* CreatorsFavoriteEpisode: Creator/StevenSpielberg called this his most important film and the best film he's ever made.
-->'''Steven Spielberg''': "It’s the best movie I’ve ever made. I am not going to say it’s the best movie I ever will make. But currently, it’s the work I’m proudest of."
* DarkhorseCasting: Creator/StevenSpielberg cast the relatively unknown Creator/LiamNeeson so that his star quality wouldn't overpower the character. Likewise, Creator/RalphFiennes was a relative unknown.
* DoingItForTheArt: Spielberg refused to accept a director's salary for this film, feeling that doing so would be "blood money," and instead funneled it into the establishment of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USC_Shoah_Foundation_Institute_for_Visual_History_and_Education Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation]]. He also deliberately left the ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial''-inspired Creator/AmblinEntertainment VanityPlate off the film to keep it from appearing "whimsical" and still refuses to autograph any copies of the film or promotional materials.
* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/RalphFiennes put on twenty-eight pounds (thirteen kilograms) by drinking Guinness for his role of Amon Goeth.
* FakeNationality: Schindler (Sudeten German) is portrayed by Creator/LiamNeeson (Northern Irish); Goeth (Austrian) by Creator/RalphFiennes (English), and Stern (Polish) by Creator/BenKingsley, who is an Englishman of partially Indian descent. Several minor characters, however, are played by Polish actors. Since "Jewish" is not a nationality, virtually all the Jews portrayed in the film are this - most of them native Israeli actors feigning a vaguely eastern-European accent, or in some cases [[AsLongAsItSoundsForeign just using an Israeli accent]].
* InMemoriam: This film was dedicated to the more than six million Jews murdered in [[UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust the Holocaust]].
* NoExportForYou: The movie isn't formally imported and publicly shown in countries where the Jews are seen in a less favorable light due to its perceived bias.
* OneForTheMoneyOneForTheArt: While Spielberg was always interested in ''Film/JurassicPark'', his involvement also made Universal greenlight ''Schindler's List''. He was supervising (with the help of his friend, Creator/GeorgeLucas) post-production of the other movie while filming in Poland, and described the experience as using "every ounce of intuition on ''Schindler's List'' and every ounce of craft on ''Jurassic Park''".
* PopCultureUrbanLegends: When the film first came out, and many still didn't have Internet access to easily look this kind of thing up, the final man seen at a distance who lays a rose on Schindler's grave was popularly believed to be Steven Spielberg. It's actually Liam Neeson. This is kinda odd, considering the huge height disparity between the two men.
* PlayingAgainstType: ''Big time'' in the Japanese dub: Amon Goethe was voiced by Creator/HideyukiTanaka, a voice actor who was well-know for voicing very heroic roles, including [[Manga/SaintSeiya Leo Aioria]], [[Manga/CityHunter Hideyuki Makimura]], [[VideoGame/MetalGear Otacon]] and [[Anime/{{Dancougar}} Alan Igor]]. Voicing a {{Sadist}} scumbag like him is definitely ''very'' outside of such roles. And that would ''not'' be the first time he would end up voicing such kind of villains later, as he is well-known in Japan for voicing another similar character like Goethe: [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Georg Weissmann]].
* StarMakingRole: For Creator/LiamNeeson, Creator/RalphFiennes and Creator/EmbethDavidtz.
* ThrowItIn: In the "I Didn't Do Enough" scene, Schindler dropping the ring is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9vj2Wf57rQ&lc=UgxWG_8mZ0N3Fn2LfMh4AaABAg.9FgCU971TaE9HHIP06sv3J accidental]]. However, the fumbling for the ring along with the significance of the gift made it stay in the final cut.
* UncreditedRole: Creator/AaronSorkin was an uncredited script doctor for the screenplay.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen:
** While no one doubts the quality of the film ultimately released, Creator/StevenSpielberg was originally to serve as a producer, with previously considered directors including Creator/SydneyPollack, Creator/RomanPolanski (who turned it down due to his own past as a Holocaust survivor, and a relative of some of the Schindlerjuden, though he would go on to direct ''Film/ThePianist''), Creator/SidneyLumet (who felt that he had already covered the subject of the Holocaust, with ''The Pawnbroker'') and Creator/MartinScorsese, who felt that the story could only be properly told by a Jewish filmmaker[[note]]In turn, Spielberg handed his directing gig for the 1991 version of ''Film/CapeFear'' over to Scorsese (he stayed on as producer), and Scorsese would tackle the Holocaust briefly in ''Film/ShutterIsland''[[/note]].
** None other than Creator/BillyWilder expressed interest in directing the film, having lost his family in the Holocaust himself. Wilder was friends with Spielberg and personally appealed to him after discovering he had bought the rights to the story, but Spielberg was weeks away from shooting in Krakow and had to tell him the truth.
** The real-life Poldek Pfefferberg lobbied for years to have Schindler's story brought to a wider audience. In 1963, he attempted to talk MGM into making a film version of Schindler's life, but the deal fell through. About twenty years later, he got Creator/StevenSpielberg's attention, but Spielberg wasn't sure he could do justice to Schindler's story and tried unsuccessfully to get Creator/RomanPolanski, among others, to do it instead.
** Swiss actor Creator/BrunoGanz was offered the lead role of Oskar Schindler. He refused. [[HilariousInHindsight Years later]], he would play UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler in ''Film/{{Downfall}}''. Other contenders for the role of Oskar Schindler included Creator/KevinCostner, Creator/RobertDuvall, Creator/HarrisonFord, Creator/MelGibson ([[HarsherInHindsight how ironic that would have been]]), Creator/DanielDayLewis and Creator/StellanSkarsgard. Ford turned it down because he didn't want [[IAmNotLeonardNimoy his star power overwhelming the seriousness of the film]], fearing people would only see Franchise/IndianaJones (and presumably wondering why "Oskar" isn't punching the shit out of Goeth at the earliest opportunity).
** Creator/TimRoth was originally considered for Amon Goeth.
** Creator/ClaireDanes was originally considered by Spielberg for a role but her parents turned it down since she would have had to move to Poland for several months in the middle of the school year and he couldn't promise them that she'd have a teacher on set. The part for which she was considered is unknown, although since Danes is only a year older than Anna Mucha, the role she was considered for may have been Danka Dresner.
** Creator/JulietteBinoche was offered a role, which she has described in interviews as a woman who was to be raped and then murdered, but she turned it down.
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