Remembering Maximilian Schell

Maximilian Schell, who died last week at age 82, was one of the greatest actors in history. Few if any gave performances as great as he did both in film and on the stage.

As “The Man in the Glass Booth,” not only was his performance in the film “relevant,” as his accused war criminal character intoned, but among the best you will ever see.

Schell won the 1961 Academy Award for “Judgment at Nuremberg” and was nominated for his performance in “The Man in the Glass Booth”

Far deeper, brighter and cogent people than me, could not possibly justify, rationalize or even find any understanding regarding the horrors of events in Europe during the 1930’s and 40’s.

Tragically and criminally, people were systematically killed.

In watching Schell in both “Judgment” and “Glass Booth” one can gain insight into the complexities of sick, disturbed evil. He was a refugee from those horrors in real life, yet he was great and convincing in his roles as a war criminal, in “The Man in the Glass Booth,” and a defense attorney for them, in “Judgment at Nuremberg.”

Maybe Mr. Schell in “heaven,” can help create a karma that will trend toward good, or at least far from such horrible evil on this oh so vulnerable planet.