Nuremberg

Most people of my generation will remember the film Judgment at Nuremberg, made in 1961, with a star cast of Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Werner Klemperer, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, William Shatner, and Montgomery Clift, depicting a version of the Judges' Trial of 1947, one of the twelve Nuremberg Military Tribunals held. In addition programmes such as The World at War also covered the trials, as part of its assessment of the aftermath of the Second World War.

Now there is a new film presenting a fictionalised, but essentially true story of the main trial of the surviving Nazi leaders, with particular emphasis on the fate of Herman Goering.

It is based upon Jack El-Hai's history book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist about the relationship between Army psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (played by Rami Malek) and imprisoned German leader Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) before the Nuremberg trials.

Although the film gives more significance to Kelley than he actually deserved, and for a time seems to make Goering a reasonable person, the final message is nevertheless one which must be repeated for as long as such evil as the Nazis exist in the world

Initially Goering's undoubted intelligence is clear, and his ability to dissemble apparently somewhat undermines the truth about him, the final part of the film, when the footage of the true horrors of the concentration camps, which was actually shown at the trial, reveals the extent of the crimes, and exposes his claims to know nothing about them, as the lies they were.

The actors are excellent, with Michael Shannon as the American prosecutor Robert Jackson, who did in fact stumble when confronting Goering, but was rescued by the British prosecutor David Maxwell-Fyfe, played by Richard E. Grant, who nails the Nazi's lies, and defeats his attempts to wriggle out of responsibility. Rami Malek is good, but the character is perhaps too naive when coming face to face with an evil he finds difficult to comprehend. Russell Crowe is outstanding in the role of Goering, and I would consider his performance worthy of an Oscar.

Whatever its shortcoming the timing of its release is important. As Kelley makes clear we must never forget what happened, and be determined that it never happens again. It should also be compulsory viewing for those stupid, ignorant youngsters who have recently taken to the streets yelling Hitler was right, and calling for the murder of the Jewish people. Although the scenes of British army bulldozers pushing hundreds of bodies into communal pits is bad enough there is one report which shows just how vile the Nazis were. In winter they made Jews stand naked in the snow for hours, while throwing cold water on them, until they died of hypothermia and exposure. The Nazis were barbaric, sadistic sociopaths, and it was not just the leaders, as it was individual SS men tormenting innocents in this manner.

The execution of those leaders was filly justified, and there were many more who deserved the same, but escaped the hangman's noose.