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Nuremberg (miniseries)

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Nuremberg is a 2000 Canadian-American television docudrama in 2 parts, based on the book Nuremberg: Infamy on Trial by Joseph E. Persico, that tells the story of the Nuremberg trials. Actual footage of camps, taken from the documentary Nazi Concentration and Prison Camps (1945), was included in this miniseries.

Nuremberg
GenreDocudrama
Written byDavid W. Rintels
Directed byYves Simoneau
StarringAlec Baldwin
Brian Cox
Christopher Plummer
Jill Hennessy
Matt Craven
Colm Feore
Christopher Heyerdahl
Michael Ironside
Max von Sydow
ComposerRichard Grégoire
Country of originCanada
United States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersMychèle Boudrias
Ian McDougall
CinematographyAlain Dostie
EditorYves Langlois
Running time180 minutes
Production companiesAlliance Atlantis
CTV
British American Entertainment
Cypress Films
Les Productions La Fête Inc.
Original release
NetworkTNT (United States)
CTV (Canada)
ReleaseJuly 16 (2000-07-16) –
July 17, 2000 (2000-07-17)

Plot

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Part one

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At the close of World War II, Hermann Göring surrenders to the United States and enjoys the hospitality of a U.S. Army Air Force base. Samuel Rosenman, acting on the orders of U.S. President Harry S. Truman, recruits U.S. Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson to prepare a war crimes tribunal against Göring and the surviving Nazi leadership. Göring, Albert Speer and others are arrested for war crimes and imprisoned in a U.S. Army stockade at Bad Mondorf in Luxembourg. Jackson, his assistant Elsie Douglas, and his prosecution team fly to Germany. Psychologist Gustave Gilbert arrives at the stockade with prisoner Hans Frank, who has attempted suicide.

Jackson negotiates with Allied representatives Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, General Iona Nikitchenko and Henri Donnedieu de Vabres to ensure a unified prosecution. Jackson selects the Nuremberg Palace of Justice for the site of the trials and reconstruction work commences. Göring and the others are stripped of their rank and transferred to the prison in Nuremberg, where they come into conflict with the guards under the command of the strict Colonel Burton C. Andrus. Major Airey Neave serves Göring, Speer and the others with their indictments. U.S. judge Francis Biddle arrives to take control of the court but reluctantly passes the honour at Jackson's insistence. Following the suicide of prisoner Robert Ley, round-the-clock watches are posted and Gilbert is appointed prisoner liaison.

Sir Geoffrey Lawrence as presiding judge opens the trial with all defendants pleading not guilty, and Jackson gives a stirring opening statement. At lunch a jovial Göring holds court over the other defendants while Speer begins to show signs of remorse. Maxwell-Fyfe puts forward an emotive eyewitness account of the Nazis' genocidal policies toward Jews and others, while Jackson reads out dry documentation. As the court begins to tire of Jackson's meticulous approach, Maxwell-Fyfe urges pushing on to the witness interviews, which reveal the horrors of the concentration camps. The court is shaken by documentary footage of the camps; even Göring appears unsettled.

Part two

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Speer explains Göring's dominance to Gilbert and insists that his control over the others must be broken. Göring takes the stand and begins using it to speak to the German people. Jackson, at Gilbert's suggestion, has Göring isolated. Under cross-examination, Göring outmaneuvers and humiliates Jackson, who later accuses Biddle of giving Göring free rein in court. Douglas talks Jackson out of tendering his resignation, and the two share a kiss. Under advice from Maxwell-Fyfe, Jackson returns to the courtroom to confront Göring with evidence of his crimes against the Jews and successfully dismisses the defendant’s denials.

At a Christmas party, the German housekeeper refuses to serve the Soviets, but Douglas rescues the situation before slipping away with Jackson. Gilbert visits the defendants and, under Jackson's advice, attempts to convince them to take responsibility for their crimes. Andrus relaxes the prison rules for Christmas, and Göring shares a friendly drink with his guard, Lt. Tex Wheelis. The cross-examination of the defendants intensifies and the defence calls Rudolf Höss, who casually reveals the horrors of Auschwitz. Speer is implicated in the enslavement of foreign workers by fellow defendant Fritz Sauckel and in response accepts collective responsibility for the crimes of the Nazi regime.

