Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) - Part 17

DIRECTOR: Stanley Kramer
RELEASE DATE: December 19, 1961
GENRE: Drama / History


PLOT:
After the end of World War II, the world gradually became aware of the full extent of the war crimes perpetrated by the Third Reich. In 1948, a series of trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany, by an international tribunal, headed by American legal and military officials, with the intent of bringing to justice those guilty of crimes against humanity. However, by that time most of the major figures of the Nazi regime were either dead or long missing, and in the resulting legal proceedings American judges often found themselves confronting the question of how much responsibility someone held who had "just followed orders." Judgment at Nuremberg is a dramatized version of the proceedings at one of these trials, in which Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) is overseeing the trials of four German judges -- most notably Dr. Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) and Emil Hahn (Werner Klemperer) -- accused of knowingly sentencing innocent men to death in collusion with the Nazis. Representing the defense is attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell), while prosecuting the accused is U.S. Col. Tad Lawson (Richard Widmark). As the trial goes on, both the visiting Americans and their reluctant German hosts often find themselves facing the legacy of the war, and how both of their nations have been irrevocably changed by it. Judgment at Nuremberg also features notable supporting performances by Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, and Montgomery Clift. Originally written and produced as a play for television, the screen version of Judgment at Nuremberg was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, with Maximilian Schell and Abby Mann taking home Oscars for (respectively) Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• judgment
• at
• nuremberg
• 1961
• drama
• history
• SPENCER
• TRACY
• BURT
• LANCASTER
• RICHARD
• WIDMARK
• MAXIMILIAN
• SCHELL
• JUDY
• GARLAND
• MARLENE
• DIETRICH
• MONTGOMERY
• CLIFT
• 1960's
• movies
• trials

[silentobservor]

The judge's final statement should be shown in schools

[hemill85]

Spencer Tracy is completely mesmerizing.

[71Molina]

One of the most amazing speeches ever written in a movie - both in the way it was written and delivered. It doesn't get any more meaningful than this.

[tarstarkusz]

@tarstarkusz Certainly, millions of people didn't deserveto die, and maybe this guy didn't either (I think it's fictional anyway), but the propaganda in this movie is there and it detracts from an otherwise great film.

[tarstarkusz]

One of the things in this movie that I find deplorable is the portrayal of the Jewish guy, the kindest man she had ever met, oh this 65 yo angelic man had a 16yo girl on his lap because he saw her as a daughter, he bought her chocolates and flowers, because she was like a daughter, and he let her live for free in his appartment building because he saw her as a daughter and he kissed her like a daughter! Yes every single Jew was the finest person in Germany.

[71Molina]

@ciroalb3 Oh yes. Just type "William Shatner" and "Spencer Tracy" in youtube. Apparently, Shatner gave Tracy a well meant but misinterpreted comment about screen actors being able to handle lengthy dialogue. Tracy wasn't amused. Shatner seemed pretty impressed by Tracy, though.

[BeantownJim]

manmade laws are not above morality

[christo930]

@afretired04 How can say that when you are unaware of any evidence brought against them because the trials are secret? If they were tried in a public trial with a defense attorney, access to evidence etc, THEN you could call them terrorists. I call them the accused, only I don't know the accusation and in many/most cases, neither do they.

[hospitalship1]

Perhaps WW2 was the last GOOD WAR (aka Studs Terkel - sociologist) or perhaps it is the post-war continuing constant revisionism of anyone who views, reads or researches WW2 including the immediate 5 years post war war criminals trials. This early 1960's movie epitomizes in part the post-war early baby boom idealism and hopefulness for a seemingly omnipotent USA holding up like the Statue of Liberty the torch of liberal humanism and hence the interventional justifications.

[afretired04]

Those who have such a quick and detrimental outlook on Guantanamo Bay know NOTHING of the articles of war (yes, war) and POWs. These are not merely foreigners taken from their land ( as stated), but captured enemy combatants, who have attacked, or directly aided those, who have killed military personnel and civilians, within their own lands and ours.... and we've already seen that those which are released return to fighting. This is not an 'ethnic round-up', these are enemy combatants.

[ciroalb3]

wonder if anyone has ever asked Shatner what it was like to see Tracy in action?

[puffin02]

@mart77scole I am aware of the Wannsee Conference, and what an atrocity is. But I never thought I would live to see the day that the United States would begin kidnapping the citizens of foreign countries. I never thought it would began operating gulags where people were held without charge or trial, under torture. I thought that its citizens would rise up in wrath at such a thing being done in their names. I was wrong.

Watching this film was a reminder of how far we have fallen.