Judgment at Nuremberg

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Judgment at Nuremberg
Image:170592-Judgment-at-Nuremberg-Posters.jpg film poster
Directed by	Stanley Kramer
Produced by	Stanley Kramer
Written by	Abby Mann
Starring	Spencer Tracy Burt Lancaster Richard Widmark Marlene Dietrich Maximilian Schell Judy Garland Montgomery Clift William Shatner
Distributed by	United Artists (theatrical version) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (DVD)
Release date(s)	December 19, 1961
Running time	186 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Maximilian Schell (left) and Richard Widmark

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) is a fictionalized account of the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials, written by Abby Mann and directed by Stanley Kramer, starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Schell, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, Werner Klemperer, and William Shatner.This film does not depict the trial of the military and political leaders of Nazi Germany responsible for the crimes against humanity committed during World War II or the Holocaust as a whole; rather, the film depicts the trial of certain judges who executed Nazi law. Such a trial did occur: the film was inspired by the Judges' Trial before the U.S. Nuremberg Military Tribunal in 1947.

The film courageously examines the questions of individual complicity in crimes committed by the state. It is never propagandistic, and does not shy away from difficult issues. For example, defense attorney Hans Rolfe (Schell) raises such thorny issues as the support of the U.S. Supreme Court for the practice of Eugenics, and Winston Churchill's words of praise for Adolf Hitler.

One standout scene is the testimony of Rudolph Petersen, a German civilian baker, who, considered mentally incompetent, was sterilized by the Nazis in accordance with their social laws. As played by Montgomery Clift, Petersen's nervousness about recounting the horrific tale of his past is visible from the start; he shifts and fidgets constantly on the stand and stammers in his speech. The tension is further amplified when he is cross-examined by defense attorney Rolfe, who reveals that Petersen was removed from school for an inability to learn and because his mother was also deemed mentally incompetent.

The movie won the Academy Award for Best Actor (Maximilian Schell) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Montgomery Clift), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Judy Garland), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black-and-White, Best Cinematography, Black-and-White, Best Costume Design, Black-and-White, Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture. This is one of the few times that a film had multiple entries in the same category (Tracy and Schell for Best Actor), and Schell was the first Best Actor winner to be billed fifth.