Friday 30 March 2018

Review: Denial

Dramatisation of the David Irving Holocaust denial court case starring Timothy Spall and Rachel Weisz.

Spall, despite not physically resembling Irving very much, captures his manipulative intellect and arrogance well. It's not in any way a balanced portrayal though - there's no light to the shade.  Even the lighter scene of Irving with a younger member of his family feels slightly disturbing.

Weisz's Lipstadt isn't quite as strong, and that's partly because a deliberate and probably wise strategy not to pit her against Spall's Irving. But she does bring a quiet and impassioned sense of justice.  A couple of shout outs to Wilkinson's Rampton, and Scott for finding another slightly oily character.

The way the case against Irving is built (including a spine shivering visit to Auschwitz) was exceptionally told and gave me a new found respect for the subtleties of English law and those who practice it.


Verdict: Powerfully impressive takedown.


No comments:

Post a Comment