Why was Schindler's List banned?

Answer 1

Steven Spielberg was deeply influenced by his parents who were indirectly affected by the Holocaust and who told their children stories about it. Spielberg wanted to pass along Schindler's compelling story. He did not see his film as entertainment but as a story that needed to be told. You can hear Spielberg talking about his reasons for filming at the video at the related link.

More Detail

The story of the making of the film pre-dates Spielberg's involvment by over ten years. Spielberg had been asked to make the film in the eighties, but he did not feel ready as he did not feel established enough. Even though he was responsible for many of the most sucessful films to date, this film would become a 'passion project' for him.

Spielberg needed to pick the right time to make the film, and with the (National) US Holocaust Memorial Museum due to open in 1993, and Holocaust awareness in the US being at an all time low, Spielberg picked this time to attach himself to the project.

The film needed to reach as wide an audience as possible, this explains why Spielberg chose to change parts of the story, to make it more entertaining, or to amalgamate many people into one character (Itzack Stern) so that the audience could more easily identify with him and follow the story Spielberg felt was the most important story to tell.

The movie was made to educate people, to entertain people and to make money (over 1200% profit).