A TRAITOR AND A SPY FEATURES TRUTH AND COURAGE
In 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus (Louis Garrel) is convicted of treason in France and sentenced to live out his life on Devil’s Island off the coast of French Guiana. When the verdict is read before a large assembly of the army, his medals are stripped from his uniform. But he insists more than once: “I am innocent.”
Next, Georges Picquart (Jean Dujardin) is promoted to head the French Secret Service, though called the Office of Statistics to hide his assignment. In the office some evidence of the case is on display, so he examines what has been called “irrefutable proof.” He then begins to evaluate the entire body of evidence, finding forgery. When he informs his superior, General Gonse (Hervé Pierre), of the problem, he finds that the top brass of an army, defeated by Germany in 1870/1871, is eager to pursue a coverup of the mistakes in order to maintain the appearance of integrity and strength. Dreyfus is Jewish, and anti-Semitic bias is obvious, both within the army and the French population. Picquart, who quite early expresses contempt for Jews, nevertheless believes that truth should prevail, so he confides in his girlfriend, whom he sees regularly despite the fact that she is married. He believes that the handwriting on the incriminating document is from Major Ferdinand Esterhazy (Lorant Natrella).
But soon Picquart fears discipline from the army, so he confides in journalist Émile Zola, parliamentarian Georges Clemenceau, and others. When Zola’s “J’accuse” appears on the front page of newspapers in 1898, the issue rises to national political importance, as many persons are named in the scandal.
Then come a series of trials. Zola is convicted. Esterhazy is put on trial and found not guilty. Dreyfus comes back to Paris; though convicted again, he wins an appeal and is restored to his previous rank.
As a reward, Picquart is promoted to the rank of general. But when Dreyfus appears before Picquart to request a higher rank, Picquart says only if parliament passes a law that would empower him to do so.
Roman Polanski, who directs the film, clearly sees parallels with how he was treated by the judicial system in the United States. The film is based on the 2013 book with the same title by Robert Harris.
But the main mystery of the film is that is presented in 2025 though made in 2019 and held up for distribution during the intervening years.
The Political Film Society has nominated A Traitor and a Spy for best film of 2025 on democracy and best film on human rights. MH
HAMILTON PRAISES A “FOUNDING FATHER”
A filmed presentation of the musical Hamilton in New York during 2020 is now available in cinemas across the United States, including a ten-minute intermission and preceded by several minutes of statements from members of the cast. As a biography of Alexander Hamilton, the musical story takes considerable “dramatic license,” as explained on Wikipedia, and casts many non-Whites as Whites.
Highlights are his role as an adviser to George Washington during the Revolutionary War, his love life and marriage, his career as a lawyer, his role as a proponent of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States, and his time as the first Secretary of the Treasury. He is credited with converting the United States from bankruptcy to prosperity. To make the dialog dramatic, much attention focuses on his main critic, Aaron Burr, who is the principal narrator for most of the musical; their duel ends Hamilton’s life. Hamilton’s wife then concludes the musical with a swan song. MH