James Vanderbilt, the director of Nuremberg revealed the courtroom scene between Michael Shannon (Robert H. Jackson, the US lawyer who, during the Nuremberg Trials, was key in prosecuting Nazi war criminals) and Russel Crowe (Adolf Hitler’s henchman) was a cumbersome 25-minute take.
“… We set up, and we were doing 25-minute takes with no cuts, and they were word-perfect every time because we took all the real transcripts”, Vanderbilt shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
He continued, “After the first take, the entire courtroom of extras applauded Michael and Russell. Just watching those two gentlemen put on a master class…. I’ve never shot a 25-minute take in a movie in my life. I don’t think I ever will again. That, I think, was one of the most amazing [experiences].”
The 49-year star also highly praised his colleague Crowe, “… he fully committed and invested in the movie and did an incredible amount of research. He travelled around Germany to the different places in [Goring’s] childhood. He really put himself in depth to it.”
“And I’m just eternally grateful for the commitment he put into this film and the work he did because he’s Russell forever. He doesn’t necessarily need to do that anymore, but he was as hungry as an actor as I’ve ever seen anyone, and that was a true gift,” James Vanderbilt concluded.