Gilbert interviews Göring's wife Emmy, who reveals that Hitler had ordered them all executed, which led to the family's surrender. Jackson is moved by Gilbert's summation of his examinations – that the source of the evil behind Nazi Germany was a complete lack of empathy – to give an impassioned closing statement. Göring uses his final statement to condemn the trial, and is sentenced along with several others to death by hanging. Speer uses his final statement to commend the tribunal and is sentenced to 20 years in prison. Göring commits suicide after his request to be executed by firing squad is denied. Andrus presides over the executions of the others while Jackson and Douglas head home.

Cast

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Reception

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In the United States, the miniseries aired on the network TNT, where it received the highest-ever viewership ratings for a basic cable miniseries up to that point.[1]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2001
 American Cinema Editors Awards Best Edited Episode from a Television Mini-Series Yves Langlois (for "Part 2") Nominated [2]
Artios Awards Best Casting for Mini-Series Iris Grossman Nominated [3]
Gemini Awards Best Dramatic Miniseries Peter Sussman, Gerald W. Abrams,
Alec Baldwin, Mychèle Boudrias,
Jon Cornick, Suzanne Girard, and
Ian McDougall 		Won [4]
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries Alec Baldwin Nominated
Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Supporting Role in a Dramatic Program
or Miniseries 		Brian Cox Won
Best Direction in a Dramatic Program or Miniseries Yves Simoneau Nominated
Best Costume Design Mario Davignon Nominated
Best Achievement in Makeup Micheline Trépanier and Carl Fullerton Nominated
Best Original Music Score for a Program or Miniseries Richard Grégoire Nominated
Best Photography in a Dramatic Program or Series Alain Dostie Nominated
Best Production Design or Art Direction in a Dramatic Program or Series Guy Lalande and Frances Calder Won
Best Overall Sound in a Dramatic Program or Series Claude La Haye, Lou Solakofski,
Orest Sushko, and Ian Rankin 		Nominated
Best Sound Editing in a Dramatic Program or Series Paul Shikata, Donna G. Powell,
Rick Cadger, and Ronayne Higginson 		Nominated
Best Visual Effects Noel Hooper, Mark Fordham,
Robin Mitchell, and Michael Pieczonka 		Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [5]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Alec Baldwin Nominated
Brian Cox Nominated
Golden Reel Awards Best Sound Editing – Television Mini-Series – Dialogue & ADR Richard Cadger and Ronayne Higginson Won
Best Sound Editing – Television Mini-Series – Effects & Foley Richard Cadger and Paul Shikata Nominated
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Miniseries Nominated [6]
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Brian Cox Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Music in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best New Theme Song in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Sound in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Miniseries Peter Alan Sussman, Suzanne Girard,
Jonathan Cornick, Alec Baldwin,
Gerald W. Abrams, Ian McDougall, and
Mychèle Boudrias 		Nominated [7]
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Brian Cox Won
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie Lou Solakofski, Orest Sushko, and
Ian Rankin (for "Part 2") 		Won
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Paul Shikata, Richard Cadger,
Ronayne Higginson, and Donna Powell
(for "Part 2") 		Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Nominated [8]
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [9]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Jill Hennessy Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie Alec Baldwin Nominated [10]
Brian Cox Nominated

Historical inaccuracies

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In the film, Göring, his wife, and daughter drove and surrendered to an unnamed American air corps base in Germany on May 12, 1945. In reality, Göring, after sending an aide to Brigadier General Robert I. Stack in which he offered to surrender to Dwight D. Eisenhower personally, was discovered and arrested in a traffic jam near Radstadt by a detachment of the Seventh United States Army, which was sent through the German lines to find him and bring him to a secure American position, on May 6, 1945.[11]

Wilhelm Keitel was described in the film as an admiral during the defendants' sentencing. He was in fact a field marshal and would not have been identified with naval rank. However, he is correctly addressed as field marshal in other parts of the film.

In the film, Jackson describes the Nuremberg's Justice Palace as "the same building where Nuremberg Laws were decreed to deprive all the German Jews all of their rights". In reality, the Nuremberg Laws were introduced by the Reichstag at a special meeting at the annual Nuremberg Rally of the NSDAP. Nuremberg's Justice Palace was, as it has always been, a regional court for the local area and the building had no association with the annual Party Rally during the Nazi era.

