Hans Rolfe Monologue Defending Holocaust Criminals | My Take | Under Lens

When wars are fought, there are more than few people responsible. In Judgment at Nuremberg, when Ernst Janning accepts the responsibility of Holocaust and regrets the decisions made by him for the greater purpose, defense attorney Hans Rolfe doesn’t have much to say. It’s a lost battle. But then he delivers one of the finest statements in courtroom drama pictured on silver screen.

Hans Rolfe tries to put pieces in picture in right order. The decisions taken by Judges being tried were wrong if calibrated against the laws established post war. However, they were in accordance with the letters of laws established in Nuremberg with a state policy and ideology in mind. If the spirit or intent behind those decisions has to be taken into account, many more entities should face the trial and that would bring everyone in front of law.

This scene is a masterpiece. Not many monologues have this kind of impact on viewers. When Maximilian Schell raced ahead of Spencer Tracy for Academy Awards, I have a reason to believe that this scene played a very important role in tilting the trophy towards the Austrian actor. Each word is placed beautifully. The sequence of events, as stated by Rolfe, has an impact on the viewer. At some point one might consider giving a waiver to the culprits. He states the facts and puts across the reason why court should be lenient. He becomes a little aggressive and one can see the German pride in his moist eyes. He vents out his anger at the other factors which helped Third Reich and later fought against it.

Maximilian Schell had a tremendous control over his body language. As he speaks, sweat on his temple, anger in his eyes and lump in his throat evokes emotions in audience. He earns respect for his ability to justify a gross wrongdoing to the humanity and at a later point, in a rhetoric condemn this respect is highlighted. In Judgment at Nuremberg,  Maximilian Schell fought against the tide and sailed well.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh