Judgement at Nuremberg [Blu-ray]

Director: Stanley Kramer Stanley Kramer

Overview

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.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/09/2018
UPC:	0738329225711
Original Release:	1961
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Language:	English
Time:	3:06:00
Sales rank:	17,207

Special Features

In Conversation - Featurette with Abby Mann and Maximillian Schell; A Tribute to Stanley Kramer - Featurette; The Value of A Single Human Being - Featurette; Original Theatrical Trailer

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Spencer Tracy	Judge Dan Haywood
Maximilian Schell	Hans Rolfe
Burt Lancaster	Ernst Janning
Richard Widmark	Col. Tad Lawson
Marlene Dietrich	Mme. Bertholt
Judy Garland	Irene Hoffman
Montgomery Clift	Rudolph Petersen
William Shatner	Capt. Byers
Werner Klemperer	Emil Hahn
Edward Binns	Sen. Burkette
Kenneth MacKenna	Judge Kenneth Norris
Alan Baxter	Gen. Merrin
Torben Meyer	Werner Lammpe
Ray Teal	Judge Curtiss Ives
Martin Brandt	Frieidrich Hofstetter
Virginia Christine	Mrs. Halbestadt
Joe Bernard	Maj. Abe Radnitz
Ben Wright	Halbestadt
John Wengraf	Dr. Wieck
Karl Swenson	Dr. Geuter
Howard Caine	Wallner
Otto Waldis	Pohl
Olga Fabian	Mrs. Lindnow
Sheila Bromley	Mrs. Ives
Bernard Kates	Perkins
Jana Taylor	Elsa Scheffler
Paul Busch	Schmidt
Joseph Crehan	Spectator
Joseph E. Bernard	Maj. Abe Radnitz
Ernest Gold	Composer

Technical Credits

Abby Mann

Stanley Kramer	Director,Producer
Abby Mann	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Judgment at Nuremberg, which reenacts the third of 13 infamous 1948 war-crime trials, is most powerful for its subtle and shaded characterizations of both victim and victimizer. There are no easily identifiable evil enemies: the bad guys seem an awful lot like you or me, which is one of the film's central points about the rise of the Nazis. Riveting performances distinguish the movie, especially Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, and Burt Lancaster in the showiest parts (which they make the most of). Spencer Tracy anchors the proceedings with a reliably level-headed performance. The script, which presents complex moral and philosophical issues quite well, is not quite as cutting, bitter, or angst-ridden as the subject demands. The subject matter guarantees some intensely emotional moments; however, the script occasionally fails to use them to challenge viewers to look more closely at their own self-satisfaction. Instead, we get some rather windy speechifying. Visually, the film is somewhat static (as courtroom dramas often are), though the dramatic power of the historical subject often makes it easy to overlook this flaw. Nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Stanley Kramer, and acting nominations for Tracy, Garland, and Montgomery Clift, the film won for Abby Mann, who adapted the screenplay from the stage play, and Maximilian Schell, who plays the Nazi criminals' defense lawyer.

All Movie Guide - Dan Jardine