Nuremberg

Starring:Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Christopher Plummer, Roger Dunn, David McIlwraith, Christopher Shyer, Hrothgar Mathews, Brian Cox, Herbert Knaup, Frank Moore (XI), Frank Fontaine (II), Raymond Cloutier, Bill Corday, Christopher Heyerdahl, Ken Kramer, Sam Stone, Douglas O'Keeffe, BenoÃ®t Girard, James Bradford, Frank Burns (II)
Director: Yves Simoneau
Studio: Turner Home Ent
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com essential video

Director Stanley Kramer's socially conscious 1961 film tackles the subject of the war crime trials arising out of World War II in an earnest and straightforward fashion, exploring the consciousness of two nations as they struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of the Holocaust. Spencer Tracy plays the American judge selected to head the tribunal that will try the suspected war criminals. As he sets about his task, he must confront the raw emotion felt by the German people, and his own notions of good and evil, right and wrong. Regarded as a classic, this stark rendering of one of the most pivotal events in the 20th century features a stellar cast including Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, a young William Shatner, and Maximillian Schell, who won an Oscar for his role as counsel for the defense for those charged with crimes against humanity. Judgment at Nuremberg is important viewing not only for the history of film, but for the history of modern times. --Robert Lane

Description

Nominated* for eleven Academy AwardsÂ(r), including Best Picture, Judgment at Nuremberg is "magnificent" (Los Angeles Times), "continuously exciting" (The New Yorker) andboasts brilliant performances by an all-star cast. American judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) presides over the trial of four German jurists accused of "legalizing" Nazi atrocities. But as graphic accounts of sterilization and murder unfold in the courtroom, mounting political pressure for leniency forces Haywood to make the most harrowing and difficult decision of his career. *1961: Actor (Maximilian Schell, won); Actor (Spencer Tracy); Supporting Actor (Montgomery Clift); Supporting Actress (Judy Garland); Director; Adapted Screenplay (won); Cinematography (B&W); Art Direction (B&W); Film Editing; Costume Design (B&W).

Customer Reviews:

Judgment at Nuremberg.......2007-06-27

Long but brilliant, "Judgment" was a box-office sensation, due to director Kramer's sensitive, socially conscious approach, which examines the degree to which people should be held responsible for following orders. The movie includes a host of sterling performances: Schell stands out as the impassioned defense attorney (the part netted him an Oscar), as do Montgomery Clift and Judy Garland, whose tragic characters poignantly mirror the consuming sadness in their real lives. "Judgment" is an absorbing, true-to-life reckoning with the infamous Nazi legacy and the nature of modern justice.

Judgment at Nuremberg.......2007-05-30

best of actors, powerful messages from an horrific time where geopolitics were driven the world (as of today)............nevertheless, principles of fairness must be imposed above all, to respect life and to sanctioned wrong doings.

All-Around Classic.......2007-05-18

For the Star-Power of the cast alone, this classic is worth adding to your collection. However, as an added bonus, this story provides thought provoking insights into the political and cultural forces at work in post-war Europe and the United States. "Judgement At Nuremberg" is a well-crafted, well-acted, gripping tale about doing the 'right thing', even when it's not easy, and even when it's not obvious.

Judgment at Nuremberg.......2007-04-04

A masterpiece of great actors exercising their craft amidst the Russian blockade of Berlin in 1948. Those who appreciate history and fine acting will be very pleased at the aspects of both..

An American film made with rare subtlety, especially for 1961.......2007-03-28

I saw this film for the first time a few days ago and it will stay with me a long time. Are you embarrassed to think that you've read and seen enough already about the Holocaust? This film is only tangentially about the Holocaust. It is mostly about how morality shifts depending on who is in power and who wins the war, and how easy it is to accuse others of crimes that most of us under similar circumstances might commit or ignore. It is about standing up and saying out loud that you have made a terrible mistake. It is about not going along with the prevailing winds just because you tell yourself you'll try to do better later.

