--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's…" description: "\"Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's List' as the opposite of entertainment, but the film grossed $321 million and engaged audiences as only entert..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/stephen-j-dubner-13900_broken_spielberg-may-have-intended-schindler-s_3209369.jpg" --- # Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's List' as the… ![“Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's List' as the opposite of entertainment, but the film grossed $321 million and engaged audiences as only entertainment can, coaxing them to cry and shudder, leaving their hearts more heavy than broken.” quote by Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/stephen-j-dubner-13900_broken_spielberg-may-have-intended-schindler-s_3209369.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/stephen-j-dubner-13900_broken_spielberg-may-have-intended-schindler-s_3209369.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b0/stephen-j-dubner-13900_broken_spielberg-may-have-intended-schindler-s_3209369.jpg) > “Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's List' as the opposite of entertainment, but the film grossed $321 million and engaged audiences as only entertainment can, coaxing them to cry and shudder, leaving their hearts more heavy than broken.” [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Entertainment can convey deep tragedy, making audiences feel heavy emotions while still being engaging. **In simple terms:** Films can teach pain through enjoyment. Key Takeaway Use stories to explore difficult truths. Themes media influence empathy historical memory Mood analytical empathetic Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - education - film criticism - public discourse - memory preservation Key Concepts narrative theory emotional impact Questions to Reflect On - How does entertainment shape our understanding of history? - Can we learn empathy through movies? A Different Perspective Heavy emotions may be dismissed as mere entertainment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Entertainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entertainment/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Schindler's List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/schindlers-list/) ## Related quotes > [The List is Life.", Schindler's List](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-keneally/the-list-is-life-schindler-s-list/) [Thomas Keneally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-keneally/) > [Like, I took no poetic license with 'Schindler's List' because that was historical, factual documents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/like-i-took-no-poetic-license-with-schindler-s-list-because-that-was/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [I am a big fan of 'E.T.,' of course. And I remember watching 'Jurassic Park' - I was so into it. Oh, and 'Schindler's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-schnapp/i-am-a-big-fan-of-e-t-of-course-and-i-remember-watching-jurassic-park/) [Noah Schnapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-schnapp/) > [ “Think \[Schindler's List\] was about the Holocaust?... That was about success, wasn’t it? The Holocaust is about six million people who get killed. ‘'Schindler’s… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kubrick/think-schindler-s-list-was-about-the-holocaust-that-was-about-success/) [Stanley Kubrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kubrick/) > [There's nothing self-serving about what motivated me to bring 'Schindler's List' to the screen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/there-s-nothing-self-serving-about-what-motivated-me-to-bring/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [THERE WAS NEVER A SCHINDLER'S LIST. It was drawn up by a man called Goldman. This man took money to put a name on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-schindler/there-was-never-a-schindler-s-list-it-was-drawn-up-by-a-man-called/) [Emilie Schindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-schindler/) > [My mom, for most of her life, was a Holocaust denier. And it was terrible for the entire family to have to deal with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/my-mom-for-most-of-her-life-was-a-holocaust-denier-and-it-was/) [Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/) > [Before 'Schindler's List,' I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/before-schindler-s-list-i-wouldn-t-have-believed-movies-had-a-lot-of-2/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Before Schindler's List, I wouldn't have believed movies had a lot of power for social change. But having seen what happened with Schindler's List,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/before-schindler-s-list-i-wouldn-t-have-believed-movies-had-a-lot-of/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [There are three movies that I am exceptionally proud of in my life, and I rarely commit to a list of films that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/there-are-three-movies-that-i-am-exceptionally-proud-of-in-my-life/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [They say in that book (Keneally's Schindler's List) that I gave the Jews the food in their mouths. I never had time to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emilie-schindler/they-say-in-that-book-keneally-s-schindler-s-list-that-i-gave-the/) [Emilie Schindler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emilie-schindler/) > [I put Liam at the top of the list, the male actor list, because I had just seen Schindler's List again and Michael Collins,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-grace/i-put-liam-at-the-top-of-the-list-the-male-actor-list-because-i-had/) [Maggie Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-grace/) > [If you take away 'Schindler's List' and 'Saving Private Ryan', I like 'Minority Report' a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janusz-kaminski/if-you-take-away-schindler-s-list-and-saving-private-ryan-i-like/) [Janusz Kaminski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janusz-kaminski/) > [I don't mean to sound grandiose, but there's something universal that you tap into with films like Feast of July and Schindler's List. