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Testimony: The Legacy of Schindler's List and the USC Shoah Foundation
This illustrated, large-format book, The Legacy of Schindler’s List and the USC Shoah Foundation—A 20th Anniversary Commemoration combines, for the first time, the behind-the-scenes story of the making of Schindler’s List with the history of the remarkable organization inspired by that landmark film. Steven Spielberg’s encounters with Holocaust survivors who visited the set and personally told him their stories set him on a quest to collect and preserve survivor testimony for generations to come. In 1994, he established the Shoah Foundation, and in the following four years nearly 52,000 eyewitness interviews were video recorded in 56 countries and 32 languages. This commemorative book relates how the foundation accomplished this feat through a worldwide network of dedicated people, pioneering interview methods, and state-of-the art technologies.
A special 140-page section tells the riveting story of the film in photos, script excerpts, and the words of the cast and crew, including Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Spielberg. Drawing from the Universal Pictures archives and exclusive interviews, here are details on Spielberg’s struggle to bring Oskar Schindler’s story from novel to script to screen, the casting, cinematography, and especially what happened during the difficult shoot in Poland in 1993—on locations where actual events of the Holocaust occurred.
Partnered with the University of Southern California since 2006, the USC Shoah Foundation has broadened its mission and now collects and preserves testimonies from other genocides, including those in Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda, while expanding its educational outreach, especially to young people. Its Visual History Archive—digitized, fully searchable, and hyperlinked to the minute—has become the largest digital collection of its kind in the world. As Spielberg writes in his introduction, “I believe the work of the USC Shoah Foundation is the most important legacy of Schindler’s List.”
A special 140-page section tells the riveting story of the film in photos, script excerpts, and the words of the cast and crew, including Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley, and Spielberg. Drawing from the Universal Pictures archives and exclusive interviews, here are details on Spielberg’s struggle to bring Oskar Schindler’s story from novel to script to screen, the casting, cinematography, and especially what happened during the difficult shoot in Poland in 1993—on locations where actual events of the Holocaust occurred.
Partnered with the University of Southern California since 2006, the USC Shoah Foundation has broadened its mission and now collects and preserves testimonies from other genocides, including those in Armenia, Cambodia, and Rwanda, while expanding its educational outreach, especially to young people. Its Visual History Archive—digitized, fully searchable, and hyperlinked to the minute—has become the largest digital collection of its kind in the world. As Spielberg writes in his introduction, “I believe the work of the USC Shoah Foundation is the most important legacy of Schindler’s List.”
- GenresNonfictionHistory
613 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 8, 2013
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52 people want to read
About the author
Steven Spielberg
95 books191 followersSteven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Spielberg is a three-time Academy Award winner and is the highest grossing filmmaker of all time; his films having made nearly $8 billion internationally. Forbes magazine places Spielberg's net worth at $3 billion. As of 2006, Premiere listed him as the most powerful and influential figure in the motion picture industry. Time listed him as one of the 100 Greatest People of the Century. And at the end of the twentieth century, Life named him the most influential person of his generation. In a career that spans almost four decades, Spielberg's films have touched many themes and genres. During the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, three of his films, Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park became the highest grossing films for their time. During his early years as a director, his sci-fi and adventure films were often seen as the archetype of modern Hollywood blockbuster filmmaking. In later years, his movies began addressing such historical issues as the Holocaust, slavery, war, and terrorism.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 1, 2014
How do you write a review on a documentary of a movie that looked like a documentary? Somehow, I will try.
The first half of the book had me absolutely riveted and engrossed. How Steven Spielberg came to make Schindler's List and how he made the decisions he did. First of all, it was on his mind for years after he read Thomas Keneally's book. How do portray a hero that is not made out of hero material? If you've seen the movie, you know that Oskar Schindler was an opportunist. If you haven't seen the movie, key scenes are described so you are not lost, by any means. They are still powerful.
Oskar Schindler saw an opportunity to become very, very rich. He was a womanizer and man with great social skills. He knew how to work people to fulfill his own needs. Thus, he opened a factory near a concentration camp where a psychopath, Amon Goeth, was commandant. He used Jewish slave labor to become very, very rich.
