Gripping!

Rating: 9/10 (15 September 2010)

I did not think much of Kramer's previous courtroom drama, "Inherit the Wind" which also starred Spencer Tracy. But the mere premise and ensemble starcast of "Judgment at Nuremberg" was reason enough to rent this film and give it a shot.
Inspired by true events, this fictionalized account of the trials stars Spencer Tracy as Judge Dan Haywood who is supposed to give judgement in the trial of four Nazi judges who have been charged with crimes against humanity. They have been accused of twisting the law during the Nazi regime and helping the government to put away some socially undesirable individuals and also advocating and permitting the forceful sexual sterilization of some others. One of these judges is Ernst Janning, played by a sad-faced and silent Burt Lancaster, who has once been a much respected figure in the ministry of justice. Books published by him, still being used in some universities, Judge Haywood is baffled about how a man who values justice so much, can be responsible for such heinous acts of brutality.
What follows is a gripping courtroom battle of wits between the prosecuting attorney, Col. Lawson (Richard Widmark) and Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell). Amidst all this courtroom chaos, Judge Haywood himself has some experiences of his own, when he is not sitting on the judge's chair, getting acquainted with German people who have lived to see the ghastly past of the Nazi regime, yet seem to be completely oblivious to most of the details, including the holocaust.
Stanley Kramer does a great job of directing this film written by Abby Mann. Ernst Gold's original music nicely complements some other German traditional music used in this film, particularly the group singing in bars.
The performances: Great..all of them. Special mention, though, about: Spencer Tracy: Excellent as Judge Haywood who is clearly taken aback on how some of the "good" Germans he has come to be acquainted with in his short stay can claim to not have any knowledge about the war crimes and holocaust in the Nazi regime.
Burt Lancaster: Wonderful portrayal of the sad-eyed Dr. Ernst Janning full of regret for the acts he has been accused of committing.
Marlene Dietrich: Great as the widow of a German soldier who was executed.
Maximilian Schell: The most scene-stealing performance of them all. He gets some of the most powerful scenes to chew on and pulls it off brilliantly!
Last but not the least, the "single-scene stealers" as I call them, these actors took my breath away in their very brief appearances: Judy Garland as Irene Hoffman and Montgomery Clift as Rudolf Petersen. Splendid performances, both of them! Academy Award nominations, well-deserved.
This film runs more than three hours long, and may require some patience on part of the viewer for all the verbose courtroom proceedings. But once the "Exit music" starts playing, you know that you have just had the pleasure of viewing one of the most powerful courtroom films out there. This is also one of those films that will ensure that you have as much the same dilemma, about who to root for, as faced by some principal characters in this film! Recommended!