Denial

Until the late 1980s, British historian David Irving (Timothy Spall) was respected by his peers, even though his book Hitler's War (1977) suggested that Hitler had no knowledge of the Holocaust. But then Irving denied the very existence of the Holocaust, ridiculing claims that there were gas chambers. When Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz), an American academic from Queens, NY, accused Irving of anti-Semitism in her book Denying the Holocaust: The Growing Assault on Truth and Memory (1993), it never occurred to her that she (and Penguin Books) could be sued for libel, or that the ensuing court case would put acceptance of the Holocaust on trial. Under British libel law, the burden of proof lies with the defendant. So Lipstadt, a history professor at Emory University, could either settle out of court, which Irving would claim as a personal victory, or proceed; she chose the latter. Solicitor Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott), who represented Princess Diana in her divorce against Prince Charles, here prepares the case which dour Scottish barrister Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson) presents at London's Royal Court of Justice. Drawing from actual transcripts and meticulously researched recordings, filmmaker Mick Jackson's Denial is a solid courtroom drama that in our current political climate couldn't be timelier, spotlighting concepts such as fact-checking, conspiracy theories, and the need for concrete evidence when making claims. Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (4 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a fine true-life drama.] (S. Granger)