DVD Review: Judgment at Nuremberg

The 1960s is often considered a uniformly weak decade for cinema, being compared to the golden age of the 30s and 40s. This is true to a point, but does not negate the fact that there is a lot of great cinema that showed up that decade. One of those is the epic drama “Judgment at Nuremberg.”

Producer-director Stanley Kramer is one of those directors who liked issues on an epic scale. His epic comedy about greed, “It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World” was an extraordinary achievement.

Already having been performed on television’s “Playhouse 90,” this three-hour feature was released in 1961, only sixteen years after World War Two ended. Thus, the war was still a part of the not-so-distant past. What we have is a stirring courtroom drama about wartime atrocities committed as part of the Nazi regime, in a movie that is filled with such top actors as Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Maximilian Schell, and Richard Widmark. The narrative is taut and suspenseful, using all three hours so effectively, it is a masterful example of storytelling on film.

While Kramer keeps most of the film contained within the courtroom, his choice of shots and careful concentration keep it from seeming claustrophobic or limited in any way. For instance, during Montgomery Clift’s performance during the trial, Kramer has the camera slowly circle around him and back to a close-up. It is very artfully done, never distracting from the action, and responding well to the otherwise stillness of the scene. Meanwhile, Clift's performance as a mentally incompetent man trying to soldier through the trial, reminds us what an excellent actor he was.

The performances are often quite revealing, especially Judy Garland’s remarkable turn going completely against type. It shows the depth of her ability during a period when her career was beset by challenges in her real life. Although not even 40 when she filmed this movie, Judy would live only another eight years. Spencer Tracy almost manages to steal the film out from under the other heavyweights as he once again effortlessly turns in a bravura performance.

The aesthetic quality of this deserved classic is fully evident in Kino Lorber’s blu ray release, which boasts amazingly sharp pictorial quality and some good special features. Three featurettes are offered, including a conversation between actor Maximilian Schell and screenwriter Abby Mann, both of whom won Oscars for this film. There is also a tribute to Stanley Kramer’s work.

A film like “Judgment at Nuremberg” extends beyond its aesthetic value or its ability to maintain an interesting narrative over a three hour length. It is now, in the 21st century, a historically significant film that is truly a must for any library or research center.

And it is certainly among the true cinematic highlights of the 1960s.

The blu ray is available here.