About the Episode
In this special episode, Playtone executive and producer Kirk Saduski interviews Nuremberg director James Vanderbilt and the film’s historical advisor Michael Berenbaum, as well as best-selling author Donald Miller and historian Rebecca Erbelding.
The new film Nuremberg stars award-winning actors Russell Crowe, Rami Malek, and Michael Shannon. It follows the story of the Allies, led by the unyielding chief prosecutor, Robert H. Jackson (Shannon), as they endeavor to ensure the Nazi regime answers for the unveiled horrors of the Holocaust—all while a US Army psychiatrist (Malek) is locked in a dramatic psychological duel with former Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring (Crowe).
The film is based on the book The Nazi and the Psychiatrist by Jack El-Hai.
Topics Covered in this Episode
- Nuremberg Trials
- Hermann Göring
- The Holocaust
- Aftermath of World War II
James Vanderbilt
James Vanderbilt is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. His credits include Zodiac (2007), Truth (2015), and Nuremberg (2025).
Kirk Saduski
Playtone executive and producer Kirk Saduski was the executive-in-charge for HBO’s Band of Brothers, co-producer of HBO’s The Pacific, and co-producer of Apple TV+’s Masters of the Air.
Donald Miller, PhD
Best-selling author and historian Don Miller is well known to friends and members of The National WWII Museum for his works such as Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany; D-Days in the Pacific; and The Story of World War II.
Michael Berenbaum
Michael Berenbaum is a Holocaust scholar who served as Nuremberg’s historical advisor. He is the former director of the Holocaust Research Institute at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Rebecca Erbelding, PhD
Rebecca Erbelding is an award-winning author, educator, and historian of American responses to the Holocaust. She is an educator and historian at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
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TopicThe Nuremberg Trials
After the war, Allied powers—United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union—came together to bring Nazi officials to justice. Over the course of thirteen total trials from 1945 to 1949, beginning with the International Military Tribunal in 1945, Nazi leaders stood trial for crimes against peace, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit these crimes.
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Article Type
The Women Prosecutors at the Nuremberg Trials
Women lawyers at the Nuremberg Trials were more than assistants. They played important roles in shaping international criminal law. Their contributions add nuance to the Nuremberg narrative and shed light on the early presence of women in international justice.
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Defining 'Genocide' After World War II
The concept of genocide has fundamentally altered international law, history, and global geopolitics forever, transforming the way we understand mass violence in the modern world.
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'The Grave Responsibility of Justice': Justice Robert H. Jackson's Opening Statement at Nuremberg
Justice Robert H. Jackson’s opening statement at the Nuremberg Trials remains one of the most famous and influential oratories in the canon of international law and criminal jurisprudence.
World War II On Topic is made possible by The Herzstein Foundation.