Yet Schindler had a strong conscience. He treated his workers well. They were better fed and living in better conditions than the regular Jewish prisoners. At least when they were not living in the concentration camp under the commandant. Schindler takes a horseback ride on a beautiful day in Poland where he witnesses a pogrom in Krakow. It is here that the scene of the red coat plays out. This is a pivotal scene for Schindler because he suddenly has the epiphany of the cruelties of the war. He takes more Jewish workers, sets up his own camp and treats them without cruelty, giving them as much food and shelter as he can.
Schindler's List comes into the story when his factory is closed down and he Amon to allow him to keep his workers. Amon allows him to buy workers but he must also prove that the workers are specialized and he can't do without them. This is the list. This is the difference between life and death. 1,100 Jewish people are saved because of this list.
So the book covers how certain actors were cast and why. How Liam Neesom was not well known and Spielberg did not want any well known actors. This was true in every case save Ishtak Stern, his accountant who was Ben Kingsley. It discusses the use of light, the props, the set, the costumes, and the pivotal scenes that you wondered how they were filmed. It was a little exhausting, although not as exhausting as watching the movie. Still, I had weird and somewhat disturbing dreams for two or three nights.
The second half is about the Shoah Foundation which is an important work in progress. The Shoah Foundation preserves the oral history of the people during WWII and now other conflicts where genocide is rampant. Although very important, I didn't find this part of the book as compelling. The movie was incredibly well done and a visceral experience thus I had a lot more invested in understanding. The Shoah Foundation is a huge undertaking and very important but I don't have as much interest in the process.
A great book. I really enjoyed it.
The first half of the book had me absolutely riveted and engrossed. How Steven Spielberg came to make Schindler's List and how he made the decisions he did. First of all, it was on his mind for years after he read Thomas Keneally's book. How do portray a hero that is not made out of hero material? If you've seen the movie, you know that Oskar Schindler was an opportunist. If you haven't seen the movie, key scenes are described so you are not lost, by any means. They are still powerful.
Oskar Schindler saw an opportunity to become very, very rich. He was a womanizer and man with great social skills. He knew how to work people to fulfill his own needs. Thus, he opened a factory near a concentration camp where a psychopath, Amon Goeth, was commandant. He used Jewish slave labor to become very, very rich.
Yet Schindler had a strong conscience. He treated his workers well. They were better fed and living in better conditions than the regular Jewish prisoners. At least when they were not living in the concentration camp under the commandant. Schindler takes a horseback ride on a beautiful day in Poland where he witnesses a pogrom in Krakow. It is here that the scene of the red coat plays out. This is a pivotal scene for Schindler because he suddenly has the epiphany of the cruelties of the war. He takes more Jewish workers, sets up his own camp and treats them without cruelty, giving them as much food and shelter as he can.
Schindler's List comes into the story when his factory is closed down and he Amon to allow him to keep his workers. Amon allows him to buy workers but he must also prove that the workers are specialized and he can't do without them. This is the list. This is the difference between life and death. 1,100 Jewish people are saved because of this list.
So the book covers how certain actors were cast and why. How Liam Neesom was not well known and Spielberg did not want any well known actors. This was true in every case save Ishtak Stern, his accountant who was Ben Kingsley. It discusses the use of light, the props, the set, the costumes, and the pivotal scenes that you wondered how they were filmed. It was a little exhausting, although not as exhausting as watching the movie. Still, I had weird and somewhat disturbing dreams for two or three nights.
The second half is about the Shoah Foundation which is an important work in progress. The Shoah Foundation preserves the oral history of the people during WWII and now other conflicts where genocide is rampant. Although very important, I didn't find this part of the book as compelling. The movie was incredibly well done and a visceral experience thus I had a lot more invested in understanding. The Shoah Foundation is a huge undertaking and very important but I don't have as much interest in the process.
A great book. I really enjoyed it.
August 11, 2014
Testimony covers a lot of ground, from the making of the movie, Schindler's List, to the idea of filming Holocaust survivor testimonies, to the actual project, and now sharing the testimonies and collecting new ones from ongoing genocides around the world.
3.5 stars
The first half of the book kept my attention better than the second half. I love the movie so seeing the behind-the-scenes photos and reading about the actor's thoughts was fascinating. I also liked reading about the real people the characters were based on and how filming such harrowing scenes affected all the cast and crew. When the narrative moved on to the idea of the Shoah foundation and collecting the survivor/witness stories, I was still on board. I liked reading about how the USC Shoah Foundation is sharing their expertise with other groups around the world with similar goals. I was reading in bed wondering how you get a job collecting stories. I even searched StoryCorps to see if they were hiring (They were but I'm not bilingual). The idea of such a huge, important undertaking just appealed to me--no, it called to me.
