Screening for the first time in the U.S. is the historically riveting 1948 documentary, “Nuremberg: Its Lesson For Today.” “Nuremberg” chronicles the Nuremberg Trial of 1945-1946, where the top leaders of the Nazi party were tried. This court proceeding set the standard throughout the world for prosecuting war criminals and crimes against humanity.
Almost as important, and certainly as interesting, is the history surrounding the making of “Nuremberg: Its Lesson For Today.” To talk about the film and enlighten the audience about its historical significance as well as what was involved in its making, its suppression and its recent restoration is Sandra Schulberg, director of this newly restored documentary and daughter of original film director Stuart Schulberg. Schulberg will appear at the Nuart Theatre on Saturday and Sunday at the 5:15 p.m., 7:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. shows. She’ll also appear at the 3:00 p.m. show on Sunday. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at the 5:15 and 7:30 p.m. screenings, Schulberg will also be on hand to answer questions.
On Monday, June 6, Michael Berenbaum, Director of the Sigi Ziering Institute: Exploring the Ethical and Religious Implications of the Holocaust, at the American Jewish University joins Schulberg at the Nuart at the 5:15 and 7:30 p.m. screenings. Berenbaum is also the co-producer of the Oscar-winning film “One Survivor Remembers: The Gerda Weissman Klein Story.”
Some interesting background information from Schulberg’s press notes concerns how Stuart Schulberg became involved in the production. In preparing for the Nuremberg Trial, U.S. Chief Prosecutor, Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson knew that he wanted to use the Nazis’ own documentary film footage as evidence against the Nazi defendants. Meticulous record keepers, the Nazis kept written and filmed evidence of their entire war operation, including footage from their concentration camps, medical experiments, executions, as well as military speeches, signed affidavits, etc.
Therefore, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) film team, under Hollywood director John Ford, sent Budd and Stuart Schulberg to assemble such a film by combing through the seized Nazi footage. In the press notes, Sandra Schulberg says that the Schulberg brothers at times were sabotaged in their attempts to locate footage. Once they even found caches of film burning; someone had been tipped off just before they arrived. In time for the trial, the group completed the four-hour film, “The Nazi Plan” which Jackson presented in court. Clips from the U.S. and British liberation of concentration camps, titled “Nazi Concentration Camps,” were also used as evidence at the trial (and in “Nuremberg”).
The importance of this filmed proof was far more damning than any witness’ testimony. In “Nuremberg” chief prosecutor Jackson states in his opening remarks about the defendants, “We will show you their own films, you will see their own conduct and hear their own voices.” Basically, with all of this filmed and photographic evidence, the defendants convicted themselves.
Having completed “The Nazi Plan,” Pare Lorentz, head of the Film/Theatre/Music in the Civil Affairs Division of the U.S. War Department asked Stuart Schulberg and his editor Joe Zigman to create a documentary from the filmed footage of the Nuremberg Trial, which became this important “Nuremberg: Its Lesson For Today” documentary.
“Nuremberg: Its Lesson For Today” is extremely rich in historical detail both on the screen and behind the scenes. One hopes that Sandra Schulberg will somehow make an additional documentary just about the making of this “Nuremberg” restoration. But until then, you’ll have the chance to ask Schulberg your inquisitive questions this week at the Nuart Theatre.
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