JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG (DVD/1962/WS/1.66/ENG-FR-SP-SUB/B&W) DVD

Judgment at Nuremberg
After the end of World War II, the world gradually became aware of the full extent of the war crimes perpetrated by the Third Reich. In 1948, a series of trials were held in Nuremberg, Germany, by an international tribunal, headed by American legal and military officials, with the intent of bringing to justice those guilty of crimes against humanity. However, by that time most of the major figures of the Nazi regime were either dead or long missing, and in the resulting legal proceedings American judges often found themselves confronting the question of how much responsibility someone held who had "just followed orders." Judgment at Nuremberg is a dramatized version of the proceedings at one of these trials, in which Judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) is overseeing the trials of four German judges -- most notably Dr. Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) and Emil Hahn (Werner Klemperer) -- accused of knowingly sentencing innocent men to death in collusion with the Nazis. Representing the defense is attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell), while prosecuting the accused is U.S. Col. Tad Lawson (Richard Widmark). As the trial goes on, both the visiting Americans and their reluctant German hosts often find themselves facing the legacy of the war, and how both of their nations have been irrevocably changed by it. Judgment at Nuremberg also features notable supporting performances by Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, and Montgomery Clift. Originally written and produced as a play for television, the screen version of Judgment at Nuremberg was nominated for 11 Academy Awards, with Maximilian Schell and Abby Mann taking home Oscars for (respectively) Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Cast Spencer Tracy as Judge Dan Haywood Burt Lancaster as Ernst Janning Richard Widmark as Col. Tad Lawson Marlene Dietrich as Mme. Bertholt Maximilian Schell as Hans Rolfe Judy Garland as Irene Hoffman Montgomery Clift as Rudolph Petersen Werner Klemperer as Emil Hahn Edward Binns as Sen. Burkette William Shatner as Capt. Harrison Byers Kenneth MacKenna as Judge Kenneth Norris Torben Meyer as Werner Lammpe Ray Teal as Judge Curtiss Ives Martin Brandt as Friedrich Hofstetter Virginia Christine as Mrs. Halbestadt Ben Wright as Halbestadt Joseph E. Bernard as Maj. Abe Radnitz John Wengraf as Dr. Wieck Karl Swenson as Dr. Geuter Howard Caine as Wallner Olga Fabian as Mrs. Lindnow Sheila Bromley as Mrs. Ives Bernard Kates as Perkins Jana Taylor as Elsa Scheffler Paul Busch as Schmidt

Crew Philip Langner - Associate Producer Joe King - Costume Designer Jean Louis - Costume Designer Stanley Kramer - Director Frederic Knudtson - Editor Ernest Gold - Composer (Music Score) Art Dunham - Musical Direction/Supervision Robert J. Schiffer - Makeup Rudolph Sternad - Production Designer Ernest Laszlo - Cinematographer Clem Beauchamp - Production Manager Stanley Kramer - Producer George Milo - Set Designer Abby Mann - Screenwriter

Judgment at Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg, which reenacts the third of 13 infamous 1948 war-crime trials, is most powerful for its subtle and shaded characterizations of both victim and victimizer. There are no easily identifiable evil enemies: the bad guys seem an awful lot like you or me, which is one of the film's central points about the rise of the Nazis. Riveting performances distinguish the movie, especially Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, and Burt Lancaster in the showiest parts (which they make the most of). Spencer Tracy anchors the proceedings with a reliably level-headed performance. The script, which presents complex moral and philosophical issues quite well, is not quite as cutting, bitter, or angst-ridden as the subject demands. The subject matter guarantees some intensely emotional moments; however, the script occasionally fails to use them to challenge viewers to look more closely at their own self-satisfaction. Instead, we get some rather windy speechifying. Visually, the film is somewhat static (as courtroom dramas often are), though the dramatic power of the historical subject often makes it easy to overlook this flaw. Nominated for 11 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director for Stanley Kramer, and acting nominations for Tracy, Garland, and Montgomery Clift, the film won for Abby Mann, who adapted the screenplay from the stage play, and Maximilian Schell, who plays the Nazi criminals' defense lawyer. ~ Dan Jardine, All Movie Guide
 

Abby Mann: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Adapted Screenplay (winner) Ernest Laszlo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Black and White Cinematography (nominated) Frederic Knudtson: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Editing (nominated) George Milo: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Black and White Art Direction (nominated) Jean Louis: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Black and White Costume Design (nominated) Judy Garland: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Judy Garland: Golden Globe, Best Supporting Actress (nominated) Maximilian Schell: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actor (winner) Maximilian Schell: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama (winner) Maximilian Schell: New York Film Critics Circle, Best Actor (winner) Montgomery Clift: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Montgomery Clift: Golden Globe, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pic (nominated) Rudolph Sternad: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Black and White Art Direction (nominated) Spencer Tracy: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Actor (nominated) Stanley Kramer: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Director (nominated) Stanley Kramer: Directors Guild of America, Best Director (nominated) Stanley Kramer: Golden Globe, Best Director (winner)

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Scie, Best Picture (nominated) British Academy of Film and Television, Best British Film (nominated) Golden Globe, Best Picture - Drama (nominated) Golden Globe, Motion Picture Promoting International Understanding (nominated) National Board of Review, Best Picture (nominated)

General Specifications: Language Options: English Subtitle Options: English, French, Spanish Sound Processing: DD5.1: Dolby Digital w/ sub-woofer channel DD1: Dolby Digital Mono Additional Features: cc "In Conversation: Abby Mann and Maximilian Schell" featurette "A Tribute to Stanley Kramer" featurette "The Value of a Single Human Being" featurette (Abby Mann reads from Judgment at Nuremberg) Photo gallery Theatrical trailer DVD Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1: Vistavision MPAA Rating: NR DVD Discs Included: 1 DVD Sides: 1 DVD DVD Region Code: 1 Content Length: 186 min   DVD Chapters: Side #1 -- 1. Overture [3:54] 2. Main Title [2:24] 3. A Lot of Formality [5:32] 4. Tribunal in Session [4:48] 5. The Prosecution's Case [3:03] 6. Counsel for the Defense [7:00] 7. Judge About Town [5:01] 8. Swastika on the Robe [12:54] 9. Mme Bertholt's Things [3:44] 10. "We Were Not Political" [4:26] 11. Feeble-Minded Rudolf [10:13] 12. "Hare - Hunter - Field" [8:30] 13. Monsters and Boy Scouts [8:29] 14. Nothing in Common... [1:28] 15. A Love for Music [5:17] 16. A Woman in Control [4:17] 17. Getting Irene Hoffman [4:50] 18. The Feldenstein Case [4:41] 19. They All Laughed [6:23] 20. The Buchenwald Motto [2:07] 21. "It's Possible" [6:01] 22. "We Did Not Know!" [1:46] 23. A Few Extremists Only [5:26] 24. Mrs. Wallner's Truth [5:36] 25. Last Shred of Dignity [8:44] 26. A Slight Political Push [2:26] 27. For Love of Country [1:52] 28. Janning About Janning [6:54] 29. The World's Guilt [2:17] 30. If Berlin Goes... [4:00] 31. Final Statements [2:56] 32. Legalese or Justice? [6:03] 33. The Verdict [3:07] 34. The Unpopular American [9:19] 35. Respect of the Guilty [3:24] 36. Exit Music [3:35]