Montgomery Clift's performance in 'Judgement at Nuremberg'

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Montgomery Clift's performance in 'Judgement at Nuremberg'

Montgomery Clift was an idol of teenage cinema audiences from 1949 to 1956, despite his matinee idol good looks he won respect of the film critics for his performances in, 'The search', and 'From here to eternity', for which he received nominations for best actor academy award, although did not win. His next nomination after 1954's 'From here to eternity', was in 1961, as best supporting actor in 'Judgement at Nuremberg'.

In 1956, a few years before he started filming for, 'Judgement in Nuremberg', Clift was involved in a terrible car crash which spoilt his matinee idol looks. In fact, his face was shattered, and prematurely aged, it looked immobile and frozen. Only his eyes remained as deep and beautiful as before the crash. The combination of the reliance on medication, due to the crash, and the fat that he was a homosexual 1950's movie star and feared discovery, added to his inner angst which made him rely heavily on drink, and he soon became an outsider in the movie-world which once begged for contracts.

After the angst he went through his decision to play the sterilized Rudolph Peterson in