Nuremberg
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Movie Reviews of Nuremberg
Movie Review: Could have been better , lost opportunity, unless you see it
Summary: 3 Stars
only as a primer. Terrible Casting! None of the actors portraying the nazi criminals looked like the real ones. Ironically the guy playing Alfred Rosenberg looks exactly like the real Arthur Seyss Inquart looked like. So why wasn't given that part? Maybe the producers didn't care. They wanted to portray them as second rate criminals. Except for Goering. They all looked like petty criminals, out of some insane asylum or second rate prison. But the truth is that all these nazis, except for Julius streicher were college graduates, respected in their fields, brilliant lawyers, Schacht was a financial genius, and their i.q's were high. ... they were not stupid, criminals yes, stupid no: Hjalmar Schacht 143, Arthur Seyss-Inquart 141, Hermann Goering 138, and so on. Remember that the minimum i.q for entry at MENSA is 130.
The love story: do we really care about Alec Baldwin's involvement with this woman? It takes away from the central story. Plus, the real Jackson was stocky, bespectacled, with a little moustache. No Alec Baldwin certainly. In defense of the love story, we can say that it was put there in order to make a concession to enhance its appeal to a wider audience, women specially.
The Russian, Nikitchenko. It seems like everybody was taking a particular pleasure in making him look like an idiot. Hello!! The cold war is over! But, truth be said, the Russians were always a pain in the ..., just saying no to everything the western allies proposed.
The good things: everything said in the movie is true. The performance of Goering, dominating the stage, was brilliantly played by Brian Cox. Overall the acting is... too predictable, too "we're the good guys, you're the bad guys", and the thing is that at Nuremberg there were no easy answers, and the acting should reflect that. The Nazis were evil , scourge of the Human race, yes, but ... why? Why they acted the way they did? Was Hans Frank, a Brilliant Lawyer, who played Piano, Chess, spoke Latin and could recite Shakespeare from memory in the same league as Jeffrey Dahmer? Or Charles Manson?. No, there were no easy answers, and to this day no one really understands why the nazis did what they did, but formulaic storytelling and clichéd acting won't help to understand. That being said, I think it is a good place to start, but reading the books this movie was based on and others would be more helpful understanding "why". Three stars for the effort and for bringing this historical moment for everyone to see.
Movie Review: Well made, historically accurate
Summary: 3 Stars
The primary complaint about this will probably be "it's too long". The actual Nuremburg trials went on for much longer than three hours, however, so imagine how much had to be left out!
Brian Cox is brilliant as Hermann Goering, portraying him as the vain and egotistical, yet clever and often easily likable person he could be, despite his history as one of the most horrible people of all time. Nuremburg goes beyond showing him as the faceless Nazi monster; as a proud soldier and pilot (he was head of the Luftwaffe during WW2, and in WW1, had been a decorated pilot himself), and a man capable of humor and kindness. Particularly powerful scenes include one towards the beginning when he entertains a group of GI's by playing the accordion and singing, and another towards the end, when his wife asks him if she can take home some of the food that had been provided for what would probably be his last meal, and he very "normally" says, "I don't see why not," and looks for someone to ask. The last scene must be viewed to fully understand what I mean.
The movie seems to have been made with historical correctness in mind. Small bits of fact that never would have been included in a big budget hollywood picture make it here, like the scene in which the defendants give their pleas, and Goering attempts to make a statement but is cut off by the judge. Also historically correct is the way in which Goering initially made the prosecutors, representing the allied forces, look like idiots, while he endeared himself to everyone in the room with his witty remarks.
The friendship between Goering and the American soldier "Tex" is also completely true, and the movie insinuates one of the two most popular explanations for how Goering got the cyanide ampule into his cell, despite the fact that it and he were searched regularly. Nuremburg seems to say that Goering asked his friend to retrieve a bag of personal items for him to go through and give away. The other belief is that the American knowingly brought the ampule to Goering, rather than Goering tricking him. The reality will probably never be completely known.
For history buffs, this is a must see. Probably for everyone else too...
Movie Review: An attempt to explain
Summary: 3 Stars
This film was more of a documentary than it was a drama talking about the Trials at Nuremburg.
First it started out with what they were trying to accomplish by having the trial. The goals were set out that it wasn't just to seek revenge but was to hold people accountable for their actions. The film tries to show some of the politics and adversaries among the allies during the trials.
I felt the best part of the film was showing the dualality of the various personalities of the prisoners. I wish it would have explained a little more in depth what each of these high profile Nazis had done to deserve their various fates. For example I didn't understand why Rudolf Hess got so much time considering he was a prisoner of war most of the war and had not been involved in the final solution. I'm sure he was part of their initial solution but I guess the time constraints of the film would not have allowed this.
For a time in the film you are impressed by Gering until they show the films and you know what kind of a person this guy really was.
The attraction between Baldwin and Hennessey was predictable, I guess to add more intrigue to the film. You'll have to watch it to understand that part.
In the end the psychologist tries to explain why these men had committed there various crimes and why it could have happened in Germany. Overall the film is a refreshing look at the trial.
Movie Review: Enjoyable Docudrama
Summary: 3 Stars
If nothing else, we can count on HBO to give tv movies the budget they sometimes deserve, and a two-part series is probably the best format for "Nuremberg", given the length of the movie. While it's far from perfect, the movie is entertaining enough to keep you involved the whole way through, and the performances across the board (with the exception of Jill Henessey) are above par.Brian Cox--one of the most underrated actors of all time--steals the show as Hitler's Deputy Maniac, while Alec Baldwin as the lead is capable enough. Strangely, it's character actor Matt Craven as the prison psychiatrist who also rises above the mediocrity.
There are better WWII related films out there, but as TV-movies go, this one isn't a waste of time or money.
Movie Review: Scene Missing!
Summary: 2 Stars
I first saw this mini-series on video last year and thought it was terrific. The most compelling aspect of the production is Brian Cox's Herman Goering, who goes far beyond the traditional "fat Nazi bastard" conception. The most dramatic and insightful scenes are those with Goering, particularly the schizm he creates between the repentant Nazis (such as Speer) and the fanatics.The problem is, though, that on the DVD I have, the critical scene is missing! I don't know, maybe I nodded off or went through a time warp, but the scene just doesn't seem to be there. Perhaps my version is some kind of trimmed version; it's presented as a single movie rather than as two episodes. I know that other similar productions lose scenes for movie "conversion" but surely some of the pointless love story would be a far better candidate than the crucial lunch room scene. Throughout the rest of the DVD, this scene is repeatedly referred to, and plays a significant part in the major sub-plot about the psychology of the Nazi regime and of Germany.
This is disasterous omission and may prompt my first unhappy customer return ever! I'm going to go back and check the DVD again right now, just to make sure.
By the way, I had considered the fact that I may have remembered the movie wrong and the scene was in fact part of another lunch room sequence. But no, there's a clip from it in the trailer!