Steven Spielberg considers Schindler’s List to be the best movie he’s ever made.
And with a near-perfect approval rating of 98 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes, that may well be true.
Shot like in black-and-white and given the treatment of a documentary, the epic 1993 historical war drama — directed and produced by Spielberg with Steven Zaillian penning the film’s screenplay — is based on Thomas Keneally’s 1982 novel Schindler’s Ark. Spielberg and Zaillian spent a good chunk of their time researching for the movie, before filming kicked off on March 1, 1993.
Talking to Inside Film, Spielberg spoke about the research that went into bringing Schindler’s List to life: “I interviewed survivors, I went to Poland, saw the cities and spent time with the people and spoke to the Jews who had come back to Poland after the war and talked about why they had come back. I spent more research time on this project than I had on any previous film, but of course my films were never based on anything that actually happened.
“So, I was enthusiastic about going to Poland. I needed to go for inspiration. I only knew Schindler’s List from the novel and now I wanted to know it from the survivors and from the actual historical landmarks. So, I went there for that reason. And I came back as excited as I’ve ever been about a subject that doesn’t excite me, but pains me.”
Schindler’s List was released in the United States on December 15, 1993, and in the UK on February 18, 1994. The film centres around Oskar Schindler, a compassionate German industrialist who employed over a thousand mostly Polish-Jewish refugees in his factories during World War II and ended up saving them from the Holocaust.
Starring Liam Neeson as Schindler, Ralph Fiennes as the SS officer Amon Göth, and Ben Kingsley as Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s Jewish accountant — Schindler’s List is considered to be one of the most important and impactful films, not just in Spielberg’s filmography, but also in the history of cinema. With a monumental seven Oscars to its name including Best Picture and Best Director, Schindler’s List has been hailed a cinematic tour de force.
During a 2024 interview with The Hollywood Reporter marking the 30th anniversary of the momentous film, Spielberg said: “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.”
Universally lauded by critics as well as audiences, Schindler’s List garnered high praise across the board. A critic said of the film: “Spielberg employs all the emotive Hollywood tools at his disposal and the result is a remarkable film with wide appeal and real importance. Neeson is phenomenal, but matched by towering performances from Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes.”
While another reviewer called it Spielberg’s “most grown-up film”: “The film’s epic sweep and grasp of detail are exemplary, while some scenes could make even a lump of granite weep. This is Spielberg’s most grown-up film.”
Yet another glowing critical review of the film states: “Few American movies since the silent era have had anything approaching this picture’s narrative boldness, visual audacity, and emotional directness.”
And one review of the film can’t stop applauding Spielberg’s mastery: “For this film Spielberg has done the best directing of his career. Much of his previous work has been clever and some of it better than that, but Schindler’s List is masterly.”
Schindler’s List is available to stream on Netflix.