Never Forget

Dir: Joseph Sargent

1991

***

Joseph Sargent's made for TV drama is much better than you might expect from a Turner Network Television production. I find TNT films to be a little shallow, lacking in substance and a little melodramatic but thanks to quite a powerful performance by Leonard Nimoy, Never Forget has quite a resounding resonance and substance to it. So it should, given that it deals with Holocaust denial. Nimoy plays Mel Mermelstein, a Jewish survivor of the Nazi Holocaust who is horrified by the claims of a local Neo-Nazi group called the Institute for Historical Review, who claim that there is no proof that the Holocaust ever happened. Their tactic of posting a reward for anyone that can provide proof of the holocaust's occurrence and then ignoring petitions and claim that any proof had been presented, thus ensuring publicity for themselves, discourages Mermelstein from challenging them directly, even though he is angrily motivated to do so, until it is pointed out to him that the organisation's lying is technically a breach of contract which leaves them open to a lawsuit. Mermelstein then uses he legal advantage against them and takes them to court. The organisation then begin a campaign of intimidation to try and get Mermelstein to drop the case which pushes him to his emotional limits and brings up painful memories in the process. Nimoy is utterly convincing and incredibly compelling in his performance. Dabney Coleman plays William John Cox, a lawyer who provides legal help free of charge. Coleman is great as always but a little too much is made of him being Roman Catholic, it doesn't really make much sense and is a little distracting, given the bad guys here are the Nazis. I believe there was an increase in really good TV films in the late 80s and early 90s that was short lived and it is a shame only a lucky few remember this little gem. Interesting fact for Star Trek fans - Never Forget features a younger version of Nimoy's character played by Carl Steven. Carl Steven also played a younger version of Nimoy's Mr. Spock in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.