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Clip description
Joseph Mueller (Max von Sydow) is cross-examined by the prosecuting counsel (Nancy Black). She questions Joseph about the evidence of his identity being destroyed in the bombing of Dresden in the Second World War. Iya Zetnick (Julia Blake) appears on television to repeat her claim that Joseph is a war criminal.
Curator’s notes
The long tracking shot at the beginning of this courtroom scene captures the face of every significant player in Joseph Mueller’s trial, including the 12 men and women of the jury. The dialogue running beneath this shot is at first mundane legal procedure followed by the prosecuting counsel’s straightforward initial question.
Sound and image come together powerfully when the camera closes in on Mueller at the counsel’s second, much more provocative question. The sequence at Anna and Bobby’s pub shows how trial by media has become a fixture of modern life.
