Denial Page #8

DEBORAH:

They seem to think you’re taking

over this case for your own glory.

JULIUS:

Glory? Goodness. I hadn’t thought

about glory. Fascinating. What on

earth did they give you to eat?

He dives through a darkened arch and up a staircase.

57 INT. RAMPTON’S CHAMBERS. DAY 57

A Dickensian rabbit-hole of papers, legal bundles. A roaring

coal fire. A powdered horse-hair wig on a stand, an elaborate

black silk robe on a hanger. A desk in the corner, largely

innocent of technology. RAMPTON is standing with a computer

mouse in his hand. He’s a white-haired upper-class Scot,

avuncular, 60s, with gold-rimmed glasses.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 3737.

RAMPTON:

I don’t understand this thing, I

really don’t...

Beside him is HEATHER, 30s, glasses, plain suit, no-nonsense.

JULIUS:

Deborah Lipstadt, this is Richard

Rampton.

RAMPTON reaches out to shake hands.

RAMPTON:

‘Aha, ’tis the author of our

misfortune...’ Come in, please do.

Warm yourselves.

JULIUS:

Richard’s your leading counsel.

DEBORAH:

Hi.

JULIUS:

I’ve explained to Deborah the

difference between barrister and

solicitor. Our legal system seems

forbidding but it works.

DEBORAH:

If your legal system worked, I

wouldn’t be in this mess. I don’t

mind Dickensian, it’s Kafkaesque

I’m worried about.

RAMPTON throws an amused glance at JULIUS.

RAMPTON:

And this is our junior counsel,

Heather Rogers.

DEBORAH:

Hello, Heather.

HEATHER:

How are you?

RAMPTON has an already-open bottle of good Burgundy, and some

contrasting plastic glasses.

RAMPTON:

I’ve opened a decent red. You don’t

mind plastic, I hope?

JULIUS:

I’m not going to drink, Richard, I

haven’t eaten. And Deborah hasn’t

slept.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 3838.

DEBORAH:

I’ll taste the wine. Why not?

Everything else is being decided

for me.

RAMPTON smiles, loving this reply. He sees DEBORAH taking in

towers of books about World War Two and the camps.

RAMPTON:

Yes, indeed, Heather and I have

been introducing ourselves to the

subject.

DEBORAH:

I can see.

RAMPTON:

A little light reading...

LAURA has replied to RAMPTON’s mimed offer of wine with a

smile of assent. DEBORAH is looking at a picture of RAMPTON

in fly-fishing gear.

DEBORAH:

You ever catch anything?

RAMPTON:

From time to time.

Then she looks at his books. A German dictionary.

DEBORAH:

You don’t speak German?

RAMPTON:

Ah! Like a barrister. Straight to

my weakest point. I do know the

libretto of The Magic Flute, that’s

the only German I have. Probably of

little use in the forthcoming

encounter. Cheers!

DEBORAH & LAURA

Cheers!

RAMPTON smiles broadly. His manner is feathery.

RAMPTON:

I was hoping to get on with writing

my life of Mozart, but I see I

shall have to postpone again.

JULIUS:

Richard is the most skilful

advocate in the country. I don’t

mind saying it.

But RAMPTON has sat down with his wine, grave.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 3939.

RAMPTON:

In this case, I wish I thought

skill were enough.

DEBORAH:

What will it need then?

RAMPTON:

A rarer quality.

DEBORAH:

What’s that?

RAMPTON:

Appetite.

RAMPTON is sombre. The room goes quiet.

RAMPTON (CONT’D)

Plainly I shall have to go to

Auschwitz. I hope you’ll be kind

enough to accompany me.

DEBORAH:

Why do you need to go?

RAMPTON lights a Gitane and looks a moment, impenetrable.

RAMPTON:

Legal reasons.

58 EXT. AUSCHWITZ. POLAND. DAWN 58

Water drips from one of the iron letters of the arched

message ‘Arbeit Macht Frei.” The flat space beyond the

arrival area is completely deserted. Mist. Barbed wire is

faintly detectable, not much else.

59 INT. MUSEUM. AUSCHWITZ. DAWN 59

Huge masses of spectacles, artificial limbs, children’s

shoes, suitcases, chamber pots and 80,000 single shoes.

RAMPTON has a small Leica. He is taking flash photos through

display cabinet windows, his expression intense, unreadable.

He winds the camera on.

60 EXT. BIRKENAU. DAWN 60

Near the Crematorium ruins, in wasteland, DEBORAH is in

sneakers, near HEATHER. A little way off, PROFESSOR ROBERT

JAN VAN PELT, thin, boyish, in black leather jacket, black

polo neck, black jeans. His hair is dyed blonde. His research

assistant, OMER ARBEL, has large files of papers. There is a

long silence. It’s cold. No-one wants to be there.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 4040.

DEBORAH:

Is he coming? He wants us here, and

then he doesn’t show up.

HEATHER:

He’s late, that’s all. He’s often

late.

DEBORAH:

Is he late for court?

61 EXT. PERIMETER FENCE. AUSCHWITZ. SS BARRACKS. DAWN 61

RAMPTON stands alone in the mist. He has a small tourist map

and a pocket compass. He looks at the map, then deliberately

starts pacing. Watch-towers and fences loom around him.

62 EXT. BIRKENAU. DAWN 62

The group is waiting as RAMPTON approaches through the mist.

He is still pacing. DEBORAH watches. RAMPTON stops and makes

a note, then continues towards them.

RAMPTON:

Good morning, everyone. You must be

Professor van Pelt?

ROBERT JAN:

I am.

RAMPTON:

Good. Then let’s get down to

business. Deborah. Heather.

They have shaken hands. RAMPTON seems to want to move on.

RAMPTON (CONT’D)

Professor?

ROBERT JAN:

I suggest we start by taking a walk

round the perimeter fence.

RAMPTON:

I just did that.

ROBERT JAN stands, slightly taken aback.

ROBERT JAN:

Good. Then let’s look at the plans.

Omer?

ARBEL opens the file and takes out the papers. Everyone

gathers round to look.

Full Blue Script // December 4th 2015 4141.

ROBERT JAN (CONT’D)

I want you to understand the scale

of the operation. What you’re

looking at here is one of the

largest and most efficient killing

machines in human history.

RAMPTON:

Yes, we know what it is. It’s how

we prove what it is, that’s what

we’re interested in. We’re not here

on a pilgrimage, we’re here to

prepare a case.

DEBORAH throws a glance to HEATHER who remains impassive. JAN

gestures to the map and to the pile of rubbish and bricks.

ROBERT JAN:

This is where we are. This is

Crematorium II. The buildings were

deliberately demolished by the

Germans in the autumn of 1944 to

destroy the evidence of what they

did here. They dynamited them again

one week before the end of the war.

ROBERT JAN leads the group to the top of a small set of brick

steps. They peer down in the rubble and broken concrete.

ROBERT JAN (CONT’D)

These steps led down into the

undressing room. The Olere drawings

please.

ARBEL opens the drawings. They are in graphite pencil and

very precise.

ROBERT JAN (CONT’D)

David Olere was a French artist. A

survivor. He was able to draw a lot

of what he’d seen.

ROBERT JAN points to the ruined steps, matching those in the

drawing. ROBERT JAN runs his finger along as they walk along

the brick edge of the ruins.

ROBERT JAN (CONT’D)

The victims walked down into the

undressing rooms. Then they were

led through here, past a sign that

said ‘To the Baths’ and into the

gas chamber here.

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