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/embeth-davidtz/i-don-t-mean-to-sound-grandiose-but-there-s-something-universal-that/) [Embeth Davidtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/embeth-davidtz/) > [Steven's Spielberg is one of the most visually talented and character-oriented directors I've ever worked with. And I learn from him every time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-matheson/steven-s-spielberg-is-one-of-the-most-visually-talented-and-character/) [Tim Matheson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-matheson/) ## More by Stephen J. Dubner > [These are the two sides of Steven Spielberg: the reverent grown-up who knows when to say the right thing and the exuberant kid who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/these-are-the-two-sides-of-steven-spielberg-the-reverent-grown-up-who/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Like the graduates of some notorious boot camp, my brothers and sisters and I look back with a sort of perverse glee at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/like-the-graduates-of-some-notorious-boot-camp-my-brothers-and/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [The world is complicated. But does every problem require a complicated solution?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/the-world-is-complicated-but-does-every-problem-require-a-complicated/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [People are being incentivized for the wrong things. We've heard about a lot - doctors for procedures rather than creating wellness or maintaining wellness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/people-are-being-incentivized-for-the-wrong-things-we-ve-heard-about/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [While in the middle of writing a book, I have a hard time reading other books for pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/while-in-the-middle-of-writing-a-book-i-have-a-hard-time-reading/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [That's what's good about the digital revolution is it makes information asymmetry much harder to maintain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/that-s-what-s-good-about-the-digital-revolution-is-it-makes/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Most laws that we make to protect people from guns are usually ignored by the criminals and obeyed by the law-abiding people. And so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/most-laws-that-we-make-to-protect-people-from-guns-are-usually/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [If the day's writing has been particularly good or particularly bad, a glass of scotch will be involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/if-the-day-s-writing-has-been-particularly-good-or-particularly-bad-a/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [As everyone knows, tips constitute the bulk of a waiter's or waitress's income. But they are also optional, at least in theory. Does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/as-everyone-knows-tips-constitute-the-bulk-of-a-waiter-s-or-waitress/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [What I think of as 'freakonomics' is mostly storytelling around an idea - not a theme but an idea. I like ideas much more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/what-i-think-of-as-freakonomics-is-mostly-storytelling-around-an-idea/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [The Immaculate Reception became the Zapruder Film of sports.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/the-immaculate-reception-became-the-zapruder-film-of-sports/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [We're all biased, right, in many different ways - politically, religiously, ideologically, the way our family raised us - and that's fine. Nobody wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/we-re-all-biased-right-in-many-different-ways-politically-religiously/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [Think small. Don't pretend you know the answers. Experiment; get feedback. These are all the premises of 'Think Like a Freak,' really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/think-small-don-t-pretend-you-know-the-answers-experiment-get/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [I think the most fundamental error we make is mistaking a noisy, anomalous event for the norm. This happens all the time - in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/i-think-the-most-fundamental-error-we-make-is-mistaking-a-noisy/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) > [What's really the driver of talent is not raw ability. It's not even just experience. It's what's called 'deliberate practice,' which is to say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-j-dubner/what-s-really-the-driver-of-talent-is-not-raw-ability-it-s-not-even/) [Stephen J. Dubner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) [Explore all 48 Stephen J. Dubner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-j-dubner/) ## More Broken quotes > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [You don't want to fix things that aren't broken, so that kind of stops you from make changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-weidman/you-don-t-want-to-fix-things-that-aren-t-broken-so-that-kind-of-stops/) [Chris Weidman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-weidman/) > [How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/how-else-but-through-a-broken-heart-may-lord-christ-enter-in/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [My life was incoherent to me. I felt it quivering, spitting out broken teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-fox/my-life-was-incoherent-to-me-i-felt-it-quivering-spitting-out-broken/) [Paula Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-fox/) > [Don't fix what's not broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-atkins/don-t-fix-what-s-not-broken/) [Robert Atkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-atkins/) > [“ving self and others is an every second of every day of every week, of every month, of every year gift that should not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/ving-self-and-others-is-an-every-second-of-every-day-of-every-week-of/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Spielberg may have intended 'Schindler's List' as the opposite of entertainment, but the film grossed $321 million and engaged audiences as only entertainment can, coaxing them to cry and shudder, leaving their hearts more heavy than broken.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen J. 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