The film is in black and white, which gives it a semi-docuemtary look,
There are interesting shots, including zoom close ups used to great dramatic effect. The actors never gave better performances, including
Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland, and of course Spencer Tracy. Maxmillian Schell was fifth or sixth in billing for the film, yet he won the Oscar for the thankless role of being a defense attorney for German judges on trial in 1947 for committing crimes against humanity because they worked for and supported the Nazi regime. This was a second-string trial, the famous criminals like Hess had already been tried and convicted. Yet, Spencer Tracy's character, as head of the military court tribunal (written a little too nobly perhaps)takes this trial, and its implications, as seriously as if it had been the first time the issues of complicity and "just following orders" had ever been raised. The film is 3 hours long and yet moves right along, and there are few slow moments. I'm not sure if the Marlene Dietrich character (widow of an executed Nazi general) was essential to the story, but it was entertaining to watch Dietrich and Tracy play off each other. Watch them in the coffee-drinking scene in her apartment. This is still a great film, equally for the story and the issues it raises, and for the cinematic techniques and choices.

Average customer rating:

Great Mini-Series = Great Movie
Much better than expected
Well made, historically accurate
Neuremburg Trial of Infany
Some Comments

Nuremberg
Starring: Alec Baldwin , Jill Hennessy , Christopher Plummer , Roger Dunn , and David McIlwraith
Director: Yves Simoneau
Manufacturer: Turner Home Ent
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Conspiracy
Judgment at Nuremberg
Nuremberg - Tyranny on Trial (History Channel)
Downfall
Uprising

ASIN: B00005B6OY
Release Date: 2001-01-16

Amazon.com

The trial of Nazi war criminals following the Allied victory in Europe in World War II is dramatized in this uneven TV movie starring Alec Baldwin as Robert Jackson, a U.S. Supreme Court justice who served as the chief prosecutor for the Allies. The gravity of the controversial concept of having a war crimes trial, and the political maneuvering between Britain, France, the United States, and the Soviet Union that made it possible, is explained fairly well in the early portions of the film, even if Baldwin at times delivers lines that seem to have been lifted from a high school history textbook. Scenes of Nazi officers being rounded up and jailed are evocative, as are scenes of a ruined Germany. But a subplot involving Baldwin's character having an extramarital affair with his secretary, played by Jill Hennessy, seems utterly extraneous. Perhaps the intent was to show that even someone taking a moral stand on a global stage can be flawed, but Baldwin's Supreme Court justice faces no consequences from his infidelity. Baldwin dominates the courtroom scenes as the outraged prosecutor, while Hennessy has little to do beyond looking great in her 1940s wardrobe. And as the film progresses the brilliant performance of Brian Cox as Hermann Goering simply seizes all attention, as Hitler's deputy is uncannily portrayed as a brilliant manipulator to the very end. Nuremberg is consistently interesting, and to its credit it does contain much serious material on the Nazi war crimes, but it is in the end a flawed production. --Robert J. McNamara

Customer Reviews:

Great Mini-Series = Great Movie.......2006-08-22

Better than I expected, this is (for my money) TNT's best ever production. It worked as a mini-series. As a movie, it is LONG (over three hrs) and absorbing. If you like great courtroom drama, here it is. Brian Cox is fantastic as Goering. The rest of the cast -- esp. those portraying the Nazi war criminals -- shine like stars.

Much better than expected.......2006-07-28

Frankly, I didn't expect this docu-drama to be as good as it is. Alec Baldwin has not been a favorite and I doubted what he might do in portraying Justice Robert Jackson. Nevertheless, Jackson was far from perfect himself, both personally and professionally, so maybe it's fit casting. In 60 years, no one else has had the courage to take on this important story, so give Mr. Baldwin his due, both as leading actor and co-executive producer.

Staging, costumes, and cinematography are outstanding in this made-for-TV production. Views of the bombed-out city of Nuremberg seem genuine from beginning to end. Reconstruction of the Palace of Justice is extremely well done. As an old car buff, I enjoyed seeing vehicles from the 1940's and 50's so well maintained. Big social gatherings are lavish and well-staged. In summary, this is a big-budget production.

In rating this movie I might have given it 5 stars except for the portrayal of the British prosecutors. This was understated quite a bit. Sir David Maxwell-Fife, not Judge Jackson, was the one who unmasked Hermann Goering as the psychopathic monster that he truly was. Moreover, fellow-Britisher, Sir Hartley Showcross, was given credit for the most moving summation, not Jackson. No one was cast to play the Showcross part which is unfortunate given the outstanding British actors available.

Another weakness was how the Soviets were depicted. Comrades Rudenko, Nikitchenko, and others contributed a lot to what happened at Nuremberg in the real trial, despite constant kibbitzing from Moscow. This was the only true International Tribunal on war crimes and all four prosecuting countries, the U. S., Great Britain, France, and USSR played their roles.

