Review of Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) by George H — 03 Jul 2009

Wow! This film easily enters my list of Favorite Movies. Granted, the movie is really long, so many modern movie-goers will not want to endure a 3 hour film that is not "epic" or does not have some kind of "wizard" or battle between humans and non-humans.

But, I think this is one of the most important films in American (and possibly even world) history. Tackling the issue of responsibility for the atrocities of WWII, the tightly written script does not let any character remain shallow and two-dimensional.

Every person involved - prosecutor, defense, defendant, judge and witnesses - is revealed to be painfully, beautifully human, yet agonizingly stuck in the system of the world. Amazing performances by Marlene Dietrich (whose glamour oozes off the screen), Spencer Tracy and Richard Widmark.

I was particularly struck by the performances of Maximilian Schell and Montgomery Clift. The music is sparse, but carefully selected - sometimes highlighting the nostalgia of a Germany long-lost, other times intensifying the horrors of the Germany in 1948.

Meticulously chosen camera shots reveal the emotions and relationships between characters. And it's always to see what Bill Shatner did before his Kirk fame. Now, I love West Side Story, but I truly think the significance of Judgment at Nuremberg should have won Best Picture in '61.

In any case, this film's insightful, unabashed and honest look at humanity caught in the face of its own shortcomings is worth 5 gleaming stars.