Maximilian Schell

With the passing of Maximillian Schell yesterday I felt it necessary to say a few words about him. First off, if you have never seen Judgment at Nuremberg take a few hours out of your day and go see it. He gives an absolutely electric performance as a lawyer defending Nazi judges. Perhaps the most extraordinary part is the cast he was vying for attention with. There was Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift, a young William Shatner, and a couple Hogan's Heroes regulars. Despite all the star power here there is no doubt in my mind that Schell commanded the screen with this breakout role. If ever there was someone who deserved best actor he certainly did.

I must admit that this is the only film of Schell I have seen but hopefully someday down the road I will see more. I know for a fact that I want to see Nuremberg again not only for his performance but for its historical importance.