As to casting in the movie, one inevitably compares to the 1961 landmark movie, "Judgment at Nuremberg." That film had Spencer Tracy, Maxmillian Schell (who won the best actor Oscar that year), Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Montgomery Clift, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, and several others of note. These even included William Shatner in his first big-screen performance. In no way does the 2000 production compare to the 1961 film in the depth of characterization and the sheer poetry of the screenplay by Abby Mann. And yet, because of the commanding presence of Spencer Tracy as American lead judge, Haywood, and the role of a lifetime for Maxmillian Schell, other performances have been overlooked.

In my view, Burt Lancaster was eloquent as the chief German judge, Ernst Janning. Several of his lines in the movie still haunt me, especially: "Were we DEAF? DUMB? BLIND?" Then, the rejoinder from Spencer Tracy at the end: "But Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent." Finally, Marlene Dietrich was remarkable in her limited role. Who can forget the scene of her sitting alone in the dark and letting the phone ring, as Judge Haywood was calling to say goodbye?

Nevertheless, there are some important performances in the newer movie that must be acknowledged.
Brian Cox is absolutely first-rate as Hermann Goering. One minute he's the jovial family man; the next, a psychopathic killer and founder of the Gestapo. I will no longer see Mr. Cox as just an exceptional narrator of World War II documentaries. As others point out, Cox literally steals the show in "Nuremberg."

Moreover, the German actor Herbert Knaup, who portrays Albert Speer, does a memorable job, as Goering's counterweight with the Nazi defendants. Speer seems sincerely repentant for his part in the war crimes and this saves his life. His final statement in court is worth watching and re-watching, as he warns mankind that the next major war could destroy the globe itself.

Christopher Plummer is fine as David Maxwell-Fife, but the screenwriter only gave him one big scene. That was where he described a Nazi mass execution in the Ukraine--a spine chilling moment to be sure. In reality, Maxwell-Fife was the star of the prosecution team, as said above, and he deserves far more credit than he got in this movie.

It's true, as critics point out, that the hanging of the condemned men did not proceed, one, two, three, as shown in this film. Rather, some of the men took 20 minutes or more, to die. Also, I agree with other reviewers who found fault with the love affair depicted between Jackson and his secretary. We could have dispensed with that in favor of some other more weighty things, including defense of the two Nazi naval officers. As it is, the movie runs 3 hours so not a great deal of time could be spent on the subject. But the defense made by Capt. Kranzbuehler, saved the lives of Admirals Raeder and Doenitz. Moreover, Kranzbuehler set precedents in international law with his defense.

In comparing "Nuremberg" with other TV miniseries on the Third Reich, I'd say it's a notch below "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" (2003), starring Robert Carlyle and "Inside the Third Reich" (1982), with Rutger Hauer, John Gielgud, and Derek Jakobi. I see "Nuremberg" on a par, though, with "The Bunker" (1981), starring Anthony Hopkins.

I would highly recommend the newer movie, "Nuremberg," despite its flaws. I got it on loan from a friend and plan to buy the DVD later for my collection. "Nuremberg" does not measure up to "Judgment at Nuremberg," but few films ever will. The newer film tells a much different story and may take literary license along the way. These points notwithstanding, it makes a contribution to our understanding the Third Reich, the world's foulest tyranny. We must try to understand it, lest we repeat it.

Well made, historically accurate.......2006-03-17

The primary complaint about this will probably be "it's too long". The actual Nuremburg trials went on for much longer than three hours, however, so imagine how much had to be left out!
Brian Cox is brilliant as Hermann Goering, portraying him as the vain and egotistical, yet clever and often easily likable person he could be, despite his history as one of the most horrible people of all time. Nuremburg goes beyond showing him as the faceless Nazi monster; as a proud soldier and pilot (he was head of the Luftwaffe during WW2, and in WW1, had been a decorated pilot himself), and a man capable of humor and kindness. Particularly powerful scenes include one towards the beginning when he entertains a group of GI's by playing the accordion and singing, and another towards the end, when his wife asks him if she can take home some of the food that had been provided for what would probably be his last meal, and he very "normally" says, "I don't see why not," and looks for someone to ask. The last scene must be viewed to fully understand what I mean.
The movie seems to have been made with historical correctness in mind. Small bits of fact that never would have been included in a big budget hollywood picture make it here, like the scene in which the defendants give their pleas, and Goering attempts to make a statement but is cut off by the judge. Also historically correct is the way in which Goering initially made the prosecutors, representing the allied forces, look like idiots, while he endeared himself to everyone in the room with his witty remarks.
The friendship between Goering and the American soldier "Tex" is also completely true, and the movie insinuates one of the two most popular explanations for how Goering got the cyanide ampule into his cell, despite the fact that it and he were searched regularly. Nuremburg seems to say that Goering asked his friend to retrieve a bag of personal items for him to go through and give away. The other belief is that the American knowingly brought the ampule to Goering, rather than Goering tricking him. The reality will probably never be completely known.
For history buffs, this is a must see. Probably for everyone else too...

