Judgment at Nuremberg: Difference between revisions

Judgment at Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg
	File:170592-Judgment-at-Nuremberg-Posters.jpg film poster
Directed by	Stanley Kramer
Written by	Abby Mann
Produced by	Stanley Kramer
Starring	Spencer Tracy; Burt Lancaster; Richard Widmark; Marlene Dietrich; Judy Garland; Maximilian Schell; Werner Klemperer; Montgomery Clift
Cinematography	Ernest Laszlo
Edited by	Frederic Knudtson
Music by	Ernest Gold
Production; company	Roxlom Films
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	December 19, 1961 (US)
Running time	179 Min.; 186 Min. with Overture and Exit Music
Country	Template:FilmUS
Language	English German

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Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) is a fictionalized film account of the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials. It was written by Abby Mann, directed by Stanley Kramer, and starred Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Werner Klemperer, William Shatner and Montgomery Clift. An earlier adaptation had been broadcast as a television movie.^[1]

Inspired by the Judges' Trial before the Nuremberg Military Tribunal in 1947, the film depicts the trial of four judges who served during the Nazi regime in Germany. Four of the defendants were sentenced to life in prison. A key thread in the film's plot involves a "race defilement" trial known as the "Feldenstein case". In this fictionalized case, based on the actual Katzenberger Trial, an elderly Jewish man was tried for an improper relationship with an "Aryan" woman, and put to death in 1942.

Synopsis

Judgment at Nuremberg centers around a military tribunal in which four judges are accused of crimes against humanity for their actions during the Nazi regime. Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy), the chief justice in the case, attempts to understand how defendant Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) could have passed sentences resulting in genocide, and by extension how the German people could have turned blind eyes to the Holocaust. In so doing, he befriends the widow of a German General (Marlene Dietrich) and talks with a number of German people with different perspectives on the war.

The film examines the question of individual complicity in crimes committed by the state. For example, defense attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell) raises such issues as the support of U.S. Supreme Court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. for the practice of eugenics and Winston Churchill's words of praise for Adolf Hitler. In the end, Janning makes a statement condemning himself and his fellow defendants for "going along" with the Third Reich and all four are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.

The film contains actual historical footage filmed by American soldiers after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps. Shown in court by prosecuting attorney Colonel Tad Lawson (Richard Widmark), the footage of huge piles of naked corpses laid out in rows and bulldozed into large pits was exceptionally gruesome for a mainstream film of its day.

The film ends with Haywood's having to choose between patriotism and justice. He rejects the call to let the Nazi judges off lightly to gain Germany's support in the Cold War against the Soviet Union.^[2]

Accolades

The movie won the Academy Award for Best Actor (Maximilian Schell) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Montgomery Clift), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judy Garland), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White (Rudolph Sternad, George Milo), Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.^[3] This is one of the few times that a film had multiple entries in the same category (Tracy and Schell for Best Actor) and Schell was the first Best Actor winner to be billed fifth. Many of the big name actors who appeared in the film did so for a fraction of their usual salaries because they believed in the social importance of the project.

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten top Ten" after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Judgment at Nuremberg was acknowledged as the tenth best film in the courtroom drama genre.^[4]

Adaptations

In 2001, a stage adaptation of the film was produced for Broadway, starring Schell (this time in the role played in the film by Burt Lancaster) and George Grizzard, with John Tillinger as director.^[5]

Cast

Actor	Role
Spencer Tracy	Chief Judge Dan Haywood
Burt Lancaster	Dr. Ernst Janning
Richard Widmark	Col. Tad Lawson
Marlene Dietrich	Mrs. Bertholt
Maximilian Schell	Hans Rolfe
Judy Garland	Irene Hoffman
Montgomery Clift	Rudolph Peterson
Ed Binns	Sen. Burkette
Werner Klemperer	Emil Hahn
Torben Meyer	Werner Lampe
Martin Brandt	Friedrich Hofstetter
William Shatner	Capt. Harrison Byers
Kenneth MacKenna	Judge Kenneth Norris
Alan Baxter	Brig. Gen. Matt Merrin
Ray Teal	Judge Curtiss Ives

References

^ [1] ~ Mark Deming, Allmovie
^ Bradley, Sean. "Judgment at Nuremberg". University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Retrieved 2008-09-27. He argues that the love of country led to an attitude of "my country right or wrong". Disobedience to the Fuehrer would have been choice between patriotism and treason for the judges. [...] Why did the educated stand aside? Because they loved their country.
^ "NY Times: Judgment at Nuremberg". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-24.
^ "AFI's 10 Top 10". American Film Institute. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-06-18.
^ [2] Theatre Review by Thomas Burke - March 27, 2001

External links

Judgment at Nuremberg at IMDb
Judgment at Nuremberg at AllMovie
Judgment at Nuremberg at the TCM Movie Database
3 Speeches from the Movie with Text, Audio and Video from AmericanRhetoric.com

[1] [1] ~ Mark Deming, Allmovie

[2] Bradley, Sean. "Judgment at Nuremberg". University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. Retrieved 2008-09-27. He argues that the love of country led to an attitude of "my country right or wrong". Disobedience to the Fuehrer would have been choice between patriotism and treason for the judges. [...] Why did the educated stand aside? Because they loved their country.

