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Judgment at Nuremberg Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 24 Reviews)

Pulls no punches
This movie deserves far more than 5 stars.

Nazi war criminals are taken to task for their horrendous crimes. They fall into different groups - the obedient soldier, the decent guy who regrets his actions, the feeble-minded follower, and the heartless sadist. The kid gloves are off as they confront the court with horrible movie footage of concentration camps, demand embarrassing personal information from victims of "eugenics", and refresh the memories of self-righteous Americans of their OWN involvement in supporting Hitler before the war, and maybe after. The "nice" Nazi (Burt Lancaster) mourns his crimes, admits his wrongdoing, protests the witch-hunt antics of the court, and presents a sympathic character. Should he be given leniency? He caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people, but you can't help feeling a twinge of pity for him. One of the most startling performances was given by Judy Garland as a German woman torn apart inside by rumors about her, her friendship with a Jew, and her inability to tell the truth without having it twisted and thrown back at her - she went far and above mere acting. Maximilian Schell gives an earth-shaking, demonic performance as an honest but cruel German defense attorney.

The German people are healing from a hellish experience. Their reactions vary - some are secretive and deny any involvement in politics. Another, the classy beauty Marlene Dietrich, begs the judge (Spencer Tracy) to let it be. Leave our country alone, she seems to implore, we have enough to deal with. We're not really such bad people. He is drawn to her, but can't leave it alone, of course he can't.

Who are the bad guys? This movie makes it clear that it isn't clear at all, and may never be.


Required viewing
I recently purchased this movie after seeing it recommended by Richard Berg to some people who thought that Germans like Rommel were not responsible for the crimes of the Nazi party.

I must say that it was a great movie to watch and they make a very compelling case about the complicity of individuals in what transpired in Germany.

A Historical and Film Classic
This movie is a true classic, both in terms of history and film. It is a movie that everyone should see, as it accurately deals with key aspects of the Nuremburg Trials, Nazism and abuse of power. These issues confront us again today, and recur through human history - "I was just following orders" or "I was just following the law" is no excuse. People have a duty to judge the propriety of their actions for themselves, and refuse orders that are morally wrong.

The cast is a who's who of great actors of the time - Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Deitrich. A must-see and a civic duty for all people in free nations.

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