Important movie with historical value

Rating: 7/10 (12 March 2014)

It's 1948. Chief Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) has just arrived at Nuremberg to preside over a trial against various defendants including former Minister of Justice Dr. Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) who was a well respected jurist before the Nazis. The big names are all gone. It's not a much sought after job to judge the lesser known names. He's staying at a house owned by Mrs. Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich). The prosecutor for the case is Col. Tad Lawson (Richard Widmark). The defense is led by Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell).
This is an important movie of historical value. At a running time of over 3 hours, its rather slow prodding pace takes away much of the drama. The acting from the leads are superb. I give this movie an extra point for a realistic slice of history. This movie isn't as concerned about pacing as much as it's concerned about the subject. It's more a history lesson than a thriller drama.