An historical film of significance with strong performances, especially by Spencer Tracy

Rating: 9/10 (3 February 2012)

This film suffers from not being "exciting". That is not to say it is boring. It answers -- or perhaps raises -- questions about international law and morality that go far beyond the typical bounds of motion pictures. One of its particular strengths is that it includes powerful performances by a number of outstanding actors.
Spencer Tracy is old and somewhat frail in this film. Yet, his acting is as strong as ever. Although the story line is much different, comparisons to his performance in "Inherit The Wind" are inevitable. It is Tracy, who received top billing, who holds the core of the movie together. His performance while he presents the findings of the tribunal is brilliant.
I very much admire the very controlled performance here by Burt Lancaster. Lancaster has never been one of my personal favorites, although I do recognize him as a great actor. Perhaps it was that I didn't care for the films or roles he appeared in. But here, he is perfect in an understated performance that some say was influenced by the understated acting of Spencer Tracy. As strong as his soliloquy in the courtroom is, it is at the end of the film when the Judge (Tracy) visits him in prison that is the strongest, and brought me to tears. The look on Lancaster's face as Tracy dismisses his excuse is remarkable acting.
Richard Widmark has one of the best performances of his career in this film. Regrettably, Widmark was sort of type-cast in many films because he was so good at playing the villain, or at least dark characters. Interestingly, two of my favorite performances by Widmark are in films where he played against type -- "The Tunnel Of Love" (a romantic comedy with Doris Day) and here, where he plays the prosecutor of the German judges. Widmark's role is so strong that there are times you can see the spittle fly from his mouth as he accuses the German judges of crimes against humanity.
Other than this film, when I have seen Marlene Dietrich in other movies, I always thought, "I just don't get it." I never could see the attraction. Here, however, I enjoy her performance and the way in which she interacts with Spencer Tracy.
I am not quite sure what to make about the performance of Maximilian Schell. He won the Best Actor Academy Award for this performance, but I'm not sure I agree with that decision. Usually I'd be routing for Spencer Tracy, but I think the strongest performance in this film was that of Burt Lancaster. Schell was, in my view, sometimes over the top in this role...or is that what director Stanley Kramer wanted? As I sat watching one of his main soliloquies late in the movie, I thought how easily he could have played Hitler with his rants. If Tracy and Lancaster presented understated performances, Schell did quite the opposite.
There is a particularly strong performance in one scene by actor John Wengraf, playing an ex-judge, and being questioned by the prosecutor. Interestingly, Wengraf fled to the West in 1933 -- an important year in this film -- just as the Nazis began their rise to power.
Ray Teal is one of the judges, and he gives a very solid performance here that is usually overlooked. Perhaps he suffers from his association with television. It was about this time that he played the sheriff on "Bonanza" for many seasons. But in terms of cinema, this is one of his strongest performances.
I am not particularly impressed by the performance here by Montgomery Clift. I'm not saying it's a bad performance, but I just don't see it as outstanding, as most critics do. I feel there was (and is) a lot of sympathy for Clift by this time in his life, and that that accounts for the reviews he gets in this film. Make no mistake, I think Clift was an excellent actor, and in the later moments of his brief work here he is quite good, but the early parts of his performance here seem rather static to me. I am also not impressed by Judy Garland's performance here. She looked right for the part at this point in her life -- a little fat and dumpy -- but I don't think she added much to the cast, other than name recognition. This was filmed around the time she was suffering greatly from hepatitis.
The film is long -- over 3 hours, and because of its length and seriousness, I find it best viewed over a couple of nights. But this is a great film, and one of the few I award a "9" to. For serious moviegoers, well worth a place on your DVD shelf.