Steven Spielberg’s Ultimate Challenge: Directing Two Masterpieces Simultaneously 33 Years Ago!

In 1982, Steven Spielberg came across a book by Australian author Thomas Keneally titled “Schindler’s List,” which was published in France in 1984. The book tells the story of Oskar Schindler, a committed Nazi industrialist who ultimately saved about 1,300 Jews from deportation by spending his entire fortune. The story deeply moved Spielberg, and he wanted to adapt it into a film; however, he felt he was not emotionally ready at the time. Despite his reservations, he spent a long time trying to find someone else to take on the project, but without success.

When Spielberg presented his project to the executives at Universal Studios, they were panicked. A black-and-white film over three hours long about such a subject? “That’s like throwing money out the window!” one of them exclaimed. Another suggested, “Wouldn’t you rather make a donation or something?” Nonetheless, Spielberg insisted, and he eventually got the approval from the studio under one condition: he had to direct “Jurassic Park” first. This was seen as a way to mitigate potential losses.

“It was a very bipolar experience for me”

The filmmaker then found himself having to manage both projects at the same time. Normally, even though it’s a tough challenge, it wouldn’t intimidate a seasoned director like Spielberg, who had faced many challenges before. The real issue for him was having to handle these two completely opposite projects in parallel, especially considering his emotional investment in “Schindler’s List.”

Spielberg shared in an interview with Entertainment Weekly (via Yahoo) in 2018, discussing how he felt “resentment and anger” during that period. “The script for ‘Schindler’s List’ was the best one Steven Zaillian had written after several drafts,” Spielberg recalled. “My wife Kate said, ‘You’re shooting this movie now, right?’ And I said, ‘Yes, right now!'”

“But I was filming ‘Jurassic Park’ at that time; that was the problem. I didn’t want to miss the winter. I knew I had to start shooting in January in Poland, so everything had to be arranged incredibly quickly. When I finally started shooting in Poland, I had to fly back home two or three times a week and connect to a very basic satellite feed to northern California… to approve the T-Rex shots.”

“And this caused immense resentment and anger that I had to do this, that I had to switch from the emotional weight of ‘Schindler’s List’ to dinosaurs chasing jeeps, and all I could express was how angry it made me at the time. I was grateful later, but until then, it was a burden.”

“Honestly, if I had the choice, I wouldn’t have chosen to split my attention between ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Jurassic Park,’ because it was a very bipolar experience for me; filming the Holocaust story and at the same time, dealing with these dinosaur effects from a completely different kind of movie to make them believable to the audience.”

Nevertheless, Spielberg triumphed in this personal challenge: “Jurassic Park” was a massive success, grossing over a billion dollars and marking a milestone in cinema technology. “Schindler’s List” also achieved great box office success and was awarded seven Oscars. Both films, two masterpieces, have long been considered classics.

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