Film: Nuremberg

Yesterday, second Meetup in a row, and first of two films in a row - I went with Movie Roadhouse London (MRL) to Nuremberg, a representation of the famous post-World War II Nazi trials, starring Russell Crowe as Hermann Goring, Rami Malek as the psychiatrist brought in to assess the mental state of the prisoners, Michael Shannon as Robert H. Jackson, the American judge who led the prosecution, and Richard E. Grant as Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, the British prosecuting counsel. They were seeing it in the Gate Picturehouse - and our resourceful organiser booked Gold restaurant for after, for those interested! Crikey, it's 11.5 years since I was last at this cinema..

I did leave in decent time - but for whatever reason, the Jubilee Line was operating at half frequency or less, only departing every five or six minutes! Naturally, this meant there was a horrendous crush of passengers for any train that did come - I sympathised with the whimpering dog being carried by its owner. For once, the Central Line was more comfortable.. Happily, Google Maps told me which exit to take from the station, and I spied the group in the cinema lobby, just inside the window. I'd have had difficulty not finding them, the lobby is so small.. we crammed in there until it was time for the film. Our organiser spent a bit of time looking for an alternative cafe nearby, but to no avail.

Ah, Nuremberg.. I know it for a terrific Christmas market I attended some years ago: but of course, it is famous for so much more. Not only the trials, but as we're reminded during the film, the Nuremberg Laws were passed there too, barring marriage and sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews, and barring Jews from full citizenship. (Interestingly, to avoid controversy, prosecutions under these laws were delayed until after the Berlin Olympics.) By the time in which the film is set, the city has been decimated by Allied bombing, and chosen as the site of the war crimes trials that have just been decreed.

It's something of a magnum opus, this, apparently several years in the making - kudos to our organiser, again, for digging out a short documentary on the making of the film! And I have to admit, it's quite thorough. We're taken through some of the legal difficulties in setting up such a tribunal in the first place, determining whether the Allies had the right to prosecute the Nazis at all under international law. The film then focuses on the real-life relationship between Goring and the psychiatrist - who was later to write a book on his observations of the prisoners. The trial sequences are apparently based on actual transcripts, and real-life concentration camp footage, from a documentary made about them at the time, which was actually shown at the trials, is shown..

It's very well-made. The lead actors are as compelling as you might imagine - you might indeed find Goring the most sympathetic character of the lot! The beginning of the film is a nifty thriller, as the psychiatrist - our protagonist - arrives in Nuremberg, and is just thrilled to find out he's going to get to interview the Nazi high command! No more than any of us might feel, I guess: and yes, he is hoping to get a book out of it. So far, so standard - well made, exciting, pacy - however, I perked up when the trial got going, and we got a most unique courtroom drama. As to the aftermath, which has the psychiatrist being dishonourably discharged for leaking information, then promoting his book and his unfashionable ideas on radio - well, apparently, that's not quite how it happened; he wasn't dishonourably discharged, he was promoted, he never attended the courtroom, and although he did propound unfashionable ideas, it was in the book as opposed to live on air. He was an alcoholic though, and did, as stated, eventually commit suicide.

Any film released right now that focuses on the Jewish people is going to attract political commentary, given the ongoing atrocities in Gaza. But that's by no means the only conflict that ran through my head, every time someone in the film mentioned the importance of recording these events, so that "this could never happen again". Of course it could, of course it has. Again and again, all over the world. As our protagonist gloomily predicts, it could even happen in America - and the bad guys won't always wear a uniform so that we can readily identify them. Pick your villain. But nonetheless, perhaps that makes this a valuable film to watch - to remember one moment in time when people tried to do the right thing, to bring evildoers to justice. That doesn't often happen. I really liked this film, gave it the highest rating of the group - although the ratings were good, in general.

And so, off to Gold - which seemed to be a bit further away than our organiser anticipated! We came upon it eventually, and were seated on what seemed to be the middle level of a three-floor restaurant. I needed the loo, and was directed upstairs again, where I found it beside a private dining room! Back at the table.. I have to say, the photo I took does not do justice to how flipping dark it was:

Phone lights had to be switched on to read the menus - I decided on chicken, and asked for a white wine. She asked whether I'd like the house white - I asked whether they had sauvignon blanc, which amused her, because that is the house white. (How was I supposed to know?! It's not normally.) I was to be sorry I chose that - it was piss-poor. When I got her attention again, I asked for something different, and when she mentioned vermentino, I went for that and was much happier. Not with the price though, at £12 for what can't have been more than the equivalent of a small glass. (I hate it when the restaurant decides the size of glass, it's always terrible value.) So I had two, and with all the wine (three glasses) I had at the restaurant, can't have had much more than the equivalent of one large glass.

My food arrived quite a bit after the others', for whatever reason - and of course, I couldn't see it, just randomly poking at chunks on the plate, which all seemed to be doused in a sauce that might have been tomato - there was certainly a slice of tomato on the plate. I have to say, the chicken was succulent, and I ate all of it that I could find. I found no evidence of the nduja, or the Parma ham, mentioned on the menu - and for all they advertised toast, I did find a number of unprepossessing chunks of (untoasted) bread (white, I think). As I say, I ate all the chicken I could find, and gave up on it. The others seemed to do better with their choices.

We all had dessert - I fancied the chocolate and hazelnut tart, but sadly even that was a disappointment - a layer of chocolate ganache on top of a crunchy hazelnut base, the flavours not mixing at all. And for that miserable meal, I paid over £80. Well, you live and learn, and I'll never darken their doors again. At least the Tube was quieter on the way home - but it ran too late to blog last night.

And tonight, I'm off to Dragonfly, on my own.. it's the story of an elderly woman (Brenda Blethyn) needing care, and the next-door neighbour (Andrea Riseborough) who steps in to save the day: possibly with ulterior motives.. Closest showing to me is in the Garden Cinema.

Tomorrow, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for a play called Jurassic, at Soho Theatre.

On Wednesday, headed with TAC to Maybe I Should Stop, at the Drayton Arms.

On Thursday, the Crick Crack Club is in action again, in the form of Ben Haggarty, who's performing The Blacksmith at the Bridge of Bones, at the Story Museum Oxford. Happily, they livestream it - available for a week afterwards - so I'm free to go with UITCS again that day, who are headed to Sadler's Wells for Ballet Black, performing Shadows. Eating beforehand in The Wilmington.

Then, two days with MRL, three with Meetup. On Friday, we're off to Pillion - showing in the BFI, this is a love story between a man and a handsome young biker.. starring Alexander Skarsgard (most memorable for his role as vampire Eric in True Blood, woo!) Booked for the Archduke again beforehand..

On Saturday, we're going to Winter Wonderland! Oh, I've been to this so many times on my own, it'll be great to go with a group.. we're all going to The Ice Palace, then skating is scheduled - not my thing, I'll be going to Cirque Berserk shortly afterwards. Then we hang out together, doing whatever..

On Sunday, back with LoMAZ for a LoMAZ unlimited - they generally limit their numbers, but have the odd event with unlimited numbers. British Museum - on this day, focused on a Nordic Noir exhibition - and afterwards to Penderel's Oak.

And next Monday, off with CT to Shake It Up - The Improvised Shakespeare Show, at the Hen & Chickens.. My sometime travel companion is coming too, and we're eating at La Pasta beforehand - handily, it's quite a late show, which gives us plenty of time.