Neuremburg Trial of Infany.......2006-03-14

I found this to be well done, close to factual. It would have been better if they had spent more time on the war crimes prisoners' personalities.

Some Comments.......2005-10-20

The other reviewers have pointed out the importance of this film, so I would like to make a few points that may be important.
(1) As in so many Western films, the Russians (or, actually, Soviets) are a caricature-they are portrayed as uncouth louts.
I wasn't happy with the scene of the party at Jackson's house where the German butler and his wife refuse to serve the Russian judge because their son was killed on the Russian front.
Jackson's secretary tries to calm the situation without showing any understanding of the Russian's response that most of the victims of Nazism's horrors were residents of the USSR, simply dismissing it as politics. In reality, everyone admitted that the Soviet role in the trial was basically fair and constructive, in spite of the fact that the Soviet judges were totally under the thumb of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin who really was no better than Hitler and his Nazis whom they were supposed to be judging.
(2) Albert Speer is portrayed as a truly penitent Nazi technocrat. Many people, including Airey Neave (the British officer who presented the indictments and who was tragically murdered by the Irish Republican Army in 1979) felt that it was unfair to execute Nazi Labor chief Sauckel and to let Speer off to become a prosperous, professional "ex-Nazi" when all Sauckel did was round up laborers for Speers armaments industries. Speer does admit that he was always pressuring Sauckel for more laborers, but Neave and others feel that his remorse for what he did was mainly to get sympathy from the judges and that he never really confronted his own, direct personal responsibility for the horrors of the Nazi regime, rather than just the collective responsibility he accepted.
(3) Although judge Francis Biddle is shown to be a rather petty man, the film doesn't make clear that both he and Justice Jackson were miscast in their roles in the trial, because Biddle had a career as a prosecutor but was chosen by President Truman to be a Judge in the trial, whereas Jackson was a Supreme Court Justice yet was chosen to be a prosecutor in the trial.
(4) The film, probably correctly, leaves the role of Goering's guard "Tex" as ambiguous in his enabling Goering to get ahold of the cynanide capsule in order to cheat the hangman. It is not clear even today whether Tex really wanted to help Goering get the capsule, or whether it was just negligence and disobeyal of orders when he brought Goering the belongings he asked for.
(5) Psychiatrist Capt Gustav Gilbert's great "revelation" in discovering that the reason the Nazis did such terrible things was "a lack of empathy" is certainly over-simplistic. Although it is true that they were indifferent to the suffering they caused, this does not explain how they managed to set up an industrialized mass-murder machine and how they got much of Europe to at least passively accept the Holocaust. Many people are indifferent to the suffering of others, but that doesn't mean they go out and deliberately cause suffering to their neighbors.

Having said these things, I still think everyone should see this film to understand the greatest tragedy of the 20th century-the Second World War.

Nuremberg - Tyranny on Trial (History Channel)

Average customer rating:

Well made!

Nuremberg - Tyranny on Trial (History Channel)
Starring: Nuremberg
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Nuremberg
Judgment at Nuremberg
Auschwitz - Inside the Nazi State
Conspiracy
The American Experience: The Nuremberg Trials

ASIN: B000AABKV8
Release Date: 2005-09-27

Description

World War II did not end on the battlefield, but in a courtroom in Germany. The Nuremberg Trials revealed the full scope of Nazi Germany's atrocities and ended in the execution of many of the top Nazi leaders. Follow the historic trials from accusations through executions. See how Nuremberg was the defining point for new principles in the laws of nations, with the war-time actions of defendants like Rudolph Hess and Hermann Goering the measuring sticks. Meet some of the men who were present at the trials, including the chief counsel for the prosecution, and hear how they planned the case against the defendants, knowing that the eyes of the world and the judgement of history watched their every move. And find out how the Trials established a new standard for atrocity "Crimes against Humanity."

