It wasn't just Nazi Germany to blame.......it was the world! A cinematic triumph!

Rating: 10/10 (16 January 2006)

Since the Holocaust of World War II that was responsible for the deaths of more than 6 million Jews, there have been numerous films made for the purpose of showing and educating the world about the genocide, most powerful and famous of which being "Schindler's List" which captured the intense atmosphere of what it would have been like to be a Jew in those times. Its graphic imagery, its superb character development, its powerful symbolism and its epic true story shocked the world upon its release. It is THE definitive Holocaust film and a masterpiece beyond all proportions. Long before "Schindler's List" however, there was a film that was just as controversial, a film that didn't so much emphasize on the struggle of the Jews during the holocaust, but more so on the war criminals who butchered them close to extinction and the trials that sent them for life imprisonment. But unlike a lot of films regarding this era, this court room drama didn't just pin it on the Nazis, but questioned the world about the tragedy. It turns out, that the three hours "Judgment At Nuremberg" ran for were some of the most engaging, hair-raising and heart-wrenching experiences of my life.
In the final stages of the Nuremberg trials, four men stand for trial surrounding their crimes against humanity - particularly based around the Nuremberg laws in which people were being sterilized to prevent them from continuing their blood line and where people were sent to their deaths for having sexual relations with anyone other than Aryans. Most of the controversy lies around Dr. Ernst Janning, a pioneer in the study of law and a humanitarian who dedicated his life to justice, who gave the executive decisions to send the people to their graves. The film starts as an evidence based trial with its witnesses and official documents, but becomes a moral play for the audience.
The film may have cost a tenth of the budget of "Schindler's List". Most of it is in a court room, but you will witness here a film that can manifest visuals more powerful than any you've ever seen before just from the dialog that is spoken. It is in a court room, but your mind is not. The questions of humanity seep through like a torrent of raging bulls.
It's brilliant, haunting and inspiring. Like "Schindler's List", black and white photography was crucial for creating a feel of the time on which it was based. Perfect casting enabled the intense drama to take its toll.
Maximilian Schell as defense attorney for the war criminals and Burt Lancaster as Ernst Janning give the performances of their careers. Everybody in the cast, including Spencer Tracy as the 'Justice', Richard Widmark as the prosecutor determined to find it and Marlene Dietrich as an emotionally tough widow gave their all. The chemistry in the court room is combustion at its best. Everybody has a commanding presence. You feel like you're there! Little music was played throughout, but what was played was there to enhance the authentic German surroundings. What particularly impressed me was a scene where Spencer Tracy walks the streets of Nuremberg and find his way around the Roman inspired 'Luitpoldhain', the famous venue for a lot of Hitler's rallies. As Tracy admires the Roman Architecture, he then looks at the balcony from where Hitler once stood to yell out his nationalist and genocidal speeches and imagines what it must have felt like, a sample of one of his speeches is played in the background and we imagine how powerful this man must have been - he was an emperor and a very sick man. The most surprising and mind boggling aspect of the film was the use of real footage from the concentration camps to which the Jews were sent. For the time in which the film was released, this must have been shockingly controversial.
While most of the film surrounds the conviction of the war criminals, the film also points its finger at its audience. WE ARE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT OCCURRED. I totally agree, and the film makes strong emphasis on this towards the end. Whilst the war criminals were directly responsible for sending the Jews to their deaths, we are nevertheless responsible for letting it happen. The new generation may not be responsible for what happened 60+ years ago, but it's responsible for what's currently happening in the world. "Judgement at Nuremberg" is a film not only about the holocaust. It is universal and is just as relevant today as it always was. That's the power of the film - that it makes you think.
It is a perfect companion to "Schindler's List" and a true classic.
With an all-star cast, colossal performances, a mesmerizing script and a great story, this is one tour-de-force you can't miss. Thank you Stanley Kramer for this triumph of cinema!