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By
NICK ZEGARAC
"Judgment at Nuremberg " is
Stanley Kramer's often stagy, often stoic, though
never anything less than completely engrossing,
post-WWII melodrama. It's high octane film making
driven by star performances and masterfully
scripted dialogue; a vital, tragic, yet overall
life affirming message picture about the
difference between merely abiding by the law and
doing what is just in an unjust world.
The film stars Spencer Tracy as the honorable
American Judge Dan Haywood, assigned to supervise
the trial of four German justices, including Dr.
Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) who have been
accused of sending innocent men to their deaths in
Nazi concentration camps. Put up in the home of a
former high-ranking Nazi official, Haywood gains
personal insight into the aftermath of Germany's
political climate through his engagement with the
servants (Ben Wright and Virginia Christine) and
through a chance meeting with their former
mistress, Madame Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich). But
the real spark of this film is to be found in the
mutual bitterness between passionate Defense
Attorney Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell) and the
pronouncedly defiant Colonel Tad Lawson (Richard
Widmark), who serves as lead prosecutor. In a
cameo appearance Judy Garland is remarkably
heartbreaking as Irene Hoffman, a middle-aged
frump whose fatherly relationship with a Jewish
man resulted in his death.
Nominated for an astounding 11 Academy Awards, and
winner of two, "Judgment at Nuremberg" remains a
benchmark of '60s cinema -– a powerful and
emotionally satisfying film for the ages.
MGM's DVD delivers a very smooth image that will
surely not disappoint. The B&W picture is
remarkably clean, with minimal film grain,
accurately rendered contrast levels, deep solid
blacks and very clean whites. The audio has been
remixed to 5.1 (the original mono is also
included). The two are practically identical in
their spatial separation and fidelity, though in
the 5.1 mix the music track is decidedly the
benefactor. Extras include a 20-minute thoroughly
insightful featurette in which screenwriter Abby
Mann and co-star Maximilian Schell speak of their
experiences on the film. Both are so frank that
they put many a new audio commentary track to
shame. Also included is a 15-minute tribute to
Stanley Kramer that is very nicely done, if all
too brief. A photo gallery, a theatrical trailer
and promotional junket materials round out the
extras. |
