Bridge of Spies
So, you saw Bridge of Spies, the latest film by Steven Spielberg. This Cold War film looks at a lot of issues by taking real life events (the arrest of Rudolf Abel for spying, the U-2 plane shot down in 1960, the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961) and weaves them into a story about one man, Jim Donovan, played by Tom Hanks, who brilliantly negotiates the release of two Americans for Abel. Choose from the following questions / observations and complete at least three (all answers must include a response to #1).
1. How did the film portray Cold War tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union? In what ways did the film humanize these tensions with the portrayals of Abel, Donovan, East German lawyer Vogel, Judge Byers, and the KGB minister (who helped negotiate the deal, whose name escapes me right now)? Use specific examples from the film.
2. Do you think Rudolf Abel was given a fair trial by the court of Judge Byers or was there a rush to judgement and conclusion? Why or why not?
3. Should America have been spying on the Soviets like they had with the U-2 planes? Why or why not?
4. What kinds of political and social pressures was Jim Donovan under at home for defending Rudolf Abel? Why do you think he took the job in the first place?
5. What would make / drive someone to become a spy for their country? It seems like dangerous work and there’s always the chance that your country could betray you or want you dead if you were captured (use Powers and Abel as examples).
I may come up with additional questions as I go along.