Denial

Mick Jackson's 'Denial' is a powerful depiction of a very important subject that, somehow, lacks the emotional heft it should have. As far as courtroom dramas go, this one isn't the most thrilling or inventive, but it is both genuinely engaging and sincere. All of the actors provide excellent performances, especially Rachel Weisz, Timothy Spall, and Tom Wilkinson.

I recommend this movie for people who, like me, make time for conspiracy theories despite loathing them. Outside of the interesting "intentionalist versus functionalist" debate, "revisionism" erroneously connotes academic legitimacy. The title is therefore apt.

All the dialogue pertaining to the defense's fascinating legal strategy went over very well with me. That and the much appreciated verbatim courtroom dialogue comprises most of the script. My positive impressions were reinforced by subsequent research into the trial. Denial delves into the sinister practice of Holocaust denialism at its best. I stretched my viewing over several hours and basked in the cerebral delight of it.

Rachel Weisz has been given flak for a performance that did not leave me in want of anything. Though I would not say it was an award-worthy performance, I chalk that up more to the formulaic production than any shortcoming of hers. Tom Wilkinson deserves mention as her character's barrister. Timothy Spall is terrific as David Irving!

This glowing review notwithstanding, Denial has the feel of excellent television, which is no way to compliment a feature film. The defense's true-to-life legal strategy necessarily undercut the film's emotive power. The scenes at Auschwitz itself are therefore especially vital to its success for me. Including London's Boadicea and Her Daughters was a nice touch.

There's something that feels packaged and glossy here, and maybe a little bit off with Rachel Weisz's character (not sure if it's the role or the performance), but the subject matter, the true story of a libel suit brought by Holocaust denier David Irving against historian Deborah Lipstadt is compelling, poignant, and raises important questions. How does one respond to someone whose views are so distorted, whose mind is filled with racist filth, and who spews outrageous lies which stir up rage in both those who believe him and those who are horrified by him? Someone who is so far outside the norm that to engage him is to help mainstream him, but to be silent is to let his views go unchallenged and uncorrected? Someone who will quickly drag you down into the gutter he's in if you're not very careful? These are the questions Lipstadt and her legal team wrestle with, and as they're complicated and universal, I found great depth in this part of the drama.

There is a parallel here to demagogues like Trump, and we see the most important thing we must hold on to - regardless of our political or religious viewpoints - is the truth. We must have truth, not "alternative facts", propaganda, or a re-writing of history which dishonors millions and is morally wrong. It's all the more important for monstrous events in history, the crimes against humanity such as the Holocaust. The voice of suffering must be heard, to paraphrase the film.

It's in the clear-eyed, sober pursuit of truth by the barrister played by Tom Wilkinson, and in the scenes at Auschwitz, that the film is at its strongest. And as Lipstadt/Weisz puts it, "Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you want. What you can't do is lie and expect not to be held accountable for it." The film stirs up a proper amount of outrage, and for me had real tension. If you'd like a little extra helping of outrage and sadness, just read a selection of the low rating reviews out on IMDb, which seems to be a haven for the alt-right to attack films like this, or those starring or directed by African-Americans. I'm not saying if you didn't like the film you're in this group, but my god, reading some of those reviews is depressing.

Denial is a wonderful movie adaption of a gripping true story. Though a couple of decades old now, in an era of officially sanctioned "alternative" facts and liberally pedalled untruths, its story resonates just as forcefully now, as it did at the outcome of the trial which is the central focus of the narrative.

The performances are uniformally excellent, especially those of the four leading characters. The very under-rated Rachel Weisz plays American author and historian Deborah Lipstadt upon whose part biographical book, the film is based. Her publishing company Penguin Books is sued for libel in the UK, by the self-styled and self-promoting David Irving, a so-called expert historian on Nazi German history. Timothy Spall plays the oily Irving, with just the right mix of reptilian fascination. Lipstadt, deciding to defend the case in London hires a legal team led by solicitor Anthony Julius and barrister Richard Rampton, which must prove that Irving had lied about the Holocaust to win the case. Tom Wilkinson is outstandingly good, as Rampton, reputed to be at the time, one of the best legal minds in Britain, an accolade we later learn he earned with good reason. Anthony Scott, whose work is mostly seen in the film's first half provides plenty of that quietly self-deprecating, understated humour for which the Brits are well-known and which adds just the right dash of comic relief to proceedings, which frequently cover exceedingly grim territory.

Besides unveiling the overarching true contest about what constitutes true history and what is false and confronting issues of racism and anti-Semitism, Denial fascinates, with its detailing of the defence's trial strategy, with which for much of the lead-up to and trial itself, Lipstadt didn't necessarily agree. Ultimately she puts her faith in her legal team and is rewarded in a genuinely moving climax.

Director Mick Jackson, whose cinema work I haven't seen for many a day, handles the production, like the defence team itself, in a smartly proficient, non-flashy manner. This is especially noticeable when the defence team tour the skeletal remains of the Auschwitz death camp in Poland, seeking to find weaknesses in Irving's historical accounts of Nazi actions. The temptation to recreate large-scale scenes of human horror are strongly controlled and only briefly hinted at.

Denial is that rare cinematic beast. It's about as close as you'll come to getting a dramatised true story, without it falling into the documentary genre. Indeed much of the dialogue during the compelling trial scenes of the second half is taken directly from the courtroom records. I have to admit to some surprise that Denial didn't have a greater impact at some of the high profile awards ceremonies.

I've been intrigued by this movie for many years but always forget to look it up. I found it on Hulu today and was impressed. My main morbid curiosity was watching a holocaust denier defend himself. As I expected, it was embarrassing, which is why he lost the case. He grasped at straws the whole time. I kept waiting to see how he'd crawl out of the hole he'd dig himself. The worst part was the footage of his speaking and people applauding his nonsense. The fact that multiple people like that exist is terrifying. I think people are being cruel to Weisz's performance. Her character was essentially silenced, and she owned every scene she was allowed to express emotion in. Another thing people aren't taking into account is this film was 1998ish. There's too much complaining about the dialogue (all taken verbatim by the way) the style, etc. it is true to the time. It does not take place in 2016. Maybe the most important lesson we learned about this movie is people need to pay better attention.