Late last night - another tv film that I hadn't seen! Denial tells the true story of an American academic, Rachel Weisz, who's Jewish, and has spent her career fighting holocaust deniers. Unexpectedly, she finds herself being sued by David Irving (played by Timothy Spall), a famous holocaust denier, for defamation. What's more, he's taking the case in London - where the burden of proof in a libel case is the opposite to that in America, in that the accused must prove that what they said was not libellous.So, she must prove both that the holocaust happened, and also that he knew, and lied about it. Happily, her publishers agree to fight the case.
Her barrister is Tom Wilkinson, her solicitor the delectable Andrew Scott - he has to explain the difference to her. Wouldn't you know it, he's quite the celebrity - he handled Princess Diana's divorce! Well, she decamps to London, and amid rain showers, battle is joined..
Lovely shots of the Royal Courts of Justice and the Temple - I've always loved that part of town. But the standout element of the film is this desperate court case, which, if lost, will give people free reign to deny the holocaust. And it's absolutely gripping - she is infuriated that her legal team will not let her take the stand, to be attacked by Irving, who's conducting his own case. Neither will they let any holocaust survivors be subject to, as they say, insult by him. They also insist on not having a jury present - as they explain to the judge, the matters to be discussed should not be left to the layperson. Her constant fury provides a compelling focus for us throughout the film, blasting a path through what could otherwise appear dry and dusty proceedings. Really, highly recommended.
Afterwards, I was too tired to blog. Today, with sport and quiz repeats on the telly, I had another quick look at the St. Patrick's Festival website - and next up was an Introduction to Sean Nós (Old Style) Dance.
Now, I can do Irish dancing - but this should be interesting for those who can't. Sean Nós is actually a really easy style, with one basic step sequence, designed for limited space - and generally performed on a wooden board, to emphasise the tapping sound. And she spends about half an hour going through it nice and easy, counting out the rhythm, demonstrating with a video of someone performing the steps. Right, off you go.. no excuses!
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