QWhy was this film shot in black and white?
APrimarily for reasons of authenticity, realism, and also to make it feel like a historic documentation, since it is a true story. Spielberg himself has given this explanation as well, further motivating this artistic choice with the fact that almost all real documentation of the Holocaust he has seen has always been in black and white. To enhance the documentary feeling, the movie was primarily shot with handheld cameras, and contains no crane shots. Director of photography Janusz Kaminski has further added that black and white contributes to the agelessness of the movie, something the makers strove very hard for. For symbolic reasons, the little girl in the red coat, the tribute at Schindler's grave, and the beginning (the flames from the candles) are the only bits of color in the movie and it makes things stand out a little bit more.
QWere the scenes at Auschwitz filmed at the actual site of that death camp?
AYes & no: Spielberg had a "mirror" camp built just outside of the famous archway that led into Auschwitz. Prisoners brought to Auschwitz for extermination arrived by train & the tracks led under the archway where they were unloaded & "processed" for death in the fake showers. Spielberg got permission to film within the walls of the actual camp but decided against it out of respect for the victims that had died there, so he had his production designers create a camp that closely resembled the interior of the camp on the outer side of the archway so a train could be used to depict the Schindler Jewish women being brought there. The actual camp is hidden through clever photography & cinematography.
QA Note Regarding Spoilers
AThe following FAQ entries may contain spoilers. Only the biggest ones (if any) will be covered with spoiler tags. Spoiler tags have been used sparingly in order to make the page more readable.
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