Bridge of Spies (2015)

 A group of night owls gathered to discuss Bridge of Spies, a much-acclaimed Cold War spy swap thriller (2015).  There wasn’t much negative to say.  “What a film!” exclaimed one of us. No wonder The Guardian called Spielberg’s film ‘the work of a master.’

This drama ticked every box. The atmosphere created was superb, with all the ingredients of film noir. Everything was “muted and compelling,” with some scenes almost in black and white. One member of the group said it reminded him of The Spy Who Came In From The Cold (1965). A snow scene was especially appreciated and the slow rumble under the soundscape caught our attention.

We had some disagreement about the role of women as depicted in the film. Some of us felt the women’s subdued and restrictive clothing reflected their oppression. There also wasn’t a strong female role in the film. Others felt Mary McKenna Donovan (played by Amy Ryan), a wife and mother, was accurately portrayed for the time.

There was some discussion about Thomas Newman’s soundtrack – John Williams was the first choice and Newman appeared to be reflecting his style, rather than orchestrating his own distinctive music.

We all appreciated Tom Hanks as attorney James Donovan, he moved and warmed our hearts. We shared some of our knowledge about the characters in this remarkable story, based of course, on real-life events. Themes such as ‘fear of the other’ and ‘everyone is important’ came to mind.

This was a “very wonderful” film.  We all loved Daniel D. Moses’ short film Pandemic Spy, which we thought was funny, with wonderful slapstick and an inner message. Thanks to the directors who have spent time recording clips about their films for our Rusthall Community Cinema audience. We really value it.

Anne