The second half got more technical, focusing on ensuring that the testimonies are secure and stay in a format that is always relevant to the modern age. That started to lose me. I'm proficient with the technology that's relevant to my life. I don't really stay on the cutting edge of anything. And I definitely don't understand anything about movie editing, etc. I do understand that all of this is important but I didn't really follow it. I was back on slightly firmer footing when the narrative switched to sharing the testimonies with the world. Even at that, I quickly got to the point where I just wanted to know what website I could go to for myself.
What kept me going were the transcribed excerpts sprinkled throughout the book. I'm drawn to stories of the Holocaust so reading about what these survivors endured was a highlight of the book. I was glad that the editors chose to include narratives from not only Jewish survivors, but also a homosexual survivor, rescuers/witnesses, a Jewish woman active in the resistance, a Sinti and Roma survivor, and survivors from other genocides (Rwanda and Cambodia). I personally know very little about other genocides or even really other perspectives on the Holocaust. I especially like that all these excerpts included current photos of the speakers and photos from their past.
Anyone interested in the Holocaust and/or Schindler's List will find this book fascinating. Pick it up for yourself and bear witness. We must never forget.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.
3.5 stars
The first half of the book kept my attention better than the second half. I love the movie so seeing the behind-the-scenes photos and reading about the actor's thoughts was fascinating. I also liked reading about the real people the characters were based on and how filming such harrowing scenes affected all the cast and crew. When the narrative moved on to the idea of the Shoah foundation and collecting the survivor/witness stories, I was still on board. I liked reading about how the USC Shoah Foundation is sharing their expertise with other groups around the world with similar goals. I was reading in bed wondering how you get a job collecting stories. I even searched StoryCorps to see if they were hiring (They were but I'm not bilingual). The idea of such a huge, important undertaking just appealed to me--no, it called to me.
The second half got more technical, focusing on ensuring that the testimonies are secure and stay in a format that is always relevant to the modern age. That started to lose me. I'm proficient with the technology that's relevant to my life. I don't really stay on the cutting edge of anything. And I definitely don't understand anything about movie editing, etc. I do understand that all of this is important but I didn't really follow it. I was back on slightly firmer footing when the narrative switched to sharing the testimonies with the world. Even at that, I quickly got to the point where I just wanted to know what website I could go to for myself.
What kept me going were the transcribed excerpts sprinkled throughout the book. I'm drawn to stories of the Holocaust so reading about what these survivors endured was a highlight of the book. I was glad that the editors chose to include narratives from not only Jewish survivors, but also a homosexual survivor, rescuers/witnesses, a Jewish woman active in the resistance, a Sinti and Roma survivor, and survivors from other genocides (Rwanda and Cambodia). I personally know very little about other genocides or even really other perspectives on the Holocaust. I especially like that all these excerpts included current photos of the speakers and photos from their past.
Anyone interested in the Holocaust and/or Schindler's List will find this book fascinating. Pick it up for yourself and bear witness. We must never forget.
Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review.
December 18, 2017
Świadectw, głównie wywiadów z Ocalonymi znajduje się w Visual History Archive (VHA) obecnie już ponad 54 tysiące. W latach 1994-2000 Fundacja Shoah nagrywała filmy video dokumentujące Holocaust. Przeprowadzono około 48 000 wywiadów z ocalonymi z Zagłady Żydami, 1000 rozmów z osobami ukrywającymi i pomagającymi Żydom, 360 świadectw ocalonych Romów, 220 ocalonych więźniów politycznych, 80 świadków Jehowy, 13 ofiar eksperymentów eugenicznych, 8 homoseksualistów oraz 360 świadectw tych, którzy trafili do obozów jako wyzwoliciele i 60 wspomnień uczestników powojennych procesów o zbrodnie przeciwko ludzkości. Od 2007 roku zaczęto dokumentować ludobójstwa w Rwandzie, a także na Bałkanach, w Kambodży, masakrę nankińską i ludobójstwo Ormian.
