Judgment at Nuremberg
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Movie Reviews of Judgment at Nuremberg
Movie Review: Pulls no punches
Summary: 5 Stars
This movie deserves far more than 5 stars.
Nazi war criminals are taken to task for their horrendous crimes. They fall into different groups - the obedient soldier, the decent guy who regrets his actions, the feeble-minded follower, and the heartless sadist. The kid gloves are off as they confront the court with horrible movie footage of concentration camps, demand embarrassing personal information from victims of "eugenics", and refresh the memories of self-righteous Americans of their OWN involvement in supporting Hitler before the war, and maybe after. The "nice" Nazi (Burt Lancaster) mourns his crimes, admits his wrongdoing, protests the witch-hunt antics of the court, and presents a sympathic character. Should he be given leniency? He caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people, but you can't help feeling a twinge of pity for him. One of the most startling performances was given by Judy Garland as a German woman torn apart inside by rumors about her, her friendship with a Jew, and her inability to tell the truth without having it twisted and thrown back at her - she went far and above mere acting. Maximilian Schell gives an earth-shaking, demonic performance as an honest but cruel German defense attorney.
The German people are healing from a hellish experience. Their reactions vary - some are secretive and deny any involvement in politics. Another, the classy beauty Marlene Dietrich, begs the judge (Spencer Tracy) to let it be. Leave our country alone, she seems to implore, we have enough to deal with. We're not really such bad people. He is drawn to her, but can't leave it alone, of course he can't.
Who are the bad guys? This movie makes it clear that it isn't clear at all, and may never be.
Movie Review: Big arguments galore...
Summary: 5 Stars
1961 was a year of brilliant films. "West Side Story" won most of the Oscars. Also, "The Hustler" with Paul Newman was riveting human drama; "The Guns of Navarone" was a taut WW II thriller that never failed to entertain. Another nominee was "Fanny", a light sweet film which was only a tribute to the great Charles Boyer. The last Best Picture nominee, "Judgment at Nuremberg", was in a class of it's own, a screenplay by Abby Mann and directed by the most maverick Stanley Kramer. Kramer used Spencer Tracy often, and for good reason. Tracy centers this film. Kramer has never shied away from any subject that might make people uncomfortable, whether "Inherit the Wind" or "The Defiant Ones", or, later, "Ship of Fools". He attracts the best actors and has directed many to acting nominations; he also knew how to use a large cast to good advantage (much like our present-day maverick, Robert Altman). Maximillian Schell was auspicious as the defense attorney and won the Oscar (over Tracy, also nominated). Abby Mann's screenplay also won. Schell is, indeed, brilliant; also nominated was Montgomery Clift as the feeble-minded guy (not a stretch, since word has it he was drunk the whole time); the real treat is a sublime and courageous performance by Judy Garland, which will break your heart. I'm also glad that Kramer asked Marlene Dietrich to appear. Aside from her natural beauty, no one seems to remember her wonderful performances in "Morocco", "Golden Earrings" or Hitchcock's "Stage Fright". Here, she's confident and sure, as always. This is a powerful film, as I would expect from Stanley Kramer. Though the names have all been changed, we cannot forget the brutality of the situations involved. We've come a long way, baby...but let's never forget.Movie Review: Experience The Entire Holocaust in 3 Hours
Summary: 5 Stars
In this fictionalized version of the 13 trials of Nazi war criminals, condensed into one trial, this 1961 Stanley Kramer film deepens his reputation as one of Hollywood's greatest filmmakers, a man who made movies of substance. The sterling cast includes Spencer Tracy, as the American judge flown in from Maine to try 4 Nazi judges; William Shatner, who himself is Jewish; Judy Garland, who played a broken woman due to the horrors she suffered under the Third Reich; and the young German-born Maximillian Schell as a brilliant but brutal orator, defending his Nazi clients. Burt Lancaster gives one of his best performances as a former Nazi judge who actually undergoes a personality change during the film, after being shown horrific documentary footage of a concentration camp. In one of the most eloquent scenes in all of movie history, Lancaster acknowledges his guilt and his deep sense of remorse and shame.
Haunting cinematography includes the ruins of the once-beautiful German cities and museums, the luxurious interiors - with fragile teapots and tiny cups and saucers - juxtaposed with the horrors of fragile human beings, including babies and children, slaughtered beyond the walls of beauty, while the world watched.
This is a must-see movie. At the end of World War II, we were justly perceived as heroes, unlike today, when the United States is conducting war trials of its own, which, unlike World War II, are against the rules of the 1925 Geneva Convention.
Sadly, Stanley Kramer died in 2001 (at age 88) and can't make another politically powerful film about what's happening in our wiretapped nation and the still-raging antisemitism around the world.
Movie Review: As Good As Court Drama Gets
Summary: 5 Stars
Nothing like a tense, action-packed, high stakes courtroom drama to get the juices flowing. Add to that the titanic issues of four former Nazi judges on trial for enforcing government laws and directives (based on the actual Nuremberg Trials), and JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG becomes one of the most riveting, compelling dramas in cinematic history. This 1961 classic literally races by at three heart-pounding hours, and the viewer will definitely walk away thinking long and hard about the myriad of questions this film raises. Were these jurists culpable for merely carrying out their government's laws, thereby making them responsible for the atrocities committed in the concentration camps? Should a judge refuse to carry out a law he finds reprehensible--even if it places his own life and safety at risk?
That's right. Chew on that for awhile.
JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG is further enhanced by a stellar, all-star cast, headlined by Spencer Tracy as the presiding judge of the military tribunal. Tracy was one of the greatest actors ever, and he brings a commanding presence to this role. Other legends include Burt Lancaster and a young Richard Widmark--but by far the best performance is turned in by Maximillian Schell as the defendants' dynamic, fiery barrister. And Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland are unforgettable in their relatively brief roles as witnesses (and Nazi victims). The cast keeps this gripping drama rolling towards a powerful climax, making JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG one of the very best courtroom movies ever made.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning
Movie Review: DVD version matches the quality of the film
Summary: 5 Stars
'Judgment At Nuremberg' is perhaps my favorite film. The story is relevant to all Huamnity. It offers a fair and in-depth accounting of how both sides (America and her allies and the Germans) allowed a Hitler to bring humankind to the brink of insanity and genocide. One human being can't bring the world to its bloody knees by himself, it takes a conspiracy of silence and passivity to have brought events to such a horrific conclusion. 'Judgment' reveals the cruelity and mindlessness of not just a Hitler or the Nazis, but of all men in all ages. History spares and exonerates no one or country. The theme is that we must all take responsibility, and dare to act when our conscience compels us.
Every performance evokes the strongest emotions. Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift are raw and brave in their performances. Marlene Dietrich brings elegance and dignity. Spencer Tracy is the struggle of everyman's conscience to understand and be compassionate, yet hold strong to what is right and what is wrong. Maximillian Schell plays the defence counsel with a dignity and pride of being a German, even when being a German is at the moment a disgrace. Every perspective has a reason for being as it is, every human being has a struggle between blind alligence and thinking for oneself. It is not only the Germans who are being held accountable for their actions, but everyman and all of Humanity.
The quality and extras of this dvd are excellent. This is an important film to be viewed again and again by everyone and each generation.