Notable postwar espionage cases often invoke the terrible fate of the Rosenberg family, the first American citizen convicted and executed by an electric chair for sharing nuclear secrets with the Soviet Union in peacetime. But in the new documentary, “A Compassionate Spy,” director Steve James tells the incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who shared Russia’s secret nuclear secrets — and got away with it.
The co-documentary and Kartemquin Films, which has its world premiere in Venice on September 2, is one of a number of films at this year’s festival that tackle the topic of nuclear disaster: projects by Noah Baumbach, novelist adaptation of Don DeLillo’s “Contemplate White Noise” and even The documentary “Nuclear” by Oliver Stone, Some aspects of our nuclear past and our future.
“There will be people who will look at what Ted did and say, ‘I don’t think he should have done it,'” the Oscar-nominated “Hoop Dreams” director said. diverse.
“There will certainly be people watching this movie and they will come to the conclusion that Ted, no matter how well-intentioned, did the wrong thing. But that’s not the case. [Hall’s wife] John’s opinion. She believes he had the courage to stand up and do what he thought was right, at great risk.”
New York-born Hall was just 19 when he was recruited to join the Manhattan Project – the now infamous group of scientists who developed the atomic bombs dropped by Americans on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
As Hall gained more understanding of the dire consequences of the bomb, he began to pass on information about the creation of the device to the Soviet Union through sources in the American Communist Party. In the documentary, Hall explained through archival interviews that the leaks were intended to level the intelligence playing field between America and Russia, to deter each other from rushing toward nuclear war.
Hall was questioned by the FBI but not indicted, likely due to the fact that his brother was an important rocket scientist to the US government. “It’s one of those things that in the Hollywood version of the story, when you get to that part of it, you’re going to say, ‘Oh, come on. this is not true! “
Hall eventually moved to Cambridge, UK with his family who still live there today, more than 20 years after his death in 1999. There James became acquainted with Ted Joan’s widow, who is the main contributor to the film, having connected through his “contributor.” Counter: Small Enough to Jail,” Academy Award nominee Dave Lindorff and producer Mark Mitten.
Joan was initially reluctant to be involved in the document, having been disappointed when attempts to tell Ted’s story in past years amounted to nothing other than the book “Bombshell” by Marcia Constell and Joseph Albright (they are interviewed in the film). After the book’s release, Leonardo DiCaprio was reported to have been interested in playing Ted in a biography of the physicist, but the project “never went anywhere,” James says.
The director says that Joan eventually agreed to participate because “there was an opportunity, in a different way from the book that had been so long ago, to tell Ted’s important story and get it published there.”
Rahim Spy was also an opportunity to tell Jean about the side of their relationship, which is political engagement, resistance, and feminism at a time when these concepts were radical for women. “She was such a woman out of time — completely left out in her politics, determined to be very active at it, and smart before maturity,” James says.
The documentary is largely based on interviews with Joan, as well as meetings with Ted that the couple gave birth to themselves “for posterity” before his death. Plus, for the first time in his long career in documentary, James is using high-profile entertainment with actors – a decision the veteran director didn’t take lightly. These are the highlights of the first part of the movie, which details Ted and Joan’s courtship (pictured above).
“Often, when documentaries falsify things, they pull archival footage that’s not really archival footage of what’s being talked about, but can go through for it, because it’s all about the same time or the same place,” James explains.
“You know, they are perfectly morally appropriate – but they are cheaters. And there would be no way to do that with these stories. I felt like this was the first time in a documentary where I felt we needed to bring these things back to life for the viewer to really understand what happened.”
A Compassionate Spy is being marketed to Venice buyers, and will also play Telluride. The fall premiere marks the first time James has brought an official film to any of the festivals. Docs generally target Sundance, SXSW, or even TIFF, but James felt that the experience with shooting the gun and Telluride could put the film on a faster distribution path.
“If the stars align, either because you have a hand in place, or because you got it fast, you can go out before the end of the year, or you have the option to build for the next year for a while,” James says. “I think it can give you some flexibility.”
Premiere of “Merciful Spy” in Venice on September 2nd at Sala Grande.
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