Customer Reviews:

Well made!.......2001-03-25

I watched this special on the history channel about a week ago. The documentary tells the story of how the trial was put together, the problems during the trial and the aftermath (Sentences, how the trial holds up today, e.t.c). I would reccommend this video to anyone interested in history, particulary Nuremberg and other famous trials.

Product Description

Autumn Journey is a filmed portrait of the life and work of the great German baritone, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, one of the great musical giants of the 20th century. Along with Richter, Oistrakh, Menuhin, Rostropovich, Casals and Callas, he represents a truly golden era of great artists, not only remembered for their extraordinary live performances, but whose musicianship has also left to the world an unrivalled legacy of recordings.

Filmed on the occasion of his 70th birthday, Fischer-Dieskau reveals for the first time many of the secrets of his outstanding success. The conversation which provides the framework to this portrait, as well as a large number of musical extracts, foster a deeper understanding of the art of this great musician singer, and the character of the man hidden behind the imposing public figure.

In typically modest style this prolific singer talks about his life, the remarkable influences which have guided his career, musical interpretation, his colleagues, and his attitude towards Italian, Russian and French repertoire.

Performance extracts include works by Schubert, Schumann, Strauss, Brahms, Mahler, Wolf, Bach, Verdi, Mozart, Wagner, Reimann, Berg, Henze and Britten.

This special DVD package includes an 85-minute recital of 23 songs by Franz Schubert from the Opera Theater of Nuremberg, in which Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is accompanied by Hartmut Höll.

Description

On November 20, 1945, the surviving representatives of the Nazi elite, including Hermann Goering, the former head of the Nazi air force, stood before an international military tribunal at the Palace of Justice in Nuremberg, Germany charged with the murder of millions of people. This production draws upon rare archival material and eyewitness accounts to recreate the dramatic tribunal that defines trial procedure for state criminals to this day.

Customer Reviews:

Simplistic overview of the famous trial. .......2006-07-21

The Nuremberg Trials are arguably the most famous trials of the 20th century; they were conducted to try, convict, and execute the surviving Nazis members of Hitler Germany for war crimes during World War II. This is a decent video for someone who does not know anything about the trials. It would be good for instructional purposes for high school students.

An adequate overview of the first trials.......2006-01-31

When the producers attempt to vacuum-pack, into one hour, the entire story of the first round of the war crime trials at Nuremberg (the trials themselves lasted very nearly a year), one has to expect that a fair amount of detail will be omitted. However, this production skims the surface to such a degree that this program can be, at best, regarded as the most basic introduction to the trials.

Really, this program should have been given the subtitle "Göring versus Jackson," because it is clear that the program focuses on the showdown between Hermann Göring and Robert Jackson as being the main event in the trial. It is hard to argue that the jousts between these formidable adversaries doesn't make for compelling television. However, so much else is left out that the great footage just isn't enough to salvage this effort.

For instance, one will not even be told the names of all of the defendants, why they were charged, and who got what sentences. It does not address how three defendants actually managed to be acquitted (which was considered by some at the time a major embarrassment to the Allies --- some observers suggested that all verdicts should be ignored and all defendants be summarily executed). It does not examine how Admirals Raeder & Dönitz managed to avoid execution while Generals Jodl & Keitel were hanged. It does not examine the murky reality that many defendants of the subsequent trials received milder sentences than they might have had they been tried in the first round.

All of this is ignored, and the program wraps up tidily, with Göring's suicide, after one hour. But it was far from a tidy affair, and some of the principals were left with mixed feelings as to whether or not justice was truly being served. For a more in depth analysis of the trials, I would recommend Telford Taylor's "The Anatomy of the Nuremberg Trials," which will show you all that you are missing by watching this program.

