Judgment at Nuremberg

What can I say? Judgment at Nuremberg was just wonderful. At three hours, it is just mesmerising from start to finish. The subject matter of the story is admittedly grim and hard-hitting, but in the way it is put across and acted it is also incredibly gripping. The production values are striking, Ernest Gold’s music is memorable and Kramer’s direction is superb. Then there is the script, intelligent, thought-provoking, poignant, quite simply a brilliant screenplay, and the cast is for me one of the best on film. This film does have a lot of dignity, exemplified by Burt Lancaster’s thoughtful performance as Ernst Janning, and a startling turn from Maximillian Schell. Marlene Dietrich is also great, and I also have to mention Judy Garland’s touching Irene and Montgomery Clift’s Rudolph. Overall, gripping and intelligent helped enormously by adept direction and acting. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Spencer Tracy is at his best in this film. It is a post World War II trial of four judges who made decisions during the reign of Hitler. We get a look at the causes of the German people’s allegiance to the horrible tyrant. We get to see why the decisions made by the judges were not so simple and we get a sense of their humanity. We don’t get a simplistic presentation of them as monsters. They were men who were forced to make decisions that may not be moral but which put country first. There is a real sense that we are the flies on the walls of Spencer Tracy’s office. He is determined to make the correct decision and decide whether these men should be executed. Their crimes are pretty black and white. The screenplay is remarkable. It took into account the realities of the time and the aftermath of the German people. One thing to remember is that after the war, the people themselves were forward thinking. Remarkable performances by Tracy and, particularly by Burt Lancaster.