BRIDGE OF SPIES

US, 2015, 135 minutes, Colour.
Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan, Alan Alda, Peter Mc Robbie, Austin Stowell, Jesse Plemons, Sebastien Koch.
Directed by Steven Spielberg.

Here is a film that will satisfy an audience looking for intelligent and interesting entertainment. It takes us back to the late 1950s, the period of the Cold War, the tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union.

It has been directed by Steven Spielberg. 2015 sees the 40th anniversary of his classic, Jaws. While Spielberg is universally remembered for the broadly popular films like the Indiana Jones series, ET, Jurassic Park, he won an Oscar in 1993 for his very serious film, Schindler’s List. Since then he has made a number of dramas for adult audiences including Saving Private Ryan and, more recently, Lincoln.

Many of his films have a distinctly patriotic American tone as does Bridge of Spies. But it is not jingoistic. Rather, there is a deep humanism and respect underlying Spielberg’s films. And, in this film, he is aided by the presence of Tom Hanks who over the years has become something of an icon of an American character who is motivated by a sense of decency.

The film sets its scene by the introduction of a spy, Abel, played with car calm self-possession by British actor, Mark Rylance. He is a loner, a loyal Russian, a painter, adept at eluding followers, shrewd in his way of communicating messages – but the FBI are aware of him and take him in. While the American authorities and public opinion want him condemned, even executed, they think that there should be a show of American justice and Jim Donovan, Hanks, an insurance lawyer who had been present at the Nuremburg prosecutions, is the person to defend him.

When Jim Donovan meets Abel, he offers him a proper defence, discusses the situation, suggests to listeners, and to his upset family, that Abel is not a traitor but a loyal soldier to his cause. Nevertheless, the presiding judge does not see it that way and, very quickly, Abel is found guilty.

But one of the points of the film is that with growing espionage during the 1950s, if the Soviet Union interrogates a captured American spy, there will be a parallel condemnation. Donovan makes the case for a prison sentence so that a Russian spy could be available when the Americans are in need for an exchange.

Older audiences may remember the Francis Gary Powers case where an American air force man flying photography missions over Soviet space is shot down, captured and interrogated. The Americans don’t want Powers giving information to the Soviets and the Soviets don’t want Abel giving information to the Americans. An exchange of Spies becomes an important factor in American-Soviet? relations, especially under the CIA leadership of Alan Dulles.

All this makes the first part of the film very interesting, an exploration of American values at the time, given the context of paranoia about possible nuclear terror attacks, children being indoctrinated at school, becoming afraid at home, and the way of coping with the bomb, Duck and Cover.

The latter part of the film finds Jim Donovan asked by Dulles to negotiate the exchange, but without any authority from the American government. He goes to Berlin, warned about East Germany and its totalitarian regime, and Berlin as a divided city. This is the period of the building of the Berlin Wall and the film shows this in some detail as well is the case of an American student who wants to bring his girlfriend and her professor father from the East into West Berlin but is captured and interned.

There is a great deal of suspense, and some very good dialogue as Donovan has to meet with the Soviet authorities, the head of the KGB in Eastern Europe, with an East German lawyer and an East German official, trying diplomatic shrewdness in order to achieve the exchange. Donovan includes the freeing of the young student as well as Powers.

The film is continually interesting, especially for those who remember some of these years and this history. Perhaps audiences not so familiar with this era may find it something of a history lesson – but that is not a bad thing.

Steven Spielberg will soon be 70 with many years of filmmaking ahead of him, a very good thing in light of his success with Bridge of Spies.

1. Audience interest? History of the Cold War? The US and Russia? Spies, American law and the Constitution? The central role in Berlin? The building of the Wall? Exchange of prisoners? The perspective of the 21st century?

2. Steven Spielberg, his career, his achievement, style?

3. The title, the parallels with the Soviet and American spies, in exchange, the literal exchange on the Berlin Bridge?

4. Audience knowledge of the period, the possibility of learning, a dramatised history lesson? The modern parallels with contemporary espionage and Americans years earlier, suspicion of outsiders?

5. The story of the people, the events? The credits and the subsequent history, especially Jim Donovan and his achievements?