In the film, Robert Ley was shown to have committed suicide before the trial even began. In reality, Ley committed suicide three days after receiving the indictment, on October 24, 1945. However, similarly to what was depicted in the film, Ley actually committed suicide by strangling himself with a noose that was made by his towel and was fastened to the toilet pipe in his prison cell.

Justice Jackson is portrayed as initially failing in his cross-examination of Gӧring and emerging triumphant on the second day. In reality, the cross-examination was a disaster and severely damaged Jackson's reputation. This situation was recovered by Maxwell Fyfe.[12]

The verdicts and sentences were pronounced together with all defendants present. In reality, verdicts and sentences were pronounced separately and the defendants were called one at a time into the courtroom to learn their sentence. Andrus was not present at the executions.

When the defendants were indicted by Major Neave they all made oral statements. In reality, these statements were collected by Captain Gustave Gilbert. He asked the defendants to write their first reactions on a copy of the indictments.[13]

In the film, Albert Speer was arrested when he was giving a lecture to American soldiers. In reality, Speer was arrested together with Karl Dönitz and Alfred Jodl in Flensburg where they had set up a provisional government.[14]

In the film, Captain Gilbert is graciously given the right to talk to the prisoners by Col. Andrus in exchange for a library and an exercise field. In reality, Gilbert was specifically appointed to talk to the prisoners by the US military. The idea was that Andrus was to be informed by Gilbert about the state of mind of the prisoners.[15]

The tribunal is depicted as having four judges. In reality, there were eight, a senior and a junior from each of the four Allied powers.

In the film, Göring's wife and daughter visit him in prison together shortly before his death, but in reality, only his wife was present at that final visit. Also, Göring's suicide is discovered in the film when the guards come for Joachim von Ribbentrop, but in reality Göring himself was to be executed first. Ribbentrop was not sentenced to execution until after Göring's suicide had already been discovered.

At the executions, the condemned state their names on the gallows and make their final statements in English. In reality, the condemned said their names at the bottom of the steps to the gallows and spoke in German, with an interpreter on the gallows. In addition, all of the executions are portrayed as being carried out correctly. In reality, some of the hangings were reportedly botched as not all of the executed Nazis fell with enough force to break the neck, and the trap door was too small causing bleeding head injuries to some of the men, as shown in pictures of the bodies. Only one unpainted gallows is shown with two trap doors and nooses in the film, but in reality there were three black-painted gallows in the gymnasium. Two were in use, with one as a spare.

The executions happened in the depth of night – not in daylight as in the film – and press photographers were not allowed in to witness the hangings themselves. Hermann Göring is also seen killing himself minutes before the executions, rather than hours.

The executions of Wilhelm Frick, Alfred Rosenberg, and Arthur Seyss-Inquart are not shown.

Streaming

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In 2017, parts 1 & 2 were released online on Canada Media Fund's Encore+ YouTube channel.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dempsey, John (2000-08-02). "Cartoon, A&E and Lifetime top July chart". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  2. ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "2001 Artios Awards". www.castingsociety.com. October 4, 2001. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "2001 Gemini Winners". playbackonline.ca. Playback. Retrieved June 6, 2022.
  5. ^ "Nuremberg – Golden Globes". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "5th Annual Television Awards (2000-01)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  7. ^ "Nuremberg". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  8. ^ McNary, Dave (January 10, 2001). "PGA Golden Laurel noms come of age". Variety. Archived from the original on September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  9. ^ "International Press Academy website – 2001 5th Annual SATELLITE Awards". Archived from the original on 1 February 2008.
  10. ^ "The 7th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards". Screen Actors Guild Awards. January 29, 2002. Retrieved July 12, 2023.
  11. ^ The 36th Infantry Division Association Library
  12. ^ Robertson, John. "The worst cross-examination in history?". www.advocates.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-07-07.
  13. ^ G.M. Gilbert, Nuremberg diaries, (New York 1974).
  14. ^ Overy, Richard (2002). Interrogations: Inside the Minds of the Nazi Elite. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-028454-6.
  15. ^ G.M. Gilbert, Nuremberg diaries, (New York 1974) page 3.
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