Judgment at Nuremberg
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
Rent/Purchase
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
What critics thought
DivisiveStanley Kramer's courtroom epic earned strong contemporary praise for its ensemble performances and moral seriousness, with critics treating its dramatization of Nazi war-crimes trials as both timely and essential. The main fault line ran between those who found its Oscar-baiting scale and melodramatic technique genuinely stirring and those who felt the showmanship undercut the very gravity it was reaching for.
“a bold and, despite its great length, continuously exciting picture”
Brendan Gill·The New Yorker
“an extraordinary film, both in concept and handling. Those who see this at the Warner will recognize that the screen has been put to noble use.”
Richard L. Coe·The Washington Post
“this large-scale trial film undermines faith in its philosophical and historical merit by colouring the better part of its message with hackneyed court-room hysteria”
The Monthly Film Bulletin
“Judgment at Nuremberg doesn't stick precisely to the facts of the judges' trial, but its fictionalisations are intelligent. It raises complex questions, resists easy answers, and leaves the viewer keen to think and know more.”
Alex von Tunzelmann·The Guardian
Genres
Drama, History, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorStanley Kramer
StarringSpencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich
ComposerErnest Gold
Judgment at Nuremberg
Academy Award × 2·National Film Registry
In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.
What critics thought
DivisiveStanley Kramer's courtroom epic earned strong contemporary praise for its ensemble performances and moral seriousness, with critics treating its dramatization of Nazi war-crimes trials as both timely and essential. The main fault line ran between those who found its Oscar-baiting scale and melodramatic technique genuinely stirring and those who felt the showmanship undercut the very gravity it was reaching for.
“a bold and, despite its great length, continuously exciting picture”
Brendan Gill·The New Yorker
“an extraordinary film, both in concept and handling. Those who see this at the Warner will recognize that the screen has been put to noble use.”
Richard L. Coe·The Washington Post
“this large-scale trial film undermines faith in its philosophical and historical merit by colouring the better part of its message with hackneyed court-room hysteria”
The Monthly Film Bulletin
“Judgment at Nuremberg doesn't stick precisely to the facts of the judges' trial, but its fictionalisations are intelligent. It raises complex questions, resists easy answers, and leaves the viewer keen to think and know more.”
Alex von Tunzelmann·The Guardian
Genres
Drama, History, War
Cast & Crew
DirectorStanley Kramer
StarringSpencer Tracy, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich
ComposerErnest Gold
Rent/Purchase