Nuremburg: Its Lesson for Today [The Schulberg/Waletzky Restoration]
Introduction
Nuremburg: Its Lesson for Today shows how the international prosecutors at the first Nuremberg trial (1945-1946) built their case against the top Nazi leaders using the Nazis’ own films and records. The images they showed in the courtroom are still shocking today. The trial established the “Nuremberg Principles” — the foundation for all subsequent trials for crimes against the peace, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
When you order Nuremburg: Its Lesson for Today, you will receive a 2-disc box set (DVD + Blu-ray) that includes 14 hours of bonus films and interviews, plus 2 study guides, an essay by Nuremberg prosecutor Benjamin Ferencz, and an extensive bibliography.
Featured review
Synopsis
Made by Stuart Schulberg for the U.S. Department of War in 1948, Nuremburg was widely shown in Germany as part of the Allies’ denazification campaign, but for political reasons the U.S. government did not release Nuremburg to American theaters or in any other country. Over the years, the original movie negative and sound elements were lost or destroyed, but a few prints survived. More than 60 years later, Stuart's daughter, Sandra Schulberg, painstakingly restored the film with Josh Waletzky. They made a new 35mm negative from the best German print, preserving the original film with no editing changes. Their restoration uses original audio from the trial, allowing audiences to hear the defendants’ and prosecutors’ voices for the first time. Actor Liev Screiber was engaged to re-record Stuart Schulberg's original narration.
The film ends with a stirring plea: ”Let Nuremberg stand as a warning to all who plan and wage aggressive war.” That plea leaps the decades and makes Nuremburg a startlingly contemporary investigation into the root causes of war and the crimes against civilian populations committed during every war.
Reviews
Awards and Screenings
Director Commentary
Features and Languages
Film Features
- Closed Captioning
- DVD Extras
- Subtitles
- Transcript
- Resources for Educators
Subtitle/Caption Languages
- English
- Spanish
Promotional Material
Promotional Stills
This is a historically significant restoration of the long-suppressed 1948 film, now available for the first time in HD. To give viewers historical context, Nuremburg comes with 8 bonus films (including 3 films shown in the Nuremberg courtroom as evidence), 14 interviews, and 2 study guides, one of which is a history of international criminal justice. The interviews were shot specifically to shed light on the approach taken to the trial and its legacy today. Topics include denazification/re-education, amnesty, reconciliation, and reparations. These are transitional justice issues we face today. Other interviews focus on the direct link from the Nuremberg trial to the International Criminal Court, and the ad hoc tribunals in between.
With over 14 hours of video material, this “Nuremberg-Archive-in-a-Box” can be the basis for an entire course and/or support teaching in the fields of:
• Genocide & Holocaust Studies
• WWII
• War & Peace Studies
• Military History
• Law, Justice & Human Rights
• Jewish & Interfaith Studies
• History (American, German, European, Russian)
• Nazi & Neo-Nazi Ideology
• Political Science
• International Relations & Public Diplomacy
• Film & Documentary History
• Cinematography of the Holocaust
• Ethics