A Compassionate Spy

A Compassionate Spy is a 2022 American documentary film written and directed by Steve James. It premiered out of competition at the 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival.

A Compassionate Spy
Directed bySteve James
Produced bySteve James
CinematographyTom Bergmann
Production
company
Distributed byMagnolia Pictures[1]
Release date
2022
CountryUSA

Plot

Through a long interview with the subject and his wife, archive footage and some dramatic reenactments, the film tells the story of Manhattan Project physicist and Soviet Union spy Theodore Hall.

Release

The film had its world premiere at the premiered out of competition at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.[2] It was later screened at various festivals including the Telluride Film Festival,[3] the Chicago International Film Festival,[4] and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.[5]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% approval rating based on 10 reviews.[6] In spite of its mostly positive reception, the reenactments were criticized, described as "unnecessary", making the film "more televisual than in James’s best work",[7] and as "a miscalculation that keeps (the film) at arm’s length."[8]

References
  1. Scott Roxborough (February 15, 2023). "Berlin: Magnolia Takes Steve James' Doc 'A Compassionate Spy' for North America". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 16, 2023.
  2. Fienberg, Daniel (2 September 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: Steve James Doc Is a Nuanced Portrait of Love and Espionage". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  3. Ravindran, Manori (2 September 2022). "'Life Itself' Director Steve James on Uncovering a Shocking Nuclear Secret in 'A Compassionate Spy'". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  4. Rush, Mariah (7 October 2022). "Chicago film festival launches with doc that profiles (but never judges) a leaker of secrets to the Soviets". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  5. Wissot, Lauren (6 January 2023). ""If We Wanted To Visualize This at All, We'd Have to Do It Ourselves": Steve James on A Compassionate Spy". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  6. "A Compassionate Spy". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  7. Lodge, Guy (2 September 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: A Gripping Biography of a Manhattan Project Outlier". Variety. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  8. Ehrlich, David (2 September 2022). "'A Compassionate Spy' Review: Steve James Explores a Marriage Built on Nuclear Secrets". IndieWire. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
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