Założycielem Fundacji jest Steven Spielberg. Na krakowski plan filmu Lista Schindlera przychodzili ocaleni, opowiadali swoje historie. Spielberg zapamiętał, że pierwsza była Niusia Horowitz. Wyznała, że nigdy wcześniej nikomu nie mówiła o piekle, które przeżyła. I to była inspiracja do powołania fundacji i tworzenia archiwum. Wizualnego, bo zdaniem filmowców właśnie takie świadectwa będą miały większą nośność niż spisywane historie uczestników i świadków. Druga, obszerna część książki opowiada jak powstawała Fundacja, jak przeprowadzano wywiady w 36 językach w 57 krajach, jak je rejestrowano, katalogowano i kopiowano na coraz technologicznie doskonalsze nośniki, jak je udostępniano na całym świecie, najpierw ośrodkom naukowym (od pewnego czasu Fundacja działa pod egidą Uniwersytetu Południowej Kalifornii, USC), a teraz stopniowo w publicznej sieci internetowej, i wreszcie jakie edukacyjne oraz informacyjno-publicystyczne programy z Archiwum korzystają. Pierwsza część książki to filmowa kuchnia Listy Schindlera. Tytuł dzieła nazywa Fundację dziedzictwem Listy.
Na planie filmowym cała ekipa, łącznie ze statystami, nie była wolna od silnych wzruszeń, nawet łez. Przytoczone w drugiej części książki krótkie fragmenty spisane z filmów video też często ściskają za gardło. Ale oczywiście trudno porównywać moc oddziaływania tych relacji z odczuciami wywoływanymi literaturą pamiętnikarską, reportażami czy nawet beletrystyką obozową, także filmową. Książka ma przede wszystkim wartość informacyjną, nie tylko dla specjalistów. Przedsięwzięcie Stevena Spielberga imponuje rozmachem. Dla przeciętnego czytelnika cenne są liczne odnośniki do instytucji i ludzi, którzy z Archiwum korzystają. I oczywiście adresy internetowe, np. vhaonline.usc.edu. Książka jest bogato ilustrowana, tak więc wersję elektroniczną lepiej czytać na tablecie lub komputerze, nie na czytniku.
Założycielem Fundacji jest Steven Spielberg. Na krakowski plan filmu Lista Schindlera przychodzili ocaleni, opowiadali swoje historie. Spielberg zapamiętał, że pierwsza była Niusia Horowitz. Wyznała, że nigdy wcześniej nikomu nie mówiła o piekle, które przeżyła. I to była inspiracja do powołania fundacji i tworzenia archiwum. Wizualnego, bo zdaniem filmowców właśnie takie świadectwa będą miały większą nośność niż spisywane historie uczestników i świadków. Druga, obszerna część książki opowiada jak powstawała Fundacja, jak przeprowadzano wywiady w 36 językach w 57 krajach, jak je rejestrowano, katalogowano i kopiowano na coraz technologicznie doskonalsze nośniki, jak je udostępniano na całym świecie, najpierw ośrodkom naukowym (od pewnego czasu Fundacja działa pod egidą Uniwersytetu Południowej Kalifornii, USC), a teraz stopniowo w publicznej sieci internetowej, i wreszcie jakie edukacyjne oraz informacyjno-publicystyczne programy z Archiwum korzystają. Pierwsza część książki to filmowa kuchnia Listy Schindlera. Tytuł dzieła nazywa Fundację dziedzictwem Listy.
Na planie filmowym cała ekipa, łącznie ze statystami, nie była wolna od silnych wzruszeń, nawet łez. Przytoczone w drugiej części książki krótkie fragmenty spisane z filmów video też często ściskają za gardło. Ale oczywiście trudno porównywać moc oddziaływania tych relacji z odczuciami wywoływanymi literaturą pamiętnikarską, reportażami czy nawet beletrystyką obozową, także filmową. Książka ma przede wszystkim wartość informacyjną, nie tylko dla specjalistów. Przedsięwzięcie Stevena Spielberga imponuje rozmachem. Dla przeciętnego czytelnika cenne są liczne odnośniki do instytucji i ludzi, którzy z Archiwum korzystają. I oczywiście adresy internetowe, np. vhaonline.usc.edu. Książka jest bogato ilustrowana, tak więc wersję elektroniczną lepiej czytać na tablecie lub komputerze, nie na czytniku.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews