Steven Spielberg's 'Bridge of Spies' Closes Hamptons International Film Festival
Bridge of Spies, the new film from director Steven Spielberg starring Tom Hanks, will have its wide release this coming Friday, but many got an advance viewing of the movie at closing night of the Hamptons International Film Festival on Monday at Guild Hall in East Hampton.
Set during the Cold War, Bridge of Spies is inspired by the true story of American lawyer James Donovan, who accepted the responsibility of defending an accused Soviet spy in court when no one else would. The CIA later enlisted Donovan to negotiate a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. to get back a spy pilot.
Actor Alan Alda, a Water Mill resident who played Donovan’s law partner Thomas Watters Jr., attended the screening and took part in an audience Q&A. When the floor was opened for questions, it was Alda who wanted to know what the audience thinks.
“Did you see a relationship between this story, which takes place, literally, 50 years ago and things that happen now?” he asked. “I thought that was wonderful. It was so understated. Nobody says, ‘This is going to happen in 50 years.'”
A parallel that resonated with Alda was the notion of—in the course of defending the country—denying the values one believes makes the country great and worth defending.