For anyone unfamiliar with the immediate aftermath of WWII and the development of war crime legal theory, this film is a good primer. The images of Nuremberg reduced to rubble ring true. The courtroom inclusion of actual concentration camp film footage provides a stark contrast to the sanitized depiction seen in such films as "Sophie's Choice," Schindler's List," and "Life is Beautiful." The sensibilities of the Russian allies are respectfully addressed. The portrayal of an American sergeant as the vehicle for Hermann Goering's ultimate escape is consistent with the historical record. Actual events are recounted skillfully throughout.
Still, the film is fairly dull. Despite perfunctory references, the question of how civilized people (leaders, soldiers, and citizens) could resort to such inhumanity is not explored. A group of German officers in the 1940's who merely did as they were told does not make for a very satisfying, gripping, nor generalizable story. That story ends neatly at the end of the noose. The bigger issues are left unexplored, aside from such banalities as "Evil is the lack of empathy."
"Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961) examines these more thorny human issues with far more success. Collective guilt, individual responsibility, obedience, evil, omission, and redemption converge in this taut and heartbreaking opus.
After getting the basics from Alec Baldwin's production, view this earlier classic.
Still, the film is fairly dull. Despite perfunctory references, the question of how civilized people (leaders, soldiers, and citizens) could resort to such inhumanity is not explored. A group of German officers in the 1940's who merely did as they were told does not make for a very satisfying, gripping, nor generalizable story. That story ends neatly at the end of the noose. The bigger issues are left unexplored, aside from such banalities as "Evil is the lack of empathy."
"Judgment at Nuremberg" (1961) examines these more thorny human issues with far more success. Collective guilt, individual responsibility, obedience, evil, omission, and redemption converge in this taut and heartbreaking opus.
After getting the basics from Alec Baldwin's production, view this earlier classic.