Judgement at Nuremberg (1961)
Review by Dindrane
Film:
DVD:

Written by Abby Mann
Directed by Stanley Kramer
Music by Ernest Gold
Starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Maximilian Schell, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, and William Shatner

Features:

• "In Conversation with Abby Mann and Maximilian Schell" featurette
  
• "A Tribute to Stanley Kramer" featurette
  
• "The Value of a Single Human Life" featurette
  
• Photo gallery
  
• Theatrical trailer
  

Released by: MGM
Region: 1
Rating: NR
Anamorphic: No.

My Advice: Get it and watch it before the elections.

Nominated for a huge number of Oscars (best actor, supporting actor, supporting actress, director, adapted screenplay, cinematography, art direction, and film editing), Judgment at Nuremburg stands not only as one of director Kramer's greatest works, but as one of the best World War II-inspired films of all time.

The film basically tells the story of four Nazi judges who used their social power and standing to enable the Nazis to conduct experiments upon Jewish prisoners, as well as killing them outright. American Judge Dan Haywood finds himself in charge of the war crimes tribunal for these four judges after the war, but his biggest troubles aren't the evidence or the criminals--it's the public who wants to forget the war and also the rise of the Cold War.

It goes without saying that the film's subject matter is incredibly powerful and emotionally charged. Is forgetting and moving on the right thing to do when war criminals have yet to be punished? At what point does it do more harm to society at large than good to keep dragging up the travesties of the past? This film may not tell you outright what to think about these questions--nor should it--but it will make you consider the varying issues of who to blame, the nature of victory, and how a winning society makes peace (or doesn't) with the defeated.

The features include a featurette, "In Conversation: Abby Mann and Maximilian Schell," which is basically a conversation between the two men, writer and actor. It is extremely interesting, and anyone looking to see how films are made, how great actors work, and so forth will love this feature. Of particular interest is how the two men worked to create sympathy for both sides of the equation. A second featurette covers the oeuvre of director Stanley Kramer, and is a lovely addition to this disc; more DVD producers could learn how to create quality bonus features from this one.

In "The Value of a Single Human Being," Abby Mann reads from the script over images from the film. It drives home many of the points made by the film itself, and it is always interesting to hear a writer read his own words and hear what he chooses to stress. The featurette then allows Mann to talk about what he was thinking as he composed the script--what he wants to be remembered for, and how he wanted to help change the world in a positive way in the face of McCarthyism. We also get a photo gallery and the original theatrical trailer.

The acting is of course beyond compare. One needs only look at the cast list to know that this will be a beautifully, powerfully-acted film. Schell, Tracy, and Lancaster are particularly wonderful, but the entire cast brings a paradox of humanity and inhumanity to each part that should not be overlooked. It is part of the moral of the film, after all, that while these people were unquestionably war criminals, they were indeed still people; as Mann says in his featurette, the real villain of the film is not the judges on trial, but the patriotism that drove sane people to do insane things--an interesting message in our fundamentalist times. Don't overlook the William Shatner bit part. The menu also deserves a brief mention. It is simple, but along side the selections run important snippets from the body of the film. Nicely done, powerful, and tasteful.

In short, if you have any interest in fine film, classic cinema, or of course WWII, then you need to see this film. It won't be an easy viewing, and it is very long indeed, but like other great war movies, such as Schindler's List or The Grave of the Fireflies, it needs to be watched anyway. You will think despite yourself, and when the people think, we all win.