True story dealing with the Nazi war crimes trials of several members of the German judiciary. Here the focus is on two particular individuals, the judge (Spencer Tracey) who must render a final opinion and one particular defendant (Burt Lancaster), a well respected German scholar. The defendant, played by Burt Lancaster, must come to grips with the reality of his actions or inaction. Academy Award Nominations: 11, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--Spencer Tracy. Academy Awards: 2, including Best Actor--Maximilian Schell, Best Adapted Screenplay.
Maximilian Schell, the Swiss/Austrian actor, director, and writer, was born December 8, 1930 in Vienna, Austria, the son of poet and playwright Ferdinand Hermann Schell and actress Margarethe Noe. His older sister is the actress Maria Schell (born in 1926). He was educated at the University of Zurich (majoring in art history) and the University of Munich.
Schell's first major motion picture in English was "The Young Lions" (1958), opposite Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. He was nominated again for the Best Actor Academy Award for his role in the film version of Robert Shaw's play "The Man in the Glass Booth" (1974), and a film he directed, "The Pedestrian" was nominated for Best Foreign Film the same year.
His role in the film "Julia" (1977) won him a Best Supporting Actor nomination, and his documentary on Marlene Dietrich "Marlene," that he produced in 1984, won worldwide critical acclaim.
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Special Edition
Widescreen - 1.66
Audio:
Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Additional Release Material:
Featurette:
1. TRIBUTE TO STANLEY KRAMER
2. IN COVERSATION WITH MAXIMILIAN SCHELL & ABBEY MANN
Cinematographer
Ernest Laszlo: Hungarian Director of Photography/in USA
Music Director
Art Dunham:
Writer
Abby Mann: American Screenwriter
Production Designer
Rudolph Sternad: Production Designer
Review 1:
"[S]plendid acting....The movie belongs to the subtly powerful Tracy..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.150-1 09/10/2004
Review 2:
"[E]ssential viewing for any film lover or history buff."
Source: Premiere
p.102 11/01/2004
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