The Making of Schindler's List: Behind the Scenes of an Epic Film

Palowski is a veteran Polish journalist who served as an informal guide and interpreter for Steven Spielberg during the making of Schindler's List; he kept a diary of sorts, and he now offers a distillation of its contents. This book was written originally for a Polish audience and published there before Spielberg's film was released in Poland. It now appears here in a somewhat awkward translation (``But I am asking him to stop avoiding the issue of my statement''). As a TV and print journalist, Palowski has covered the top echelon of the Polish film industry for many years; he was one of the many people who pushed to bring the filming of Schindler's List to the country in which many of the events took place, and he spent some time with Spielberg before filming began. He may be a battle-hardened reporter, but when he finds himself surrounded by the likes of Spielberg, Ben Kingsley, George Lucas, and other Hollywood heavyweights, he is reduced to Jell-O. Palowski is close friends with the man whose story triggered Thomas Keneally's interest in Schindler's Jews, an LA businessman named Poldek Page, and when he is recounting the stories of Page and other Holocaust survivors, this book is surefooted and fresh. But mostly this slender volume recounts the day-to-day trivia of Spielberg's filming in Krakow and its vicinity, as seen from something of a distance. The book's tone is surprisingly naive, given the author's familiarity with the entertainment industry, and that's what gives it a certain dopey charm, but there's little here that will enlighten those interested in filmmaking, the Holocaust, or Spielberg. (photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.