Best Actor 1961: Maximilian Schell in Judgment At Nuremberg

Maximilian Schell won an Oscar from his first nomination for portraying defense lawyer Hans Rolfe in Judgment At Nuremberg.

This This may seem a bit of a strange win in that Schell was only in a few films before his win here and was hardly really a well-known actor at the time. It seems even odder that he defeated his veteran actor co-star Spencer Tracy. Additionally his role of Hans Rolfe is a firmly supporting one, and not the actual lead which is Spencer Tracy. Now perhaps his win is not that odd though just look at the acting winners, the academy that year had no interest in rewarding veterans even long overdue ones like Montgomery Clift for this film in the Supporting Actor category for this same film, and they really just wanted to award newcomers, since all winners were first time nominees.

Another reason that helped him win is although his role is supporting, it is a very juicy role with still a good amount of screen time even if really supporting. Hans Rolfe is a very passionate lawyer who fights to find the accused Judge Ernest Janning (Burt Lancaster) innocent on the charges of crimes committed against humanity due to his work for the Nazis. Rolfe bases his case that they were just acting within the law of their country, therefore did not do something technically wrong.

Rolfe to illustrate his points make many passionate speeches before the court. Schell excels in all these moments and does realize the want for German respect for Rolfe very well. His speeches are thrilling because Schell infuses them with great command and energy. Schell is very charismatic in his performance and does control the screen whenever he is speaking. It could be easy for the viewer to shrug off all of his points that make excuses for the horrendous crimes of the Nazis, but Schell avoids this because he just simply states Rolfe's views exceedingly well.

Now does that mean I was convinced by his points, no, but Schell's performance allows for a thoughtful discussion because of his earnest portrayal as Rolfe. Now Rolfe has many scenes where he must show how someone was "justly" convicted because they did fit into guilty of Nazi laws. If these scenes break apart the witnesses of the Nazis or victims of them. Schell is exceptional again, in his cold demeanor, and it is realistic in his calculative method of finding what he wants. Schell essentially plays the part of the old Nazi judge in using the laws in place to dismantle a witness and Schell is brutally effective in these moments and succeeds in showing how the man can achieve a guilty verdict, however, as it was in an unjust system. 

It is hard to say Schell is given a few scenes that show the true nature of his character. He is given a total of three scenes outside the courtroom. Two he speaks to Lancaster's character and shows his respect for him, and claims he did not like doing what he had to do in the courtroom. Schell is given little dialogue, and I really find he suggests this for the German respect side of this character's interpretation. I think one other scene actually in court further supports this side, and that is his face when he must react to the concentration camp footage. Schell does show quite well show that Rolfe really was very emotionally affected by the footage. We see then honesty in the earliest scenes of essentially apologizing for his actions in a more private moment, and the man's hope for any respect for Germany is sincere even if these methods are so extreme.

But really with all this, on reflection, this is a great performance, because it is honestly a performance I never forget after watching the film. And it is a performance, alongside Clift's heartbreaking performance, that brings me back to watching the film, or at least parts of the film. One being just that he is just so magnetic to watch, and if that isn't a great performance, what is? Schell makes every courtroom scene compelling with his presence as he is the powerful showman but also the passionate advocate. His final scene of condemning the whole world's actions in being complicit with the Nazis is an amazing bit of performance with how he accentuates every word in the speech in his indictment. Even if you don't agree with Rolfe, Schell forces you to see his points presented as cogently as possible and makes him an effortlessly captivating figure every moment he's onscreen. One should always admit when you're wrong, and I was, this isn't a good performance it is a great one.