Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Denial Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman January 2, 2017

Anyone within earshot of a talk show or newscast or browsing around the Web has no doubt run across the term "fake news" in the past few weeks. It's become everything from an accusatory stigma to a badge of honor with a whole lot of wrangling, inside fighting, public outcries, confusion, and all sorts of accusations, wild and grounded, from both sides of the war for the hearts and minds of the 21st century digital audience. What is real, what is not, who is a legitimate source, who is not, who will shape the narrative, who will not are all the pressing questions, everything, it seems, but "what is the truth?" Is it what he says? What she claims? What they pronounce? "What" are the facts isn't even an issue anymore. "Where" they are and "who" makes them are. Sorting through the sordid cloud of confusion is anymore the real challenge, never mind processing whatever bits of truth or layered lies might be in the way. What's really amazing is how the digital age -- all of the freedom of information, lightning-quick movement and consumption of it -- has made the playing field more difficult than ever before. But that's what happens when so many voices rise up. The town square is now the globe and the town criers can reach billions, each with their own agendas for the present and future, often shaped by their take on the past. That's all to introduce Denial, a movie that seems even more timely now than when it released to theaters only months ago. It tells the story of a trial pitting a holocaust professor, sure of her own research and the truth surrounding one of the most horrific examples of genocide in the 20th century, against a man, every bit as wise and sharp as she, who loudly claims it all to be a fraud. Both have conviction on their side. Both have the public's ear. One is more reputable, one is more vocal. Who holds the truth? In this case, that's up to a court of law to decide, but the court of public opinion will want to hear the case, too. And as for the movie, the verdict is in: it's a good one.

The denier.

Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) is a published author and accomplished lecturer whose speciality lies with exploring the Holocaust. In her latest book, she's defamed a well known denier named David Irving (Timothy Spall) who crashes one of her lectures, makes a scene and a spectacle, and ultimately sues her for defamation. The suit is filed in the UK, which is home to different standards of burden of proof in the courtroom, making Lipstadt's job of battling and, in this case, prosecuting her accuser more difficult than it might be in her home country of The United States. She forms a team, which includes Anthony Julius (Andrew Scott) and Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson), to battle Irving in court and prove before a judge rather than a jury that Irving knowingly falsified his views for his own gain.

Denial walks that fine line between enthralling and exciting courtroom drama and the sobering reality of what's at its center. Partway through the film, Lipstadt, Rampton, and team visit Auschwitz on a foggy morning. The movie paints a contrast of striking photography with haunting images of what once was there inside the wire and what happened throughout the structures, some of which are now little more than remains. It's a necessary visit for the team and a necessary visit for the audience, too, an audience that knows and appreciates the raw data from history texts but that gets a chilling sense of tangible reality when the movie visits the site. It also emphasizes the stark contrast between the opposing sides at the trial and further develops the David Irving character even as he's off-screen for the duration of the camp sequence. It offers a tangible, detailed insight into his psyche, either dismissing the reality of everything around him or simply touching up the facts to his own liking or to fit his own agenda. But the interesting part of the movie, and his character, is why. The film is an exploration not of courtroom mechanics or statistical history but rather the mind of an individual who has dedicated his life to pursuing, publishing, and praising disinformation. On the surface, he looks like a quack. But backed up by passion (not persuasion), quick wit, and even, to some extent, an almost likable flamboyant exterior, Denial offers a fascinating glimpse at a man who may not be held in high esteem but who is certainly an endlessly fascinating subject.

Timothy Spall is fantastic in the part, too, capturing that passion and those eccentricities, the quick wit, and the very much believable cadence with which he carries himself and his ideas. Comfortable screaming at a lecture or defending his positions in court -- even when pressed and forced to think outside of his large and complex but not infallible box -- Spall paints Irving with a fine brush comprised of many colors within the more obvious broad strokes of his skewered perception and championing of history. This ranks amongst his best performances, as engaging and nuanced as his precision work in the fantastic Mr. Turner. Weisz and Wilkinson capture a spirit of determination for their own cause of promoting the truth, the former offering a particularly good turn as not just a voice for truth, but a person who sees beyond the need to promote valid facts and find the reality of that truth in the world, outside of university lectures and library books. The movie is well made, photographed smartly and efficiently and, when necessary, movingly, by the tandem of Director Mick Jackson (The Bodyguard) and Cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos (Cinderella), capturing those astonishing shots of Auschwitz but also framing the courtroom drama with some masterful moments of juxtaposition that allow the actors to tell an intimate story-of-the-moment set against the larger expanse of action-reaction within the court's walls.

Denial Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Denial's digital photography doesn't translate to an exacting, pristine sort of image on Blu-ray. It's fairly bland, offering flat details, uninteresting colors, and plenty of source noise. The noise spikes in intensity in lower light backgrounds but is frequently evident throughout. Light aliasing is visible in various places around the movie, first and most evident on a railing inside the lecture hall near film's start. Details never find much precision. Both clothes and faces are rather plain, offering basic textural detailing thanks to the 1080p clarity, but there's almost never a sense of appreciable, lifelike, tactile depth to skin or clothes or even many of the interesting courtroom or office backgrounds throughout the movie. Colors are stable but not particularly vibrant. The movie is rather warm and only a few splashes of color -- a red double-decker bus and an orange scarf seen during a sunny outdoor scene around the 47-minute mark -- ever make enough headway to stand apart. Black levels are a little murky and flesh tones a push rosy at times. The image does handle some of the bleak and foggy Auschwitz scenes with ease. Overall, however, it's a fairly bland looking movie that yields a fairly bland looking Blu-ray.

Denial Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Denial features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack that's fairly straightforward and keeping with the movie's simple sonic needs and sound design. Music rarely extends beyond the front in any meaningful way. Stretch to the sides is welcome, and instrumental clarity is impressive. The track opens up for some light atmospherics, including rainfall around the 18:30 mark and, elsewhere, a few touches of outdoor city ambience in the form of passing traffic. A couple of minor effects are smartly placed around the stage; a door closes off to the side and off-camera at one point in the movie, and it marks one of the more notable sonic moments the track has on offer. Dialogue is clear and consistently positioned in the center. It does enjoy some very light and welcome width and reverberation in the courtroom scenes. Technically, the track is fine. It's just not at all demanding beyond the most basic elements.

Denial Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Denial contains a scant supplemental section, including the film's trailer (1080p, 2:32) and the featurette The Making of 'Denial' (1080p, 3:42), which takes a quick look at the plot and features interviews snippets with cast and crew as well as the real Deborah Lipstadt. A DVD copy of the film and a voucher for a UV/iTunes digital copy code are included with purchase.

Denial Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Denial is terrific movie. It may not reinvent the Courtroom Drama, but it's sharp, understands its story, knows its characters, and doesn't make light of its antagonist. Spall is amazing as the Holocaust denier while Weisz and Wilkinson impress as the key figures opposite. The movie is beautifully composed, well paced, and captivating from start to finish. Universal's Blu-ray is disappointingly short on substantive extra content. Video is also a bit bland and audio is straightforward. Highly recommended based on the quality of the film.