At the turn of the 21st century, Deborah Lipstadt was faced in the unfortunate, remarkable position of having to prove the Holocaust existed, having been sued by British historian, and Holocaust denier David Irving for Defamation. It’s a tale that has now been brought to the big screen by Mick Jackson.
Lipstadt discusses with us how emotional it is watching these events unfold in front of her, and recounts her visit to Auschwitz. She talks about how just a significant case this was, and why it was the right idea to not allow survivors to take to the stand as witnesses. She also tells us why she would never debate with a Holocaust denier, and whether she has ever wanted to meet Irving again since their encounter in court. Finally, she discusses Spall’s performance, and why compares the events of the film to modern society, drawing quite sobering parallels.
Synopsis
When university professor Deborah E. Lipstadt includes World War II historian David Irving in a book about Holocaust deniers, Irving accuses her of libel and sparks a legal battle for historical truth. With the burden of proof placed on the accused, Lipstadt and her legal team fight to prove the essential truth that the Holocaust occurred. Based on the book “History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier.”
Denial is released on January 27th, and you can read our review here.
