I don't understand why spielberg changed the name from Schindler's Ark to Schindler's List?

Question

Why did Thomas Keneally call his book Schindler's Ark? What does the 'Ark' mean?

Answer 1

Not sure but here's my thought.

Noahs 'ark' refers to a boat in which Gods people and animals were saved from oblivion.

Shindlers list could also be referred to as an 'ark' as the people on it were saved from annihilation.

Maybe the hollywood big wigs didnt like the name.

Answer 2

my guess is that it might be a reference to Noah's ark in the way he saves all the animals which is similar to how Schindler saved all of the Jews.

Schindler's list is a name that he probably thought would be more understood. When I was learning about the Holocaust thats how I remember them talking about the people Schindler saved as Schindler's list.

Answer 3

Because the high point of the movie is the typing of the list of Jews selected by Oskar Shindler for his factory.If it was an ark,then a boat or chest would be involved.Noah built the Ark to preserve his family from the flood that God used to destroy the wicked in the Genesis account.It also refered to the Ark of the covenant that symbolized God's presence in the midst of Israel.

Answer 4

Ark was used by Keneally in the same context as Noah's Ark.

Wikipedia says that the american title of the book was 'list' before the film was made.

I believe that it had something to do with the ark of the covenant and the term not being acceptable to jews.