schindler's List is a 1993 American epic biographical drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and written by Steven Zaillian. It is based on the historical novel Schindler's Ark (1982) by Thomas Keneally. The film follows Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved more than a thousand mostly Polish–Jewish refugees from the Holocaust by employing them in his factories during World War II. It stars Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as SS officer Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Schindler's Jewish accountant Itzhak Stern.

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 himself. Principal photography took place in Kraków, Poland, over 72 days in 1993. Spielberg shot the film 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. The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for the performances of Neeson and Fiennes, Williams' musical score, Kaminski's cinematography, Zaillian's screenplay, and Spielberg's direction. It was a box office success, earning $322.2 million worldwide on a $22 million budget. Schindler's List earned multiple accolades, including seven Academy Awards (including Best Picture), seven BAFTAs and three Golden Globes. It is often listed as one of the greatest films ever made. The film was deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress in 2004 and selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry. In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked Schindler's List 8th on its list of the 100 greatest American films.