Stanley Kramer cops it from hipster critics and maybe he did believe his own publicity too much for a time, but his movies stood for decent liberal values and were important. Maybe concentration camp victims are low hanging fruit but who else was tackling this head on in Hollywood?
This one focuses on a fascinating aspect of the trials - not straight up evil Nazi commandants, but the judges who enforced the rules at the time. Among those on trial are Burt Lancaster as a German. Lancaster gives his role dignity though his make up does seem a little odd.
Presiding over it is Spencer Tracy as a super judge. Actually he's well cast - who does craggy intensity better. I didn't know William Shatner was in this, as Tracy's aide.
Montgomery Clift is electric in his one scene as a German laborer who has been sterilised. Clift's nerves, intensity and crazy eyes were never used to such good effect. He's brilliant.
Also good is Judy Garland in a short scene as a woman who denies rooting a Jew who was killed falsely for the crime of having sex with her.
Bigger roles go to Richard Widmark (prosecutor) and Maximillian Schell (the firey defendant). Both are fine. Widmark gets a drunk scene, maybe put in there to make his role more attractive (acting!). Schell gets to make some flamboyant speeches. Dietrich gets to be... female, I guess.
It goes for three hours. I don't think it needed to be that long. I kept seeing places where it could have been cut.
Some stuff really packs a punch like newreels of little kids in the camps. Other times I was like "alright, already". But an important movie.
No comments:
Post a Comment