The Memory of Justice

The Memory of Justice is a 1976 documentary film directed by Marcel Ophüls. It explores the subject of atrocities committed in wartime and features Joan Baez, Karl Dönitz, Hermann Göring, Hans-Joachim Kulenkampff, Yehudi Menuhin, Albert Speer and Telford Taylor.

The film was inspired by Telford Taylor's book Nuremberg and Vietnam: An American Tragedy, and Taylor is interviewed extensively during the film. But Ophüls takes the book as a starting point for exploring the possibility of people judging one another, especially in light of their behavior in other contexts, as well as dealing with individual versus collective responsibility.^[1]

The film had a difficult genesis. It was originally financed in the summer of 1973 by BBC, Polytel, and a private company based in London, Visual Programme Systems (VPS), the latter of whom had wanted the film to dwell heavily on America's involvement in Vietnam and France's involvement in Algeria. After completing rough cuts, VPS was dismayed at Ophüls work (particularly his excessive leaning on the Nuremberg Trials and Nazi involvement) and tried to remove him as director.^[2] Fortunately, Hamilton Fish V organized a group of investors who were able to buy back the rights to the film from VPS and allow Ophüls to complete it.^[3]

The film was screened at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, but wasn't entered into the main competition.^[4]

References

External links

• The Memory of Justice at the Internet Movie Database
• The Memory of Justice at Allmovie

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