Denial

Sunday found me, for the second night in a row, at my favorite art house theater to see Denial.  This movie features a compelling story, based on actual events, about a libel case brought by an attention-seeking historian, who denies that the Holocaust happened, against a university professor claiming that her book, Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory, damaged his reputation.  This movie also features an incredible cast, including Rachel Weisz as Deborah Lipstadt, the professor forced to prove the Holocaust happened, Timothy Spall as David Irving, her accuser, Tom Wilkinson, as Richard Rampton, her barrister, and Andrew Scott (who will always and forever be Moriarty from the PBS series Sherlock in my mind), as Anthony Julius, her solicitor who is famous for representing Princess Diana in her divorce from Prince Charles.  Each give riveting performances, especially during a heated exchange while visiting Auschwitz.  Finally, this movie has a certain timely relevance in its portrayal of a man who clearly makes outrageous and provocative statements for attention and the argument about how much attention to give such a person. I do think that the action bogs down at times, rather like the sedate British legal system with all of its pomp and circumstance (Irving brought the suit in the UK because the burden of proof is on the accused).  There are no courtroom theatrics and the verdict is almost anticlimactic because everyone received the verdict before it was read in court.  However, the story, the performances, and the disturbing present-day resonance make this film worthy of a recommendation.