'A Compasionate Spy' Has More Heart Than Heat
What would you do to save the world? If your name is Theodore Hall, you may be associated with Communism. Hindsight can be a bitch. Especially when the U.S.S.R. turns untrustworthy, and your Allies want your head for treason when in reality, all you are guilty of is compassion. Told through archival interviews and recreations, veteran Chicago documentarian Steve James offers a sympathetic, complex glimpse at a polarizing man.
Theodore Hall was a brilliant man. A Harvard + University of Chicago graduate, Ted's gift for physics earned him a spot on the Manhattan Project. While working on the atomic bomb, Ted decided to leak information on the project to the Russians in hopes of saving lives during World War II. His wife, Joan, states some problematic opinions on the surface. Joan remarks on her affirmation of Karl Marx's book, agreeing with it and displaying a degree of pro-Russia sentiment. Since this documentary is about real people, Steve James doesn't twist Joans' words around in the editing room to make her sound like a U.S.S.R. sympathizer.
Instead, James lets us see things through Joan and Ted's perspective, understanding how they were trying to save the lives of not only the Soviets but anyone who can be annihilated with a nuclear weapon. Naïveté plays a role in Ted's decision-making. Now with access to Nukes (thanks to Ted's loose lips), the Soviets can turn the U.S. into a parking lot. At the time, Russia was our ally; but after World War II, things quickly changed for the worst between U.S. and U.S.S.R. relations. If Ted Hall's tale is worth something other than compassion, it's age-hiring. If someone is nineteen, they shouldn't be trusted with W.M.D.s no matter how brilliant they are. However good in intention, selling secrets to the Russians spells doom for today.
Throughout the film, Ted seems cold and almost impersonal until its final interview, where Ted's emotions get the best of him in the film earning the picture its title. A Compassionate Spy is styled like a History Channel flashback. Many of its events are dramatized with actors playing the fictional version of the interview subject's counterparts. By using actors and re-creating settings, documentarian Steve James introduces a new flair for the dramatic in his work that's often more cinéma vérité mixed with social justice. In A.C.S., James goes for a more conventional narrative approach while introducing an unconventional side to a story of a man who's been villainized by his country.
Where most narratives about espionage would have a tense, visceral feel, A Compassionate Spy uses a relaxing motif to tell a story about catastrophe. Theodore's records playing classical movements serve as the soundtrack to the story easing the viewer into the mindset of its calm, genius protagonist. By incorporating his usual soothing, nonjudgemental touch, Steve James achieves the cinematic effect of listening to reason instead of shutting out those we disagree with.
Although I can't entirely side with Jones' enthusiasm towards Marxism, I can understand her point of view in the context of the time period and narrative. Steve James asks us not to judge but put ourselves in Ted Hall's shoes. Would you have the courage to sell secrets to a foreign country for the greater good? Despite whom he gave the information to, Ted’s overall goal was to stop the development of nukes; unfortunately, telling the Russians about the bomb could lead to catastrophic results that I pray we won't live to see.
There are no easy answers surrounding Theodor Hall's actions. Only questions stacked upon more questions. Steve James offers a human portrait of a man who regrettably worked on the most inhumane device known to humanity. Life is not filled with easy answers, just more complicated questions. A good documentary raises those questions making us see people instead of objects. A Compassionate Spy certainly is a work made by a filmmaker who cares about his subjects profoundly. Where most documentarians don't involve the subjects during the editing process, James screens the movie for his subjects so notes can be given. This level of trust is rare in documentary filmmaking for a level of reasons, both personal and professional.
Screening the film for Joan Hall inarguably affected the narrative if Ms. Hall were to have any substantial input. The movie is, by and large, a love letter from a wife to a deceased husband at the film's core. The movie can sometimes feel like a romanticization, but not in the exploitative sense. If PBS or CNN is tinkering with picking up a historical documentary, then A Compassionate Spy could be another grand Kartemquin pickup.
A Compasionate Spy was viewed in conjunction with The Chicago International Film Festival. You can view my red carpet interview with Director Steve James linked here!
