Steven Spielberg takes pride in his 1993 war drama film Schindler’s List and admits it was the project that made him feel too exposed and there was no way he could walk around the controversy and the noise that would follow after its release.
Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List / Universal Pictures
Regardless, he never had any regret making the film; it was a mission accomplished for the veteran filmmaker and perhaps the movie that would be viewed by generations of people.

Steven Spielberg Has Never Helmed A Film As Haunting As Schindler’s List

Steven Spielberg extensively discussed his sentiments about the making of Schindler’s List via The Economic Times. He claimed it is “the greatest contribution” he has ever made to the film industry.

It was the first time I felt like I was not making a film, but recreating history. It was the first virtual experience I had as a filmmaker in Krakow, Poland where the story takes place.

Liam Neeson in Schindler’s List / Universal Pictures
The project was not easy to make in the sense that the subject was too sensitive. Spielberg has created movies with the most imaginative storylines, but nothing was scarier than portraying reality and history. In this movie, he felt the most vulnerable.

I couldn’t hide behind the camera to protect myself from the tragic scenes that we were recreating. There was no hiding from the reality of what the film was about. All our defences were down.

The director credited his father, who was a former Air Force pilot, for his interest in World War II. “He told me war stories, and he directed my attention to Hollywood and the movies Hollywood made,” he shared.

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Schindler’s List starred Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, Ralph Fiennes, Caroline Goodall, and Jonathan Sagall, to name a few. It won Spielberg an Oscar for Best Director and Best Picture, and five more Academy Award wins.

Steven Spielberg Felt He Wasn’t Mature Enough To Direct Schindler’s List

Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List / Universal Pictures
In his conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Spielberg admitted he had qualms about helming Schindler’s List despite his desire to do so. At the time, he has not yet made any mature or adult projects.

I hadn’t made what I’d call my first “adult” film, and I was terrified of Schindler’s List being my first, because what if I wasn’t mature enough?

He knew he was not ready for it; he could not “deal with the gravitas of that subject matter, morally or cinematically” and he also felt he lacked the wisdom to talk about the story after the release of the film.

“But I didn’t want to stop the story from getting out into the zeitgeist,” claimed Spielberg. The director then admitted he took a gamble when he decided to push through with the movie. “If I was going to take a risk, the greatest risk… was taking on Schindler’s List.”

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Schindler’s List received critical acclaim from fans and reviewers, with an impressive 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a 9/10 score on IMDb. It also emerged as a box-office success after earning $322 million against a budget of $22 million, as per Box Office Mojo