'Borat': lawsuit from estate of Holocaust survivor dismissed
A lawsuit filed against Amazon Prime Video and the creators of the new Borat film by a Holocaust survivor’s estate has been dismissed.
The estate of Judith Dim Evans was protesting the use of an interview recorded between creator Sacha Baron Cohen and Evans, which discussed her experience in the Holocaust, saying that Evans didn’t know she was appearing in a satire.
- READ MORE: ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ review: how the controversial Kazakh journalist got woke
The case, which claimed that the interview was conducted in order to “mock the Holocaust and Jewish culture,” was dismissed yesterday (October 26) by Judge Kevin Farmer in Fulton County, Georgia.
Amazon lawyer Russell Smith said in a statement: “The lawsuit was dismissed, unconditionally. The lawsuit is over. Sacha Baron Cohen was deeply grateful for the opportunity to work with Judith Dim Evans, whose compassion and courage as a Holocaust survivor has touched the hearts of millions of people who have seen the film.
“Judith’s life is a powerful rebuke to those who deny the Holocaust, and with this film and his activism, Sacha Baron Cohen will continue his advocacy to combat Holocaust denial around the world.”
Cohen has dedicated Borat Subsequent Moviefilm to Evans, who died before the film was released last week (October 23), and according to Deadline, the creator and Amazon are working on creating a new cut of bonus content from their interview to fully tell her story of her experiences in World War II.
The scene with Evans is one of multiple controversial scenes in the new film. Another concerns former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is interviewed in a hotel suite by the actor playing Borat’s daughter, who is posing as a TV journalist.
When his microphone is taken off, Giuliani lies down on the bed in the room and appears to put his hands down his trousers. The pair are then interrupted by Borat (played by Baron Cohen), who runs in and tells Giuliani: “She’s 15. She’s too old for you.”
After the interview, which sees Giuliani speaking about the Trump administration’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, the actor invites Giuliani to join her for a drink in the bedroom of the hotel suite, which contains a number of hidden cameras.
While Giuliani called the scene a “complete fabrication”, he was then defended by Sacha Baron Cohen’s character in a not-so-serious response.
In a three-star review of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, NME said: “There are still scenes of stunning impropriety, but they are fewer in number.
“It’s strange to say, given Twitter’s perpetual state of indignation, but a lot of what Borat says in this movie won’t seem scandalous.”