Fact Vs Fiction: Schindler's List

In the film, after he had been informed that the Nazis were moving out of Krakow due to an impending invasion by the Red Army, Schindler and Stern compile the famous list of Jewish workers set to be transported to a new factory in Czechoslovakia. Liam Neeson is almost belligerent with supporting actor Ben Kingsley in the scene where Schindler and Stern painstakingly remember all the names of those working in the enamel factory. While this adds a lot of tension to the drama, this is not entirely accurate.

After the Second World War, Schindler confirmed to his physician, Dr Stanley Robbin, that he had no part in compiling the names of all the people he ended up saving. While Schindler did argue for the transportation of his many workers, he didn’t write or dictate who should be included.

During the list's inception, Schindler was serving a small sentence in prison. However, Marcel Goldberg, a Jewish clerk working at the Plaszow camp began writing the list for Jews desired for transportation to the new factory. As time went on, Itzhak Stern began adding more names to the document.

While Schindler did play a pivotal role in the rescue of over 1,000 people, the titular list was not of his own doing.