Average customer rating:

Beautifully lit and photographed.
Slow moving gothic horror
OK but not great Euro thriller
LITTLE SEEN EURO-SHOCKER LOOKS GOOD....
Shocking fright fest

The Virgin of Nuremberg
Starring: Rossana Podestà , Georges Rivière , Christopher Lee , Jim Dolen , and Lucile Saint-Simon
Director: Antonio Margheriti
Manufacturer: Shriek Show
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B0000AINPF
Release Date: 2004-03-30

Description

Directed by Antonio Margheriti, one of Italy's greatest action/horror specialists (Cannibal Apocalypse, Castle of Blood, Wild Wild Planet). When a husband leaves his bride alone in his castle, a series of gruesome slayings occur in the abandoned torture chamber. In a shocking revelation, a hideous phantom killer, with a ghastly Nazi past, stalks the castle corridors and dusts off some of the tools of torture for some fresh bloodletting! Starring Christopher Lee and featuring an ultra-cool jazzy score by Oscar nominated composer Riz Ortolani (Cannibal Holocaust, Mondo Cane).

Customer Reviews:

Beautifully lit and photographed........2006-07-15

This thriller boasts an excellent story, some masterful lighting and cinematography, effective use of color, not to mention a distinguished old castle, as beautiful without as it is within.

The musical score, while big band and jazz oriented, actually works very well, inasmuch as it's quite unusual and unexpected for this type of story.

Christopher Lee has one of his most distinctive roles from the 1960's, and perhaps most important of all--the film is scary!

Note that many of the props, including Rossanna Podesta's bedstead, were also used in Bava's "Black Sabbath," as well as in Freda's "Terror of Dr. Hichcock."

Really a sumptuous looking film.

Slow moving gothic horror.......2005-08-23

I'm a huge fan of Italian director Antonio Margheriti, aka Anthony M. Dawson, even though I haven't seen very many of his films. How can this be? Because the ones I have seen revel in low budget schlocky glory. Margheriti is responsible for such classics as "Alien From the Deep," the infamous "Cannibal Apocalypse," and "Killer Fish." He's also the man who brought us several highly entertaining shoot 'em up action/war films, films like "Indio," "Indio 2," "Tiger Joe," "The Last Hunter," "The Hunters of the Golden Cobra," and "Ark of the Sun God." If you need any additional evidence pointing to Dawson's relevancy in the realm of low budget cult classics, he directed the catastrophic "Yor, the Hunter from the Future." If you've seen this disaster, you know how important Margheriti is to lovers of cheese cinema! I'm dying to see all of these films--and a few others--arrive on DVD. Until then, I'm contenting myself with the precious few of this director's earlier movies that have come out, or are soon to come out, on disc: "Castle of Blood," "The Virgin of Nuremberg," and "Seven Deaths in the Cat's Eye" among them. Let's start with "The Virgin of Nuremberg," shall we?

The first thing you'll notice about "The Virgin of Nuremberg" is its peppy jazz score. It's entirely inappropriate for the proceedings, but nonetheless interesting, fun, and worth a listen. The film takes place in Germany many years after the end of the Second World War, and involves newlywed Mary Hunter (Rossana Podesta) settling into her new husband Max's (George Riviere) digs. Most young couples just starting out would move into a small apartment or perhaps a tiny house. Not the Hunters. Max is wealthy, the heir to a fine inheritance consisting of a brooding castle surrounded by sumptuous grounds. The centerpiece of this real estate consists of a massive central room in which dozens of torture implements vie for attention. Yeah, torture instruments! We've got dozens of sharp swords and axes hanging all over the place, glass cases with nasty looking stuff in them, the suit of a medieval torturer hanging nearby, and the Virgin herself presiding over the chamber. The Virgin, you see, is actually an iron maiden that was once used by Max's ancestors to torture the local villagers. But that was way back in the Dark Ages, long before World War II and long before Mary strolled into the castle. Now the stuff just sits around because...well, because if it wasn't there we wouldn't have a plot.

Sure enough, someone is putting on the torture suit and stalking about the castle. Moreover, a few local gals fall prey to this very same torturer when he decides to take his activities out on the town. Who could possibly engage in this sort of despicable behavior as late as the 1960s? Is it Max Hunter? He's certainly a strange banana, that's for sure. Max acts weird and wants his wife to stay firmly within the confines of the castle. His disappearance for a significant portion of the film, ostensibly on some sort of trip, certainly makes him a suspect in the unfolding crimes. Then there is Erich (Christopher Lee!), a taciturn German gent who acts as a personal manservant to Max. This guy is downright ominous, definitely someone that could be murderer material, and his penchant for sharp knives and popping up suddenly in every room of the castle reeks of suspicion. Then there's the silver haired bloke that keeps confronting Mary on the grounds of the estate. He claims he's merely a traveler touring the great castles of Europe, but his fascination with our heroine and her newfound status as Hunter's wife raises a few eyebrows. So who is carrying out the gruesome crimes? The answer comes in time, and it's a bit of a shocker when the film reveals all.

