Some may be familiar with Ben Ferencz (1920-2023) and his role at the Nuremberg Trials but despite prior knowledge, all viewers will gain insight in this 2018 documentary that reveals Ferencz’s lifelong commitment to bringing justice to an unjust world. Born in Romania, he came to the U.S. with his parents who settled in New York City. He lived in the Bronx, attended City College, and graduated from Harvard Law School. We know much of this because Ferencz eloquently speaks to the camera retracing his life and career.
As a member of the U.S. Army, he became a war crimes investigator, liberating concentration camps. He describes much of what he saw in an emotional segment backed with some horrific footage and stills. He tells about killing squads where Nazis lined up civilians on the edge of graves before fatally shooting innocent victims. Archival mug shots show the faces of Nazis who engaged in these horrific methodical executions.
At age 27 and without trial experience, Ferencz was assigned as chief prosecutor at the Einsatzgruppen Trial, one of a dozen Nuremberg Trials. Sepia tone photos, news reports, and vintage footage inside the courtroom help document the calm determination of Ferencz to convict the perpetrators who were found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging. In addition to Ferencz, the program includes on-screen interviews with attorney Alan Dershowitz, retired U.S. General Wesley Clark, and Canadian Supreme Court justice Rosalie Silberman, among others, including Ferencz’s son.
Following the trial, Ferencz’s job in Germany wasn’t complete as he worked to recover unclaimed Jewish territories and force the government to responsibly maintain Jewish cemeteries. He practiced human rights law throughout his lifetime and is seen giving speeches into his 90s. Director Barry Avrich’s informative and accessible portrait of the last surviving Nuremberg prosecutor is a testament to Ferencz’s life and work. Recommended for history buffs and students and to augment Holocaust documentary film collections.