Denial (2016)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on November 14, 2016 @ tonymacklin.net.

This used to be a world in which a fool with a fact could beat a genius with a generality.

Now a fool doesn't even need a fact.

Debater #1: "The proven fact is that the world is not flat."

Debater #2: "Well, my honest opinion is that the world is flat."

Audience: "Ok, You win. The world is flat."

Denial is a film about fact and opinion. It's about basic conflict over the Holocaust. The film is based on an actual event and a non-fiction book by Deborah Lipstadt about her experience.

Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) was a professor at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. She published a book about the Holocaust in which she demeaned a writer David Irving (Timothy Spall), who had debunked the idea of the Holocaust. For him, it never existed, so Hitler had nothing to do with it.

Irving sues Lipstadt for libel in 1996, and in 2000 a trail by judge (Hilton McRae) is held in England. In England, the burden is on her to prove her case. It's on the person being sued, not the one who sues.

Therefore her legal experts do not want to put her or the victims of the Holocaust on the witness stand, because they know Irving, who is his own attorney, would destroy them and win the case.

The film is about denial of the Holocaust. It's also about denial of self, since Lipstadt has to surrender her own conscience to those defending her if she is to win.

One of the problems with Denial is that it lacks the fire of conscience and replaces it with cool legal strategy.

But maybe the Holocaust deserves fire, not just cool contemplation.

The screenplay for Denial is written by successful British playwright David Hare, and some of the language is sharp.

When barrister Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson) meets Lipstadt in her British living quarters, some of his language is smart. As he pours wine, he says to her, "Why should all the bad people have all the good things in life - like this?" And talking about conscience, Rampton says, "Strange thing - conscience. Trouble is what feels best isn't necessarily what works best."

But Hare skimps on the main character. She runs with her dog a lot, feeds her dog, and asks questions. But there's little depth to her character.

Rachel Weisz does not give one of her best performances. At times, she seems as though she is choosing between products at a supermarket. She affects a mask of unblinking disenchantment throughout.

Maybe in trying to access the actual person, Weisz isn't able to fully actualize the character.

Fortunately, for the film, there is a memorable performance. Tom Wilkinson brings humanity, depth, and intelligence to his role of barrister Richard Rampton. He grounds the film in firmness. He is terrific.

Timothy Spall gives a performance that is brimming with smirking personality. His Irving is aggressive and showy, with a touch of odium. He bombards the screen with ego.

Andrew Scott adds credibility as the cool solicitor, supporting Deborah and the barrister.

Veteran director Mick Jackson avoids being unsettling. The only hint of human suffering in the film is a second or two shot of desperate hands reaching at the other side of a peephole in the gas chambers. There are shots of piles of objects, such as shoes, but they are inanimate.

Denial already may be archaic. In the world of 2016, Deborah Lipstadt might lose. It's a sobering thought.

In 1920 English poet William Butler Yeats published his poem "The Second Coming."

In it he wrote:

The best lack all conviction, while the worst

Are full of passionate intensity

Almost 100 years later, we are still on trial.