Judgment at Nuremberg is a War Drama film about the Nuremberg trials in Germany during the post word war Ii period( 1939-1945). World war II is over and Hitler is defeated. The US is conducting trials on the Nazi Judges who sentenced the Mass murder of the Jews and the colored in Germany. This Films is about one such trial of 4 Nazi judges and the judgement.
Plot and Summary:
The film starts with the arrival of Judge Dan Heywood for heading the tribunal court for the trial against 4 Nazi judges. its a very delicate situation in Germany, as US wants every support from the other countries, He is a very old man with a very unlikable job at his hand, a decision that would be most favorable in the interest of USA, But Judge Heywood is a typical judge, a man of strong will, a man who believes in justice.
Ersnt Janning is one of the judges on the trial, considered one of the respectable judges in Germany during Hitlers period. His reputation stands before him. His defendant is Hans Rolfe, a brilliant prosecutor who tries very hard to convince the judge in the case. The whole film is about the Janning is the central character of the film, He maintains a non expressive face untill the end of the film, It is like he has seen it all and he is willing to accept whatever the judge says. The trials begins and each day the prosecution gives many cases against the judges and most of them are convincing. The defense tries hard in convincing that the judges did not know the results of their judgement and were unaware of the brutalitoes that were committed.
Heywood tries to find the nature of the Judges and the situation at the time of the Holocaust by asking around. He questions his servants about the holocaust period and about their family and how they lost their son. he also makes a friend- a widow. They become good friends and attend many parties together, Her husband was a war hero and was also sentenced to life imprisonment by one of the trials. Heywood learns that many of the officers in germany were forced to perform actions out of their will for the good of the country. He finds the credibility of Ernst Janning's action from many people he meets
On the final days of the trial, The prosecution shows the war films on the concentration camps and the millions of dead bodies which were found there. It was their final evidence against the crimes committed. Hans is very angry by the actions as it had made the judges see the brutal truth and his chance for winning the case was very very limited after the actions of the prosecution. hans tryes his desperate attempts in the last remaining case- the Feldentstine where a Jew was committed for sexual relations with an Non-Jew . Now after hearing this case, Janning breaks his silence and confeses the truths about all the judgement he has passed. We can see the reason for his behavior when he confesses the truths in the courtroom. He believed that all this will lead to the greater good of Germany. In his eyes we can see that he was guilty and his penance was the confession to the court.
At the end Hans had no other choice to argue for, he finally concludes by telling that if the judgement has to given as guilty, then all the other countries who supported Hitler must be made guilty including the United States. He also presents lots of supporting documents for Janning's release to the Jury.
Verdict:
The political corruption in a judgement is beautifully portrayed in the film, at the end when Hans tells Heywood that the judges will be released in 5 years based on the situation between US and Germany. The judgement he gave made him very unpopular both in germany and in US. Heywood also knew that this was the to happen eventually , be he smiles and says "it may happen but that was not the right thing". Ernst Janning after hearing the Judgement feels releaved unlike all the other Judges, it was like he as proud of heywood because he took a stand that he could'nt take when he was a judge.
The film has brilliant performances by Hans and Janning particularly. Hans had won an academy award for the film. This film is one of the few film which dealt with a delicate subject on the Holocaust and the aftermath. it will be remembered as one of the notable films for the incidents that took place in WW-II.
Plot and Summary:
The film starts with the arrival of Judge Dan Heywood for heading the tribunal court for the trial against 4 Nazi judges. its a very delicate situation in Germany, as US wants every support from the other countries, He is a very old man with a very unlikable job at his hand, a decision that would be most favorable in the interest of USA, But Judge Heywood is a typical judge, a man of strong will, a man who believes in justice.
Ersnt Janning is one of the judges on the trial, considered one of the respectable judges in Germany during Hitlers period. His reputation stands before him. His defendant is Hans Rolfe, a brilliant prosecutor who tries very hard to convince the judge in the case. The whole film is about the Janning is the central character of the film, He maintains a non expressive face untill the end of the film, It is like he has seen it all and he is willing to accept whatever the judge says. The trials begins and each day the prosecution gives many cases against the judges and most of them are convincing. The defense tries hard in convincing that the judges did not know the results of their judgement and were unaware of the brutalitoes that were committed.
Heywood tries to find the nature of the Judges and the situation at the time of the Holocaust by asking around. He questions his servants about the holocaust period and about their family and how they lost their son. he also makes a friend- a widow. They become good friends and attend many parties together, Her husband was a war hero and was also sentenced to life imprisonment by one of the trials. Heywood learns that many of the officers in germany were forced to perform actions out of their will for the good of the country. He finds the credibility of Ernst Janning's action from many people he meets
On the final days of the trial, The prosecution shows the war films on the concentration camps and the millions of dead bodies which were found there. It was their final evidence against the crimes committed. Hans is very angry by the actions as it had made the judges see the brutal truth and his chance for winning the case was very very limited after the actions of the prosecution. hans tryes his desperate attempts in the last remaining case- the Feldentstine where a Jew was committed for sexual relations with an Non-Jew . Now after hearing this case, Janning breaks his silence and confeses the truths about all the judgement he has passed. We can see the reason for his behavior when he confesses the truths in the courtroom. He believed that all this will lead to the greater good of Germany. In his eyes we can see that he was guilty and his penance was the confession to the court.
At the end Hans had no other choice to argue for, he finally concludes by telling that if the judgement has to given as guilty, then all the other countries who supported Hitler must be made guilty including the United States. He also presents lots of supporting documents for Janning's release to the Jury.
Verdict:
The political corruption in a judgement is beautifully portrayed in the film, at the end when Hans tells Heywood that the judges will be released in 5 years based on the situation between US and Germany. The judgement he gave made him very unpopular both in germany and in US. Heywood also knew that this was the to happen eventually , be he smiles and says "it may happen but that was not the right thing". Ernst Janning after hearing the Judgement feels releaved unlike all the other Judges, it was like he as proud of heywood because he took a stand that he could'nt take when he was a judge.
The film has brilliant performances by Hans and Janning particularly. Hans had won an academy award for the film. This film is one of the few film which dealt with a delicate subject on the Holocaust and the aftermath. it will be remembered as one of the notable films for the incidents that took place in WW-II.
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