In the Name of the People_
In this German film, inmates guilty of a prison murder are put on trial before a court consisting of other inmates. The trial is given the full formal treatment it might receive in a civilian setting. The key point in this film is that these are the actual murderers admitting their actual crimes before a judges' panel consisting of their peers: actual prisoners at the same institution. Having no force of law, the trial proceeds without reaching a conclusion. That is something the viewer is asked to provide. This movie won a Silver Bear from the 1974 Berlin Film Festival.
Starring
Gerd Siekmann, Heinz-Dietrich Stark, Hajo Wandschneider
Updated Feb 16, 2026
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Year context
In the Name of the People was released 52 years ago in 1974.
Overview
In this German film, inmates guilty of a prison murder are put on trial before a court consisting of other inmates. The trial is given the full formal treatm...
In the Name of the People is a Documentary film with a runtime of 2h 8m.
CAST (3)
GS
Gerd Siekmann
Richter
HS
Heinz-Dietrich Stark
Anstaltsleiter
HW
Hajo Wandschneider
Rechtsanwalt
DETAILS
Release
Status
Released
Runtime
128 min (2h 8m)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is In the Name of the People about?
In this German film, inmates guilty of a prison murder are put on trial before a court consisting of other inmates. The trial is given the full formal treatment it might receive in a civilian setting. The key point in this film is that these are the actual murderers admitting their actual crimes before a judges' panel consisting of their peers: actual prisoners at the same institution. Having no force of law, the trial proceeds without reaching a conclusion. That is something the viewer is asked to provide. This movie won a Silver Bear from the 1974 Berlin Film Festival.
How long is In the Name of the People?
In the Name of the People has a runtime of 128 minutes (2h 8m).
Who stars in In the Name of the People?
The cast of In the Name of the People includes Gerd Siekmann, Heinz-Dietrich Stark, Hajo Wandschneider.
GENRES (1)
Documentary