Schindler's List on yksi kaikkien aikojen arvostetuimmista elokuvista, ja sen ohjaajana muistetaan tietenkin Steven Spielberg. Mutta ensimmäinen valinta olisi ollut Martin Scorsese. Ohjaaja paljasti haastattelussa, että hänellä oli alusta alkaen varauksia asian suhteen. Lopulta kävi niin, että tarinan kertojaksi sopi paremmin juutalainen ohjaaja.
Koskaan ei saada tietää, miltä Schindler's List olisi näyttänyt Scorsesen ohjaamana.
"For Schindler's List, I hired Steve Zaillian, and Steve and I worked on the script. I was about to direct it. But I had reservations at a certain point. Don't forget, this is 1990, I'd say. I did The Last Temptation of Christ in 1988. The whole point of that movie was to start a dialogue about something which is still important to me, which is the nature — the true nature — of love, which could be god, could be Jesus. I'm not being culturally ambivalent here, it's what's in us. Is god in us? I really am that way; I can't help it. I like to explore that."
"I used the phrase at the time, 'I'm not Jewish.' What I meant was, it's the old story that the journey had to be taken by a Jewish person through that world, and I think Steven also learned that. He came from... [pauses] where is The Fablelmans set, Phoenix? He told me there were only 200 Jews in Phoenix. I couldn't believe it. Because I come from the Lower East Side, and grew up with the Jewish community. I wasn't being altruistic, but it just made sense to me that he was the person who really should go through this. I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to do justice to the situation."
Kiitokset, Geek Tyrant