Movies - TV
Martin Scorsese & Steven Spielberg Bust A Famous Schindler’s List Myth
By JEREMY SMITH
Some believe that directors Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese traded their film projects “Schindler's List” and “Cape Fear” in the 1980s/early 1990s.
The myth suggests that Spielberg, fueled by a strong desire to adapt Thomas Keneally's novel “Schindler's Ark,” exchanged his in-progress remake of “Cape Fear” with Scorsese.
The theory implies that this trade benefited both directors, producing successful films and earning Spielberg his first Best Picture and Best Director Oscars.
Michael Ovitz, former chairman of Creative Artists Agency, started the rumor by asserting that he arranged the deal between the directors and credited himself for their success.
However, Spielberg and Scorsese both rejected Ovitz’s account in an oral history of the making of “Schindler's List” published by The Hollywood Reporter.
Spielberg firmly denies the story, suggesting that Ovitz lied. He states, “I would never have done that. Marty would never have done that [...] There was never a trade.”
Scorsese added, “[...] I didn't know if I could've stood my ground in terms of who the man [Schindler] was. I didn't want to do more harm to the Jewish community.”