Customer Reviews

Judgment at Nuremberg

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There were other trials other than all the NSPD biggies. This is a play about the trial of the German judges. The trial was extremely intriguing and there is not a wasted thought or word.

This film is an excellent and well cast. Surprisingly there is William Shatner as Captain Harrison Byers from WestPoint before he beamed the flamboyant Captain Kirk we know of today. Burt Lancaster as Dr. Ernst Janning Made the best speech. I kept waiting for him to show his teeth. Spencer Tracy as Chief Judge Dan Haywood was excellent in showing the conundrum off the time. Way too many actors to cover them all; so surprise yourself and watch the film before looking at the cast list.

The Nuremburg trials held in the American zone ended July 14 1949. There were ninety-nine defendants sentenced to prison terms. Not one is still serving his sentence.

The DVD I watched had many extras:
In conversation
_____Abby Mann - Writer (story and screenplay), Maximilian Schell
_____Turns out that Max played the role in Playhouse 90 (1959).

The value of a Single human being.
A Tribute to Stanly Kramer
Theatrical Trailer

Bad Day at Black Rock~ Spencer Tracy

The Hallelujah Trail ~ Burt Lancaster

What happens when Stanley Kraner teams Tracy, Dietrich, Garland, Schell, Clift, Lancaster and Widmark in a drama based on the trials in pos-war Nuremberg??? It`s vintage Hollywood; still 1 IF not THE BEST about the horrors from World War II ..... The film should be in every school-library across the world

This star-studded film vividly captures the characters on all 3 sides of the spectrum: The accused, the victims, and the international tribunal judging the perpetrators of unspeakable atrocities against fellow human beings. It is shocking to see how many of the people responsible for the gruesome deaths of millions justified their actions.

After hearing witnesses who often were tortured, mamed by sadistic doctors, and had their loved ones murdered, I can not grasp the fact that the majority of those on trial were released after serving minimal prison terms. Some of them are still among us, while millions of victims lie in their graves at the hands of an evil minority!

Stellar performances by an International cast. Most noteworthy are Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland as testifying victims, Maximilian Schell as Prosecutor (Oscar Winner), Marlene Dietrich as wife of a defendant, and an elderly Spencer Tracy, trying to make sense of it all.

Effective use of B&W photography, first rate sets and costumes, along with many other production values, make this a timeless Classic. Although considerd over-long by some, I recommend this film to be shown to high school classes as a reminder that these things happened in a not so distant past.*****

Jeeze, I guess they'll let just about anything go out of circulation these days.

Back in the pre-Schindler era, this film possessed considerable mana as one of the most effective of the early films dealing with Nazi war crimes--rather surprising, considering it was produced and directed by the mediocre Stanley Kramer, auteur of any number of simplistic '50s "social problem" pictures.

Part of the film's power comes from its narrow focus: it deals with the little-known 1948 "judge's trial" rather than the earlier trials of the regime's big figures, allowing the film to concentrate on matters of justice rather than more sensational aspects.

But most of the credit goes to the actors, who do an outstanding job virtually without exception, easily overcoming the film's slow pace and Kramer's obvious directorial failings. Of the principals, Tracy and Dietrich turn in effective variations of their customary roles of the period, the low-key man of decency and the aging but still potent high-class femme. Widmark is very fine here; this is one of his few "good-guy" roles that allowed him to utilize the obsessive qualities apparent in his sociopath portrayals. Too bad he didn't do more like this.

But the two outstanding performances are Clift and Lancaster. Clift plays a man driven mad by his suffering under the Nazis, in a portrayal that is excruciating to watch (with our knowledge that it reflects Clift's own personal agonies) and utterly unforgettable, for all that it lasts a total of fifteen minutes or so. Lancaster, as Dr. Emil Jannings, is another matter. He says almost nothing for the first hour-and-a-half of the film, but his presence dominates proceedings all the same. And when he at last speaks, his portrayal of a man clinging to the last shreds of dignity, knowing he has not earned them and does not deserve them, is nearly as harrowing as Clift's. Beginning with "All My Sons" in the 40s, Lancaster did a number of pictures on this level when he wasn't playing acrobats or cowboys. It would be nice for some Amazonite to put together a List.

(It should be noted that this is probably your sole opportunity to see William Shatner in a role in which he does not overact. In a just world the secret behind this, which Kramer kept to himself, would have been turned over to the UN for distribution to the international film community.)

In the end, "Nuremberg" does not match its subject. No film could, but Kramer's implication that his particular brand of earnest liberalism is the antidote to government terror comes across as especially inane. It didn't help in Germany, and it wouldn't help anywhere else. But revealing what doesn't work paves the way toward discovering what does. On that level, at least, "Nuremberg" is a worthwhile effort.

This may be one of the most significant movies for the youth of today...2004. We live in a country that is founded upon freedom and yet our government is threatened by those that are different. This movie asks the most salient question of the halocost... "How could this happen?"

The first time that any one of us condemns an innocent man to suffering...for the good of our country. This is the answer.

This movie is thought provoking because it is about people like you and I...and we must ask ourselves if we are criminals for judging other human beings to be different and therefore a threat to our society.
This movie is about yesterday, today and tomorrow...and yes, IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN...

The most sobering element of this movie is the truth that the accused leaders could be any one of us, doing our duty and following our leaders, for the good of our country.
I hope that the young people of America are able to view this film. I have several young future leaders that I will insist view this movie as soon as possible.

