Most
people don't expect to walk out of a movie smarter than they walked in but
seeing "Denial" not only entertains but teaches the audiences. Most
Americans don't really know about the British court system but the main
difference is that in America in libel cases the defendant is innocent until proven guilty while in England the defendant
is guilty until they can prove their innocence.
Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz)
has written a just published book "Denying The Holocaust" portraying
David Irving (Timothy Spall) as the holocaust denier he is and the
latter claims she has ruined his career, cost him a loss of income and defamed
him so sues her.
The
"Denial" is based on a true story and the courtroom scenes are word
for word from the actual trial records. Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson) defends her in court
while Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott), who was Lady Diana's solicitor in her
divorce, heads a team to prepare the case. Irving defends himself hoping to
bring his denying the holocaust to more of the public and increasing his
following while making his argument more valid. The outcome of the trial has a
lot at stake on both sides and while some may go into the movie knowing the
ending they will still get caught up in the trial.
It has
been awhile since there has been a good trial movie and this fills that absence
with both parties agreeing to the judge making the decision instead of the
hearing being in front of a jury. His final decision is over a 300 page report
and everyone in the audience where I was holding
their breath and some even vocalizing at
the decision.
From the opening scene, where Irving confronts Lipstadt, giving a lecture in a full hall, to the last scene in
"Denial", the film holds your attention and the three leads Weisz, Wilkinson and Spall are
standouts, especially the latter who as a despicable person may make you shake
your head back and forth but will hold you interest. The supporting cast
doesn't have a less than worthy player.
A film about the holocaust doesn't immediately bring laughter to
mind but with Lipstadt, as a 'fish out of water', provides quite a few smiles and, in
some cases outright laughter, as the differences in the ways of Americans and
Brits, especially in the courtroom, come about naturally.
While I
wasn't so emotionally involved as I thought I would be I was more
intellectually involved than I usually am with a movie.
An
aside: I have finally found someone who has written, and keeps, more diaries
than I did/have and he makes my collection look like nothing!
MOVIE
TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yH7ktvUWaYo