"The Virgin of Nuremberg" is an excellent example of gothic horror. Margheriti had some experience in this genre before making this film. His "Castle of Blood," for instance, is a prime example of gothic horror that fans often compare to Mario Bava's "Black Sunday." "Nuremberg" differs from these two films in that Margheriti shot the picture in color, ramped up the gore somewhat, and employed Riz Ortolani to give it that odd musical score. Colors fairly leap off the screen here, and an eye gouging and nasty nasal atrocity coupled with the grisly unmasking of the murderer gives the movie a bloody punch it desperately needs. If it weren't for the vivid color scheme and the carnage, "Nuremberg" would drag like a lead weight. That's because for the vast majority of the film's runtime, nothing much happens. I challenge you not to look at your watch after seeing Mary Hunter run about the castle in a dither for the umpteenth time. Moreover, the movie doesn't adequately utilize the talents of Christopher Lee. Sure, his character is sinister and crucial to the plot, but it's pretty obvious nearly any actor could play this part with as much effectiveness. Aside from the violence and the look of the movie, I'd have to say "The Virgin of Nuremberg" isn't anything special. It's worth watching once, certainly, but that's about it.

Shriek Show, a label of Media Blasters, gives Margheriti's film a decent treatment. The picture transfer is nice, not perfect, occasionally marred by slight imperfections. Extras include a photo and poster gallery and a trailers for the films "Faceless," "Flesh for the Beast," "The Virgin of Nuremberg," and "Flesh Eater." I'll give "Virgin" three stars; the visual look on display here and the conclusion to the film helps counterbalance the picture's deficits, but just barely. Christopher Lee completists will want to add this to their collection, but all others should definitely rent first.

OK but not great Euro thriller.......2004-10-05

I bought this movie because I once saw part of it on TV about 25 years ago and remembered it. The part I saw was where the psycho killer grabs a good looking woman and drags her down to the dungeon of the castle where he ties her into a chair and places a cage over her head and then releases a rat which eats part of her nose while she screams in agony and terror. I also liked Rosanna Podesta in Helen of Troy and, of course, Christopher Lee is always a plus. Unfortunately, that was just about the only really good scene like that in the movie. This is a very stylishly made Euro production with great atmosphere, etc. but that's about it. It is supposed to be a castle in Germany but it is obviously sunny Italy or someplace similar in the Mediterranean. The virgin is, of course, the nickname for the infamous torture device that you lock a victim inside which closes with spkes that penetrate the body. Someone is using the device to murder people. Who can it be? Rosanna is a young foreign-born wife who is brought to the castle by her husband. Can it be him? Or is it his trusty employee Christopher Lee? The movie almost has a kind of gothic feel to it as the young woman ponders how much is really happening? Is it really a dream? Am I imagining all this because of the spooky new surroundings, etc? Everybody always keeps telling her that everything is all right. Well, you get it. Christopher Lee is largely wasted as all he really ever does is pose and look spooky and grunt a few lines here and there. The ending is pretty run of the mill and they even manage to blame it all on Hitler and the Nazis. I was kind of disappointed. It needed more torture scenes like the rat scene.

LITTLE SEEN EURO-SHOCKER LOOKS GOOD...........2004-04-11

AKA "Horror Castle", this rarely seen German-Italian horror film has been handled well and is a find for collectors. Dubbed in English and directed by Antonio Margheriti ("Castle of Blood"), it concerns a new bride (Rosana Podesta) discovering the eyeless corpse of a woman inside an ancient iron maiden (the "Virgin") in her husband's ancestral castle on the Rhine. Told by everyone it was just a nightmare, she suspects something more and sure enough discovers Christopher Lee (as Erik), a war disfigured handyman, acting suspiciously around some antique surgical instruments. Later, the sinister housekeeper balefully informs her that an infamous ancestor, "the Punisher", is back and bent on torturing and killing "shameless women". There is a mysterious costumed and hooded figure running around the castle and Podesta witnesses him placing a rat cage (with a very hungry and large rat) over a screaming woman's face. Meanwhile her husband is acting suspicious and a strange American who may be an FBI agent is lurking around the estate. It won't be long before Podesta is next on the killer's torture list. Nicely done in color and a very good print, "Virgin" is a lurid and creepy shocker with a couple of truly grisly scenes...the rat cage sequence being one of them. Podesta runs around in negligees discovering torture equipment, skulls and other goodies. The soundtrack features a Euro-jazz score with the scary music rising to crescendos at every twist and turn. It's no work of art, but a pretty good chiller with some good photography and atmospheric interiors (and exteriors) of the castle. I thought it could've used some more ghoulishness and less running around but as it is it isn't bad and worth checking out. Euro-horror lovers should like it.