6. Introduction to Abel, the portrait, his painting, the call, following through, and his being pursued, his pursuers? His skill in leading his followers? Painting the Brooklyn Bridge, the technique for recovering the coin, the raid and his arrest, his passivity, recovering the paper? American attitudes to spies during the Cold War, the trial? Jim Donovan, ordinary lawyer, intelligent character, and the law, his presence at the Nuremberg trials, insurance cases and the initial discussion – one accident or five with different deaths? His being called in by his superior, their wanting him to take Abel’s case? His caution, the response, the dinner at home, Doug and his enthusiasm, his wife’s reaction to the news? The newspapers, his photo, the people glaring at him in the subway? Hostility, his principles, saying that Abel was not a traitor but a soldier, and loyal in his commitment?

7. The meeting with Abel, the discussions, not showing anxiety – and Abel asking if it would help? The agreement? His character, phlegmatic, Russian background, his loyalty, stoic, asking for cigarettes and for sketching material? Quiet in court, the jury and being found guilty?

8. The judge, his patriotic prejudices, refusing postponement? The sitting, the verdict? The extreme patriotism?

9. Jim going to the judge’s home, the wife and the drink, Jim arguing about execution and a life sentence, the possibilities for exchange of prisoners? The judge and his decision, the ferocious outburst in the court?

10. Jim’s family, the fears, the children at school, the nuclear films, the teachers, the Duck and Cover warning? The son and his apprehensions, filling the bath, prepared for a nuclear attack? The paranoia of the period? The shots through the window? The angry policeman and his bigotry?

11. Jim Donovan and the initial meeting with Hoffman, Hoffman following him in the rain, meeting in the cafe, the presumptions of the CIA, Jim and his own principles? Hoffman in Berlin, single-mind, wanting Francis Gary Powers and, not worrying about the exchange of Prior? His role in assessing Russian and East German diplomacy? Present at the exchange?

12. The call Alan Dulles, the CIA, the discussions, the commission of Jim to organise and negotiate the exchange, the diplomacy, not having any government authority?

13. The story of Francis Gary Powers? The interview, the psychological test? The group, the bonding, the commanding officer, the secrecy? The scenes of training, the descriptions of the plane, the cameras? The speech – and the dollar for suicide rather than capture? Destroying the plane? The actual flight, the effect, the cameras, the explosion, Powers and his panic, the parachute being caught, the plane descending, his parachuting down, captured by the Soviets, the scenes of interrogation, his not having any information?

14. Jim and his going to Berlin, the explanations about East Germany, the city in, the divisions, the detailed scenes of the building the Wall, the people escaping, Prior and his wanting to save the professor and his girlfriend, the soldiers, his documents, the police taking his thesis, his reason for being in Berlin? American, his imprisonment? His girlfriend and her going to the authorities?

15. Jim, the prisons, the warnings, the weather and snow, his travelling on the train, jumping the queue, authorities and his documents, allowed in, walking through the snow, accosted by the young diving, taking his overcoat, the giving him directions? His arrival at the embassy? The family, Abel’s warning about them, the protestations, the Russian official, later revealed as the Eastern European KGB chief? The discussions, the possibility of exchange, each side fearing what the captives might have revealed, and wanting them back?

16. The perspective of the East German lawyer, his attitude, stances, the discussions, wanting recognition of East Germany? The issue of Prior’s release?

17. Jim and the train, passing the Wall, seeing the desperate trying to escape being shot? The effect on him? His being put in rough apartment? His going to the hotel for breakfast? The discussions with Hoffman? Memorising the phone number, giving it to the authorities?

18. His going to see the East German official, the discussions, the snub, the message from the young messenger? Jim and shrewdness, sending a message back to the official, the diplomatic issues between Russia and the East Germans, the responsibility of East Germany if the negotiations failed?

19. The contact with the Russians, the phone call, the agreement, going to the Bridge? The arrival of Abel, flight from America, his meeting Jim, the gift of the painting? The verification? The officer from the air force to identify Powers? Jim wanting to wait for news about Prior’s release? The suspense, the final information, Prior being released? The exchange? The receiving of Powers, Abel and his saying that he would be embraced or put in the back seat of the car under guard?

20. The achievement, the flight back, Powers wanting to thank someone? The issue of the marmalade, the anxiety of his wife, his buying at the store instead of in London, the family watching the news, his work being praised? His going upstairs, exhausted?

21. The final achievement, the precedent established for exchange of prisoners, Jim Donovan and President Kennedy, in Cuba? The information about what happened to the main protagonists?