Thehibikiew Not even bad in a good way

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

gottdeskinos First I was worried about the bumpy start. The first trial scenes show constant translating between English and pseudo-German (most actors are obviously not German native speakers). Thank god this stopped after 15 minutes where they switched all to English. (A weird artistic decision, as subtitles would be much more elegant.)The execution is probably influenced by 12 Angry Men, which came out a few years prior. The movie could have been more focused by centering on fewer characters, also trimming the running time. Performances are outstanding at parts but sometimes heavily overacted. And you have to suspend disbelief sometimes, look beyond fake German accents, which are put on by some actors while others don't even bother.OK, now to the subject matter, which raises hard questions - if you acknowledge that the world is not always black or white. In many aspects the movie feels very like 1961. Later work of Bernhard Schlink ("The Reader"), for example, demonstrates a more distanced, insightful and complex way to judge guilt within such an inhumane, cruel regime. This movie generally speaking aims mostly for emotionalizing. To an audience of the 21st century, this movie, however, has a different effect as to audiences in 1961 (especially with the dawn of the cold war being noticeable). A lot of scenes address that the USA needed Germany against the Soviets, which influenced the judgement and whether the USA should "go easy" on them.One key moment is when the prosecuted former judge admits guilt of himself and his country and acknowledges it as important to move forward. Watching this movie in 20xx A.D., one has to notice, that this admittance of guilt (symbolized by certain characters more than others) is a major part of the narrative of German identity by now and has been for decades and generations. Like the judge had to make a decision from his point of view (after 1945), a today's reviewer has to review from today's perspective. Summing up, the emotional impact this movie aimed for in 1961 is slightly dated by now. (Which is, of course, not to say that the shown filmed evidence of concentration camps is in any way less shocking today.)

Ed This famous film from 1961 features some of the most familiar faces of the period, most of which are recognizable by viewers who are old enough. (I only first saw it several nights ago on PBS.) The star of this film is, of course, Spencer Tracy as chief judge Dan Haywood soon after he played, in effect, lawyer Clarence Darrow in "Inherit the Wind" a similar role. Others following are Burt Lancaster whose stature as an actor was rising as he stretched himself more and more and eventually played the starring role in Visconti's "The Leopard" ( Il Gattopardo"). Richard Widmark played the prosecutor Tad Lawson and Maximillian Schell played the defense lawyer, Hans Rolfe. Montgomery Clift also appeared as a victim of the Nazi enforced sterilization law.The growing friendship between chief Judge Haywood and Frau Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich) seems to defy judicial protocol but it does give Dietrich, (In reality a noted enemy of the Third Reich), a chance to remind people of her association with the World War II song "Lili Marlene".At one point the character played by Richard Widmark introduces the familiar, still upsetting, graphic photos taken by the Allies at the liberation of the concentration camps.Towards the end of the film we get some appearances by, of all people, Judy Garland which should remind of us of her acting ability in addition to her stature as perhaps the greatest entertainer of the 20th Century! She plays a woman involved in what was a real case of an elderly Jewish man executed on trumped-up charges of defiling the "racial purity" laws of Nazi Germany.The first of the many real Nuremberg trials had many defendants but director Kramer concentrates only on four fictional criminals. Still, this film is a notable indictment of those who evaded their responsibilities towards humanity during one of the biggest blots on human history!

Bloodshed Throne Productions On one hand, I'd say that this is the sort of film that could only have been made in the 50s or the 60s. It has that atmosphere with some cold war tension and that sort of audience. The time period was very unique and had a wide range of movies of different styles and was an era of change in the film industry.On the other hand, I'd say that this movie was of its time. With its quick camera motions, 360 degree turns and unique film-making style (by acclaimed director Stanley Kramer), this is without doubt almost an 80s or 90s film in directorial aspects.The two most powerful things that the film had in hand were its fantastic performances by Spencer Tracy (and others whose names I cannot remember), and the message of the film (which is almost a twist in itself).Overall, it's a masterpiece and nothing short of that. One of the best films I have ever seen.

Hitchcoc Spencer Tracy is at his best in this film. It is a post World War II trial of four judges who made decisions during the reign of Hitler. We get a look at the causes of the German people's allegiance to the horrible tyrant. We get to see why the decisions made by the judges were not so simple and we get a sense of their humanity. We don't get a simplistic presentation of them as monsters. They were men who were forced to make decisions that may not be moral but which put country first. There is a real sense that we are the flies on the walls of Spencer Tracy's office. He is determined to make the correct decision and decide whether these men should be executed. Their crimes are pretty black and white. The screenplay is remarkable. It took into account the realities of the time and the aftermath of the German people. One thing to remember is that after the war, the people themselves were forward thinking. Remarkable performances by Tracy and, particularly by Burt Lancaster.