Postwar trials that shaped new laws

IN the aftermath of the Second World War, when the atrocities of the Holocaust became apparent to the world,
24 high-ranking Nazi officials were imprisoned and put on trial. The site of Nuremberg was chosen by the Allies, as it had been a central location for Nazi propaganda.

Director James Vanderbilt’s film Nuremberg (15), out now at the Regal Picturehouse in Henley, is based on The Nazi and the Psychiatrist, by Jack El-Hai.

The book is the true story of how psychiatrist Douglas M Kelley (played by Rami Malek in the film) was tasked with assessing the mental capacity of the defendants, to make sure they wouldn’t attempt suicide prior to trial. He had to assess the highest-ranking living Nazi, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring (played by Russell Crowe).

The film also tells how Supreme Court justice Robert Jackson (Michael Shannon) took on the role of US Chief of Counsel in order to prosecute the war criminals. There are powerful showdowns in court as the trials set a precedent for international law. The film has a running time of two hours and 28 minutes.

Charles Dickens’s seasonal tale A Christmas Carol is given an update in Christmas Karma (PG), directed by Gurinder Chadha.

Grumpy businessman Mr Sood (Kunal Nayyar) has to face his past, his present and his future one Christmas Eve, when three spirits guide him towards a better way of living.

With a cast including Eva Longoria, Billy Porter, Boy George and Danny Dyer, the film is all about the feelgood factor and community spirit. It has a running time of just under two hours.

Rancher Charlotte (Katherine Waterston) flees her unhappy marriage and goes back to her mother Kit (Fiona Shaw) in Park Avenue (12A), but the going isn’t always easy. Continuing is The Choral (12A).