The Panther Newspaper: Spielberg’s ‘Bridge of Spies’ thrills and educates
In his latest film, “Bridge of Spies,” three-time Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg places his audience in the middle of the Cold War when tension between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R was beginning to intensify.
The "Bridge of Spies" movie poster.
Photo courtesy Wikipedia.
The film tells the true story of an insurance lawyer, James Donovan (Tom Hanks), who is selected by his law firm to represent and defend Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a Soviet agent captured by the FBI and put on trial for espionage. Despite being hesitant because of the dangerous nature of the situation, Donovan takes the case because of his strong beliefs regarding the American justice system – everyone has the right to a fair trial, including accused-foreign spies. Then, it turns out that Donovan is such a good negotiator that he’s asked to facilitate a prisoner exchange: Abel for an American pilot whose plane was shot down while attempting to take aerial photos of Russia for the CIA.
When I realized that this movie was a period drama, I became apprehensive because history has never been my forte and I feared that I would get lost in the historical references. But, much to my delight, you don’t need a background in history to truly enjoy this film.
The team behind making “Bridge of Spies” is filled with so many award-winning writers, actors and filmmakers that it seemed impossible for the film to be anything less than incredible. The writers did an amazing job telling Donovan’s story in a way that captured the essence of his character – a hardworking family man who is dedicated to both his job and his country. The bits of comic relief throughout the film were perfectly timed and sometimes a bit unexpected.
Hanks personified Donovan seamlessly and I believe he was the perfect choice to cast for this particular role. Hanks has the perfect look for this film, which allows him to transition between the role of a loving father and husband to a serious businessman who knows exactly how to coax others into giving him what he wants. And it’s difficult to side against him when what he wants is for everyone to be treated fairly and with respect.
As for the filmmakers, you can tell that Spielberg used his renowned skills as both a director and producer to bring this breathtaking project to life. The authenticity of the time period (which is the 1950s) is remarkable, and everything is spot on from the costumes to the sets themselves – especially once Donovan embarks on his mission to Germany while the Berlin Wall is being built. There is a significant contrast between America (with bright colors and quaint townhouses) and its enemy countries (with a lot of snow, guns and gloominess), which is crucial in showcasing the dire circumstances of that time. Some of the scenes literally made my jaw drop because of the astonishing cinematography.
In the end, I left the theater feeling like I had actually learned something about our history that I could retain, which is just shy of a miracle. Can Spielberg be my history teacher from now on?
“Bridge of Spies” will be released in theaters Oct. 16 and I would definitely pay to see it again.