Shocking fright fest.......2004-03-25

This is an excellent print of a good 60's Italian horror film. Previously hard to find on VHS, this fine presentation does the movie justice. The story concerns a mysterious torturer in a European castle. The acting is just fair, but it is sincere, and Christopher Lee is always a plus. Colors and make-up are very good, with just enough action to keep one interested. However, be forwarned that although this was released in the 60's, there are a couple of scenes that are particularly violent. The Nazi subtext fits the story well. Not a great movie by any means, but by today's horror movie standards, it's "Citizen Cane". Also known as "Horror Castle".

Charlie Rose - A conversation about Germany; Richard Sonnenfeldt (April 30, 2007)

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Charlie Rose - A conversation about Germany; Richard Sonnenfeldt (April 30, 2007)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose, Inc.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Witness to Nuremberg

ASIN: B000PIT0TY
Release Date: 2007-05-07

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First, A conversation about Germany with Karen Donfried, Executive Vice President of the German Marshall Fund and Oscar-winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. They discuss Angela Merkel, the first female Chancellor of Germany, the first former citizen of the German Democratic Republic to lead the reunited Germany and the first woman to lead Germany since it became a modern nation-state in 1871. She is also, as of 2007, the youngest person to be German chancellor since the Second World War. Next, A conversation with Richard Sonnenfeldt, chief interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials.

Nazi War Crimes Nuremberg Trial Newsreel Collection on DVD - Detailing the Atrocities of Goebels, Goring, Himmler and Others and Their Punishments

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Nazi War Crimes Nuremberg Trial Newsreel Collection on DVD - Detailing the Atrocities of Goebels, Goring, Himmler and Others and Their Punishments

Manufacturer: The Historical Archive
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

World War II | Military & War | Genres | DVD | Video

Classic Nuremberg Trials Newsreels DVD: 1945 1946 Nuremberg Nazi War Crimes Trial Footage Including A Brief Execution By Hanging
The American Experience: The Nuremberg Trials
The Goebbels Experiment
Nuremberg - Tyranny on Trial (History Channel)

ASIN: B000O7BRJ2

Product Description

The Nuremberg trial film collection includes the one hour Russian documenary Nuremberg Trials as well as four newsreels covering various aspects of the Nuremberg trial from its opening to its final conclusion. The Nuremberg Trials Russian documentary is a one hour production of the Nuremberg trials by director C. Svilov and gives a very graphic and complete portrayal of the trials and the evidence presented agains the accused. It includes information on many notorious Germans including Goebels, Goring and Himmler. This production is presented in English. Newsreels: Nuremberg War Crimes Trials Open, 1945/11/29 - This newsreel documents the opening of the trials. Robert Jackson speaks and the judge asks each defendant to plead either guilty or not guilty. Nazis Face War Crime Evidence, 1945/12/06 - The Nuremberg trials continue. Evidence of the torture of humans is presented and a chart showing the Hitler dynasty is shown and explained. War Criminal Trials Draw Towards End, , 1946/08/26 - England's prosecutor speaks and steps are taken to conclude the trials. Twenty-one Nazi Chiefs Guilty, 1946/10/08 - verdicts are handed down at the conclusion of the 10 month Nuremberg trial. This short collection of newsreels is in black and white and presented in English. The video quality varies - sometimes quite clear and sometimes a bit washed out.

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Beautifully lit and photographed.
Slow moving gothic horror
OK but not great Euro thriller
LITTLE SEEN EURO-SHOCKER LOOKS GOOD....
Shocking fright fest

Virgin of Nuremberg
Starring: Rossana Podestà , Georges Rivière , Christopher Lee , Jim Dolen , and Lucile Saint-Simon
Director: Antonio Margheriti
Manufacturer: Shriek Show
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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