Denial Page #5

DEBORAH:

What is this? Dickens?

JULIUS:

As good as. Why do you think

London’s the libel capital of the

world?

DEBORAH:

I’m the innocent party. A man

accuses you of something and you

have to prove he’s wrong? That’s

against natural justice. In the US,

there’s a presumption of innocence.

JULIUS:

Yes. Not in the UK. Tricky, isn’t

it?

He’s thoughtful a moment.

JULIUS (CONT’D)

One thing by the way I did want to

mention:
if you do take us on,

there’s no question of your having

to pay. For this case our firm

would be happy to waive fees. If

you’d be at peace with that.

DEBORAH:

I could come to terms with it.

They both smile. JULIUS looks shrewdly at her a moment.

JULIUS:

What do you know about Mr Irving?

DEBORAH:

I’ve read every word he’s written.

I know some of the personal stuff.

His father abandoned him when he

was four. He fell in love with

Hitler at the age of eight. His

brother says he ran around bombed-

out buildings in London in the

blitz shouting ‘Heil Hitler...’

He’s self-educated. And extremely

proud of it.

JULIUS:

He learned his German working in a

factory.

DEBORAH:

I’ve heard it’s perfect.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 2121.

JULIUS:

Yours?

DEBORAH:

Adequate.

JULIUS takes this in.

JULIUS:

Irving wants it both ways. He wants

to be the brilliant maverick, the

provocateur who comes along and reinterprets

the Second World War.

But he also wants the respect of

his colleagues. England’s a club

and he wants to join.

DEBORAH:

But he’s an anti-Semite.

JULIUS:

Clearly. But you’d be surprised how

many military historians think

that’s just a detail. They think

Irving’s a serious historian who

happens to see things from Hitler’s

point of view.

DEBORAH:

But it’s not a detail. I think it’s

at the centre of everything he

thinks and does.

JULIUS:

So do I.

DEBORAH:

He’s a liar and falsifier of

history.

JULIUS sustains his look to her.

DEBORAH (CONT’D)

A few weeks ago, a survivor came to

speak to my class. There’s a chain,

isn’t there?

JULIUS:

A chain?

DEBORAH:

A chain of testimony. Passing the

torch.

She leans in.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 2222.

DEBORAH (CONT’D)

Anthony, this isn’t random. A

couple of years ago, Irving came

all the way to Dekalb. Then there

were threats. Now there’s a

lawsuit. There’s a strategy

underlying all this. My mother

called me Devorah. It was her idea.

Leader. Defender of her people.

They both smile.

DEBORAH (CONT’D)

There was an expectation. When I

was a kid. My mother always said

there was going to be an event. I

was picked out, she said. I was

chosen. Well, here it is.

41 EXT. MEWS. MAYFAIR. LONDON. DAY 41

1999. A CHAUFFEUR is polishing the ‘Spirit of Ecstasy’ symbol

on a Rolls Royce. JAMES LIBSON and LAURA TYLER walking along

carrying boxes of papers. LIBSON is in his 30s, with steel

glasses; LAURA is tall, striking, 23.

42 EXT. MOUNT STREET. MAYFAIR. LONDON. DAY 42

LISBON and LAURA knock at an impressive black door. A

Barbadian MAID comes to answer.

LIBSON:

Good morning, I think we’re

expected.

43 INT. IRVING’S APARTMENT. MOUNT STREET. DAY 43

IRVING is lying on the floor playing with his four year old

daughter JESSICA as LIBSON and LAURA are ushered in to the

markedly old-fashioned surroundings.

IRVING:

Ah yes, hello, I’m delighted to see

you, I’m David Irving. Here - can

you take Jessica please?

He has got up and hands JESSICA over to the MAID to take out.

He kisses JESSICA’S forehead as he hands her over. LIBSON

throws a glance at LAURA as if to say ‘Is this for real?’ But

IRVING is the soul of courtesy.

IRVING (CONT’D)

You must be bringing me Miss

Lipstadt’s documents.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 2323.

LIBSON:

Everything that contributed to her

analysis, the full extent of her

research.

IRVING gestures towards an area already lined with papers.

IRVING:

Thank you, by all means, put

everything down over there. And you

must be her representatives.

Welcome.

LIBSON:

I’m James Libson. This is Miss

Tyler, our para-legal.

IRVING:

Para-legals, indeed! David against

Goliath, already. You work with the

famous Mr Julius? It’s going to be

a fascinating encounter don’t you

think?

LAURA:

Fascinating.

IRVING is reaching out his hand. She takes it nervously.

IRVING:

As I see it, academia versus the

rest. Remember, the greatest

historians have never been

academics. We’re outsiders. Cato,

Thucydides, Gibbon, Churchill... I

field a very strong team. Perhaps

you’d like a cup of tea?

LIBSON:

No thank you.

LIBSON looks at him.

LIBSON (CONT’D)

Before we go, just one thing.

IRVING:

Of course. Please.

LIBSON:

You keep a diary. We’d like to

apply to include that diary in the

process of discovery.

IRVING smiles.

LIBSON (CONT’D)

You’re smiling.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 2424.

IRVING:

Forgive me, I don’t fancy the

prospect of Miss Lipstadt poring

over my private writings.

LIBSON:

Access will be limited to the legal

team only.

IRVING:

Come.

IRVING leads them across the room. Then he gestures to yards

and yards of shelves covered with identical black notebooks.

IRVING (CONT’D)

I’ve kept a diary for twenty years.

Promise, I have nothing to hide.

But I doubt if even Goliath has the

resources to read between ten and

twenty million words.

He smiles. LIBSON and LAURA stare in dismay.

44 INT/EXT. IRVING’S APARTMENT. MOUNT STREET. DAY 44

A point of view from the window down to the street of the

backs of LIBSON and LAURA walking away in animated

conversation. IRVING, standing next to the curtain, watches

them as they go. He’s thoughtful, enigmatic.

45 EXT. AIRPORT RUNWAY. HEATHROW. DAY 45

1999. Through heavy rain, a haze of fuel fumes, the back of

an arriving plane. The landing tackle descends then there is

a crash of rubber, sparks and spray.

46 EXT. STRAND. DAY 46

A taxi splashes its way through the pouring rain and bus

traffic. DEBORAH frowns at the incomprehensible talk about

football coming from his radio. She looks up through the rain-

spattered window to see the imposing facade of the Royal

Courts of Justice as they pass.

47 EXT. MISHCON DE REYA. DAY 47

In the driving rain, DEBORAH raises an umbrella, then pays

the fare, struggling with the unfamiliar currency.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 2525.

48 INT. MISHCON DE REYA. STAIRCASE & OFFICES. DAY 48

Shaking out her umbrella, DEBORAH is led quickly up a

staircase by an ASSISTANT, who takes it from her and parks it

with dozens of others. Wet raincoats are all puddling water

onto the floor. As she comes into JULIUS’ office it is full

of people - including JULIUS himself, JAMES LIBSON, LAURA

TYLER, RICHARD EVANS and others. Heads turn as she arrives,

coffees are being distributed, although everyone seems

insanely caffeinated already.

Rate this script:2.0 / 1 vote