My comments cannot do this movie justice. I only hope that each of you can have the opportunity to watch this movie, not for enjoyment, but for enlightenment.

What a wonderful film of ideas this is! The themes of justice and responsibility from many differents perspectives are explored, along with the temptation of political expediency. Except for the wooden performance of Richard Widmark, the stellar cast is magnificent. Especially heart-breaking are the performances of Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, and...most of all...Burt Lancaster. Spencer Tracy gives a rock-solid performance of a deeply just man who does not waver in his responsibility despite pressures of empathy towards the Burt Lancaster character, the German people, and the political climate demanding leniency towards the defendants. When I see such an important, thought-provoking film as this, it saddens me to know that the "great" films of our era are populated with hobbits, CGI special effects, and comic-book characters. I'm afraid a film of ideas like this one would never find funding in present-day Hollywood.

I think this is an important film and I would very much like to see it come out on DVD. I think it is important because it brings the Holocaust down to human terms. It profiles two people who were victims of the slaughter as well as those who purpatrated it. I have watched it many times and never fail to see something new and provacative in its retelling. And I am always stunned by its final remarks, as Burt Lancaster calls Spencer Tracey into his cell and says, I never thought it would come to this. Spencer Tracey replies, the first time you convicted an innocent person you knew it would come to this. Chilling.

Spencer Tracy stars as an American judge who travels to Germany in 1948 to take part in the Nuremberg trials. For eight months he chairs the panel trying four German judges, one of whom is respected scholar Burt Lancaster. Defense Attorney Maxmillian Schell makes the case that the men were simply following the law as written in Nazi Germany and cannot be held accountable for the brutality inflicted on those found guilty. Prosecutor Richard Widmark argues that the men knew what they were doing and understood the fate of those found guilty and that they acted inhumanely. Both men argue their cases well in a trial marked by emotion and great drama. Judgment at Nuremberg is a powerful movie, since it deals with atrocities and wounds that may never be completely healed. It also deals with a fundamental question that surrounds war: Are people who are simply following orders (or the law as it exists in their country) to be held responsible for their actions and the fate of those they affect. The film's screenplay is sharp, honest, and makes points on both sides, although emotion certainly affects how one answers the questions it raises. More than anything, however, this movie is about acting. Tracy is the rock that centres the film, the weight of his characters decisions ever present on his face and in his motions. Schell and Widmark have plenty of chances to set off fireworks as the lawyers, and they take full advantage of the opportunity. Lancaster is quietly strong and imposing, never getting much dialogue, but establishing a presence throughout the whole film. Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift have brief scenes as victims of Nazi laws who testify against the defendants. Both actors give outstanding performances, almost uncomfortable to watch they are so real. Marlene Dietrich as the widow of an executed Nazi general is also very strong in one of her last performances. Her scenes with Tracy are a joy to watch - two old pros who have seen a lot in their lives. Judgment at Nuremberg is a long film, but it never lags. Whether you simply watch it as a fine courtroom drama or take its messages about responsibility deeper, it is well worth watching. It deals with a part of our history we would probably like to forget, but never should.

As a whole this film is impressive and important, but I think over all owing his tremendous dramatic power of the trial of the Nazi judges and the superb actors and interpretations, and also for the times in what the action happens -the beginning of Cold War- that procures a difficult and rarified ambiance and the insuperable wish of forget all, bury the crimes and not remember nothing by the German people.
However I find the making of this film have some rough, bad resolute details, as the representation of the speech English- German, the use of the microphones which are some confuse, awkward and other details not very well solved. A better filmmaker would have done a more polished and still better movie.

There's a serious and timeless theme to this award winning 1961 courtroom drama of four former Nazi judges on trial for war crimes in occupied Germany in 1948. It's not the story of the military leaders who had already been tried and convicted. Rather, these were the men who survived the war by following the laws that ruled the nation. There are deep moral questions here, such as what a judge's responsibility is. After all, judges do not make the laws; they just carry them out.

Stanley Kramer, the director, had great material to work with. The screenplay by Abby Mann was powerful. And the cast included some of the finest actors of the time. Spencer Tracy plays the judge, a widower from Maine with simple tastes. He's a bit embarrassed to be given a large house, formerly occupied by a high ranking Nazi officer whose surviving wife is played by Marlene Dietrich. The judge has a difficult job and he ponders it as he walks through the ruins of the city with wide-eyed wonder. How could all of the horror have happened? And who is responsible?

Responsibility, however, which is the theme of the film, is not so clear cut. And as the trial progresses, all the shades of gray involved in this concept are brought to light. Burt Lancaster is cast as one of the judges on trial, a dignified and respected man of the law. Richard Widmark is cast as the prosecuting attorney, a colonel who had personally been present at the liberation of the concentration camps. And Maximilian Schell, in an Academy Award winning performance, plays the part of the defending attorney whose outstanding legal expertise keeps shedding new light on the evidence. Judy Garland is one of the witnesses, and so is Montgomery Cliff. The entire cast is excellent. I found myself holding my breath as the twists and turns of the legal implications were examined with fine-honed brilliance.

The film takes up two videotapes and runs for three hours and six minutes and there is not one slow moment. I watched it with a sense of total involvement. I couldn't help but transpose all the legal and moral arguments to what is happening in our world today. And my own mind went though its own little debate as to the subtleties of right and wrong and the hard choices that must be made. This is drama at its finest. And a truly magnificent film. I give it my highest recommendation.