Well worth the time

Rating: 9/10 (8 April 2007)

"Judgment at Nuremberg" is an important film about an important topic. By that I don't just mean the topic of the activities in Germany during World War 2, although obviously that's important too. I mean specifically the moral question of what you do with people who participated in a bad system when everything is all finished.
Great acting all around here, which is no surprise given the cast list. Maximilian Schell won an Oscar for his performance and deserved it. Also fun to see a young William Shatner - who did a very credible job, actually. He didn't do his trademark William Shatner... dramatic pauses... thing at all.
The only quibbles I have are minor. First, it's over 3 hours, and didn't really need to be. Second, Kramer's camera work is pretty hammy at certain points, zooming in melodramatically when someone is having moment of contemplation or surprise. Third, Kramer knew he was making an Important Film with a capital I and capital F, and occasionally - *occassionally* - the movie felt a bit creaky under the weight of its own self conscious importance.
But really those are just quibbles. It's a great film, worth of repeat viewing and a real conversation starter.