"Judgement at Nuremberg"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the historical veracity of the 1961 movie "Judgment at Nuremberg", a fictionalized account of the post-World War II Nuremberg Trials. The film focuses on an actual trial of judges who carried out the laws promulgated by the Nazi State. The paper provides an extremely detailed outline of the movie's plot development, delving into an analysis of the characters and their actions and motivations. The paper concludes by examining how the movie parallels -- and deviates from -- history.

From the Paper:

"Assigned to the trial as Chief Judge is Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy), a low profile justice, who by his own admission, was not the original or subsequent choice. The prosecutor is Col. Tad Lansing (Richard Widmark) an "army man" who vows to convict the four ex-German Judges. Defending the accused is Hans Rolfe (Maximilian Schell) who must convince the court that the defendants were acting only for the love of their country. Among the defendants are respected Judge Ernst Janning (Burt Lancaster) who has written several books on law accepted the world over. Lawson accuses the defendants of signing orders for the sterilization of innocent men and the execution of those who opposed to the Reich and the extermination of the Jews. He puts Rudolph Peterson (Montgomery Clift) on the stand as a victim of sterilization. Rolfe manages to expose the pitiful Peterson as mentally challenged. Later Irene Hoffman (Judy Garland) is put on the stand to explain her alleged affair at the age of 16 with an elderly Jew. As his coup de grace, Lawson shows a film depicting the horrors of German concentration camps.
In between the sessions, Judge Haywood strikes up a friendship with Madame Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich) the widow of a former German general, in whose former home the judge is staying. In spite of their differences they begin to grow fond of each other."

More papers on "Judgement at Nuremberg":

• Persuasive Essay # 101525 : "Film: "Judgment at Nuremberg"
• Film Review # 131575 : "Judgment at Nuremberg" - A Film Analysis"
• Term Paper # 101540 : "Rule Utilitarianism and the State"

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