[NY_Times-3] "NY Times: Judgment at Nuremberg". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-24.

[4] "AFI's 10 Top 10". American Film Institute. 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2008-06-18.

[5] [2] Theatre Review by Thomas Burke - March 27, 2001

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@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 '''''Judgment at Nuremberg''''' (1961) is a fictionalized film account of the post-[[World War II]] [[Nuremberg Trials]]. It was written by [[Abby Mann]], directed by [[Stanley Kramer]], and starred [[Spencer Tracy]], [[Burt Lancaster]], [[Richard Widmark]], [[Marlene Dietrich]], [[Maximilian Schell]], [[Judy Garland]], [[Werner Klemperer]], [[William Shatner]] and [[Montgomery Clift]]. An earlier adaptation had been broadcast as a [[television movie]].<ref>[http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/movie.html?v_id=63796] ~ Mark Deming, Allmovie</ref>
-The film depicts the trial of certain [[judge]]s who served during the [[Nazi]] regime in Germany. Such a trial did occur: the film was inspired by the [[Judges' Trial]] before the [[Nuremberg Military Tribunal]] in 1947. Four of the defendants were sentenced to [[life in prison]]. A key thread in the film's plot involves a "race defilement" trial known as the "Feldenstein case". In this fictionalized case, based on the real life [[Katzenberger Trial]], an elderly [[Jewish]] man was tried for an improper relationship with an "[[Aryan]]" woman, and [[capital punishment|put to death]] in 1942.
+Inspired by the [[Judges' Trial]] before the [[Nuremberg Military Tribunal]] in 1947, the film depicts the trial of four [[judge]]s who served during the [[Nazi]] regime in Germany. Four of the defendants were sentenced to [[life in prison]]. A key thread in the film's plot involves a "race defilement" trial known as the "Feldenstein case". In this fictionalized case, based on the actual [[Katzenberger Trial]], an elderly [[Jewish]] man was tried for an improper relationship with an "[[Aryan]]" woman, and [[capital punishment|put to death]] in 1942.
 ==Synopsis==
 ''Judgment at Nuremberg'' centers around a [[military tribunal]] in which four judges are accused of [[Crime against humanity|crimes against humanity]] for their actions during the Nazi regime. Judge Dan Haywood ([[Spencer Tracy]]), the chief justice in the case, attempts to understand how defendant Ernst Janning ([[Burt Lancaster]]) could have passed sentences resulting in [[genocide]], and by extension how the [[German people]] could have turned blind eyes to the [[Holocaust]]. In so doing, he befriends the widow of a German General ([[Marlene Dietrich]]) and talks with a number of German people with different perspectives on the war.
-The film examines the questions of individual complicity in crimes committed by the state. For example, defense attorney Hans Rolfe ([[Maximilian Schell]]) raises such issues as the [[Buck v. Bell|support]] of [[U.S. Supreme Court]] justice [[Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.]] for the practice of [[eugenics]] and [[Winston Churchill]]'s words of praise for [[Adolf Hitler]]. In the end, Janning makes a statement condemning himself and his fellow defendants for "going along" with the [[Third Reich]] and all four are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
+The film examines the question of individual complicity in crimes committed by the state. For example, defense attorney Hans Rolfe ([[Maximilian Schell]]) raises such issues as the [[Buck v. Bell|support]] of [[U.S. Supreme Court]] justice [[Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.]] for the practice of [[eugenics]] and [[Winston Churchill]]'s words of praise for [[Adolf Hitler]]. In the end, Janning makes a statement condemning himself and his fellow defendants for "going along" with the [[Third Reich]] and all four are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison.
 <!--  Commented out because image was deleted: [[Image:1maximilianschell.jpg|thumb|200px|left|[[Maximilian Schell]] (left) and [[Richard Widmark]] {{deletable image-caption}}]] -->
-The film is notable for showing actual historical footage filmed by American soldiers after the liberation of the [[Nazi concentration camps]]. Shown in court by prosecuting attorney Colonel Tad Lawson ([[Richard Widmark]]), the footage of huge piles of naked corpses laid out in rows and bulldozed into large pits was exceptionally gruesome for a mainstream film of its day.
+The film contains actual historical footage filmed by American soldiers after the liberation of the [[Nazi concentration camps]]. Shown in court by prosecuting attorney Colonel Tad Lawson ([[Richard Widmark]]), the footage of huge piles of naked corpses laid out in rows and bulldozed into large pits was exceptionally gruesome for a mainstream film of its day.
 The film ends with Haywood's having to choose between [[patriotism]] and justice. He rejects the call to let the Nazi judges off lightly to gain Germany's support in the [[Cold War]] against the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web