Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazis judged for war crimes.

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writers:

Abby Mann, Abby Mann (based on his original story by)

Stars:

Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark

Top Rated Movies #149 | Won 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 25 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Spencer Tracy	...	Chief Judge Dan Haywood
Burt Lancaster	...	Dr. Ernst Janning
Richard Widmark	...	Col. Tad Lawson
Marlene Dietrich	...	Mrs. Bertholt
Maximilian Schell	...	Hans Rolfe
Judy Garland	...	Irene Hoffman
Montgomery Clift	...	Rudolph Petersen
William Shatner	...	Capt. Harrison Byers
Werner Klemperer	...	Emil Hahn
Kenneth MacKenna	...	Judge Kenneth Norris
Torben Meyer	...	Werner Lampe
Joseph Bernard	...	Maj. Abe Radnitz
Alan Baxter	...	Brig. Gen. Matt Merrin
Edward Binns	...	Sen. Burkette
Virginia Christine	...	Mrs. Halbestadt

Storyline

It has been three years since the most important Nazi leaders had already been tried. This trial is about 4 judges who used their offices to conduct Nazi sterilization and cleansing policies. Retired American judge, Dan Haywood has a daunting task ahead of him. The Cold War is heating up and no one wants any more trials as Germany, and Allied governments, want to forget the past. But is that the right thing to do is the question that the tribunal must decide.

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Plot Keywords:

nuremberg trials | judge | nazi | war crime | courtroom drama | 

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Taglines:

The event the world will never forget.

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Genres:

Drama | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift became close friends during filming. Clift hung around an extra week after his scene was completed, so he was able to sit in the corner and watch Garland do her scenes. (It also greatly inflated his "expenses only" agreement). As she broke down on the stand, he wept openly. When she finished her take, he went over to Stanley Kramer, his eyes and cheeks still wet with tears, and said, "You know, she did that scene all wrong."

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Goofs

Right after Rolfe completes the quotation from Oliver Wendell Holmes regarding sterilization, we see Haywood with his hand on his mouth. The wider shot that follows shows him with his hand on his cheek.

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Quotes

Hans Rolfe: My Country, right or wrong.

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Connections

Featured in Words (1987)

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Soundtracks

Du, du liegst mir im Herzen
(uncredited)
By Ernest Gold

User Reviews

When films like this can be made.......

If this is not considered as one of THE great films of all time, then all of us film fans should pack up bags and go home I cannot fault anyone, any scene, anything in this film. The dialogue races along in its smooth yet supremely captivating style. You grab a film like this, see a whole host of famous actors, and wonder if such a mix could ever work. It does, believe me, it really, really does.

Tracy. He was given the most powerful of dialogues, he presents it to us in a way that does not shout at you, yet holds you in a vice like grip every time he comes on screen. With his characteristic method of looking down whilst talking, hands in pocket, that small sly look up that he does, vintage Spencer, just how you would imagine a judge to be, or should be.

The supporting cast, again, never lets the film down. Some have the opportunity to step up a notch, Snell, Widmark, and others play their roles in a more subtle manner, Garland and Dietrich. And others just wipe away the floor with their presence, Clift and Lancaster for example.

And the story by Abby Mann - incredible.

Shot in black and white, it makes you think, it makes you smile, it will make you sad, and in the end you will be all the better for having seen one of the greatest films ever made, you will be richer for the experience, and you will be wiser.

You will also be able to say that you saw what Hollywood can do, you saw what great actors can do when put amongst their peers and are not 'stars' of a movie but are part of a larger ensemble.

And you will also see why this particular group were, genuinely, the very best Hollywood had to offer, period.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English German

Release Date:

18 December 1961 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Judgment at Nuremberg

Filming Locations:

Tower of London, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$12,180

Company Credits

Production Co:

Roxlom Films Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

179 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1