Libel Page #3

After that letter in the Gazette.

- Letter? What letter?

- Haven't you read it?

Must be the only one. Here.

BOGUS BARONE Fraud and impostor.

Not very nice, is it?

You got your pictures.

Now, will you please go?

Come on, Harry.

Darling.

Maggie...

Who were they at the church?

Mark, I think you gotta see this.

Oh, yes. I have seen it.

Pete showed it to me.

But who could write such stuff.

Was it that man

who was here the other day?

- The man who called you Frank?

- Yes, yes, it was.

I have told you

he'd made a mistake then.

He's got mad and paper's mad

for printing it.

- What are you going to do?

- Do?

I'm going to ignore it.

What does one do with muck like that?

We shall be late darling.

I don't think I want to go.

Margaret, you must go.

We've got to go.

My dear, isn't it awful?

About Mark Loddon I mean.

If you mean that rubbish

in the paper Mildred...

Excuse me, does sir Mark Loddon

always come here to church?

Well, nearly always,

but I don't expect he will today.

- Why on earth not Mildred?

- Well, under the circumstances

you hardly expect him to show

his face in public.

Unless of course, she made him.

She is an American and you know

how Americans adore publicity.

I mean if he doesn't, well.

One knows what to think.

- Doesn't it?

- Exactly.

Dear Lady Loddon. I am so sorry.

Of course, I don't believe a word...

My dear, my dear.

Don't let this ridiculous rubbish

worry you too much.

Nobody there seems to believe it.

Would you care to make a statement,

Sir Mark?

Can't you see I'm busy.

I told you I don't want to

talk about it anymore.

- I really don't understand.

- There is nothing to understand.

The Gazette is being a little

more vulgar than usual. That's all.

You're not going to do anything about it?

What do you want me to do?

Go to court and expose

my whole life in public?

Your life? It's my life, too.

And Michael's.

All right. Supposing I do sue for libel.

Do you know what it means?

It means going to the witness box.

Having the last shreds of privacy

ripped from us.

Being plastered over in every newspaper

in the land. Do you think I want that?

Mark, there's nothing you haven't

told me, is there?

I've told you there's nothing.

Isn't that enough?

Or do you think I'm an impostor too?

I haven't thought of that one.

Oh, Mark.

But at least that's something.

But you still want me to go and prove

who I am. What for?

For some tiresome neighbours, some boring

acquaintances. Why? What for?

For Michael.

I don't care for myself.

But you don't want a cloud over him.

Perhaps for the rest of his life.

You must Mark

for his sake, you must.

No, I won't.

Please, Mark, please.

I know our life together.

Our whole future depends on it.

I didn't think he dare.

Just listen to this.

A lot of people let's go into the office.

A summons from the

High Court of Justice.

Sir Mark Loddon against the

Sunday Gazette and Jeffrey Buckenham.

Plaintiff claims damages for libel.

Oh, the fat is in the fire, isn't it?

It sure is he's in for it now.

- You seem very confident.

- I am.

I hope so for your sake.

By the way, I've been looking through

my correspondence with Mark.

I've got something to show you.

There's a rather curious sentence

on this page, I think might interest you.

Well, this proves what I've said.

That's for the court

to decide, isn't it?

Now you hang onto it,

it might be of use to you.

But please don't disclose who gave it to

you because if you do, I should deny it.

All right. Will you be in court?

Well if I am it will be give

evidence for my cousin.

Well, I have to, you know. Blood is

thicker than water and all that stuff...

But don't worry, I don't

think you will find

anything I have to say

or do will be helpful.

I see.

You really must excuse me,

I got some customers to attend to.

Good bye. See you in court.

It's time to go darling.

I shan't be a moment.

How long do you think

the case will last?

About 2-3 days, I should think.

- Maggie...

- Yes?

- If anything should happen...

- What could happen?

I don't know.

But things may not turn out

just as we hope.

Darling,

you're quite sure there is nothing

you haven't told me?

Because if there is anything...

you must tell me now.

No, no.

I've told you all I know.

Then things can only go one way.

You've got the truth on your side

and that's all it matters.

You'll have to be very brave, you know.

This is going to be...

going to be quite annoying.

I'm ready for it.

Shall we go?

LIBEL CASE SENSATION

Loddon against the Sunday Gazette

and another.

My Lord, I call Sir Mark Loddon.

Repeat after me:

I swear by Almighty God,

I swear by Almighty God...

- that the evidence I shall give,

- that the evidence I shall give,

- shall be the truth,

- shall be the truth,

- the whole truth.

- The whole truth

- and nothing but the truth.

- And nothing but the truth.

You are Sir Mark Loddon?

The seventh Baronet of Ingworth House,

in the County of Dorset.

That's so.

And I believe Sir Mark that you joined

up at the outbreak of war,

and went to France with your unit,

- in 1939.

- Yes, I did.

Were you wounded and taken

prisoner at Dunkirk? - I was.

And did you subsequently escape from the

prison camp Hobhigh

known as Altflag 9A

in April 1945?

- I did.

- What effect that have on you?

My hair went grey.

- As it is now.

- And your health?

- Apart from my memory I don't complain.

- What of your memory?

It's unreliable.

It's unreliable about events which occurred

before my escape.

I mean it's...

it has great gaps in it.

There is some things that I...

remember quite clearly.

Things which keep coming up

to the surface like...

like wreckage.

But there are quite odd things,

quite distrunted

very trivial things.

Nothing is too trivial if it helps us

to arrive at the truth.

What are these trivial matters

to which you refer?

Well, I remember...

I remember that I had a linnet,

in a cage.

It was given to my own 5th birthday

by the head gardener.

I remember his name, too.

It was Mr. Sal.

Do you remember old Sal, John?

The... the cage was...

it was too small.

The bird kept fluttering.

Really quite trivial things.

Other more important events

and people I don't remember at all.

Have any members of your family have

ever found difficulty identifying you?

No.

And these of course are the people

who know you most intimately.

And now the Sunday Gazette,

which proudly claims

the readership of...

of... Give it to me!

Of 1200036 registered readers.

- Are you one of them?

- No.

I don't subscribe to the gutterpress.

Have you ever in public

voiced your distaste

of the sensational

type of journalism

practiced by the Sunday Gazette?

Yes, once I made a speech locally.

In which I expressed my opinions

in no uncertain terms.

And would it be true to

say the Sunday Gazette

has lost no opportunity

to try and discredit you?

Yes, I am told so.

I choose to ignore it.

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