On 17 January 2014, Center for Law and Policy screened Judgment at Nuremburg for the students of the LL.B. program at the UMT School of Law and Policy. The movie was also a part of the course Skills Development-I taught by Syed Imad-ud-Din Asad [LL.M. (Harvard); Founder and Director, Center for Law and Policy; Founding Director and Associate Professor, UMT School of Law and Policy] in the LL.B. program.
Loosely based on real-life events, post-World War II, Judgment at Nuremberg is a film about four Nazis being tried in a war crimes court in occupied Germany in 1948. Starring Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, and Richard Widmark, this film was released in 1961 and won two Oscars.
Spencer Tracy plays the central role of Judge Haywood who is among a panel of judges, required to hear the trial of four Nazis accused of committing war crimes. The film examines the role of the individual in following orders to commit 'immoral acts' as a service to the government. Its popularity also stems from the fact that actual footage of corpses was shown in various clips. In the end, Haywood convicts all four Nazis who are sent to jail for life.
The movie was followed by a thorough discussion about the atrocities that took place during World War II in contravention of the international laws in place at that time.
© Copyright UMT, 2015. All Rights reserved.