Bridge of Spies is the latest Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg collaboration. Bridge of Spies is a dramatic thriller set against the backdrop of the Cold War. The movie is the story of James Donovan, a Brooklyn insurance claims lawyer who finds himself thrust into the Center of the Cold war when the CIA sends him to negociae the release of the downed American U-2 pilot. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film stars Tom Hanks as the Brooklyn lawyer James Donovan, Mark Rylance (Rudolph Abel), Amy Ryan (Mary Donovan) and Alan Alda (Thomas Waters.)
After seeing the movie and knowing little about the story or the characters, it makes you hunger to learn more about both which made interviewing the lead characters and the famed director an exciting notion.
8 Interesting Facts I learned At The Press Interview with the cast including Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance Amy Ryan (Mary Donovan), Alan Alda and Director Steven Spielberg.
1.Three-time Academy Award winning Coen brothers came on board enhancing Mark Charman’s script adding their unique flair to the screenplay especially the dialogue.2. Steven Spielberg is of an age who knew who Gary Powers was and that he was captured and tried as a spy by the Russians but had no know idea about how he got out of Russia.
2. Right before the interview, Spielberg found from the family they were not the first producers to try to make the story. Apparently in 1965, Gregory Peck came after the story with Peck playing James Donovan and Alec Guinness was going to play Abel. MGM decided they did not want to make the story.
3. Tom Hanks as we reading the script and came to Donovan’s arguments to the Supreme Court about Rudolf Abel thought, “Oh, come on, let’s not guild the lily here. Let’s not – let’s not turn this into more of a, you know, an operatic moment than necessary.” As it turned it out, the scene turned to be exactly what had transpired.
4. The Germany scenes were shot that on the border of Poland and Germany, in a town called Breslau. The production went to the area closest to the east of Berlin, that looked just like East Berlin, and they actually built that wall for the movie.
5. Mark Rylance’s portrayal of Rudolph Abel was a revelation and the movie’s inevitability hinges on his relationship and scenes with Tom Hanks playing his lawyer. You are thinking what did he do prepare for the role because it is so critical. He told us, I just played what was written down on the page there.”
6. Mark Rylance did not have to audition for the critical role but “asked” for the role. He also knew Spielberg from Empire of the Sun days, a movie he ended not being involved with.8. As you can imagine, defending a convicted spy during the Cold War, Donovan was not a popular man. Hanks was surprised to find out there is actually a YouTube video where Donovan defends why he took the case, and the reason why he carried it all the way to the extremes of the Supreme Court. From there, the script follows his arguments his reasoning and his arguments for why it was important to him.
7. Location shots in New York, included a public school in Astoria Park and Ditmas Park served as the residential neighborhood where the Donovans lived. The New York City Transit provided the 60’s subways used for the scenes of the FBI tailing Rudolph Abel.
8. Marc Charman, a young English playwright and television writer wrote the original screenplay and brought the script to the executives at DreamWorks.
DreamWorks Pictures’ BRIDGE OF SPIES opens in theaters everywhere on October 16th! Stay tuned for my review of the movie.
Bridge of Spies Trailer
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Disclosure: NYC Single Mom attended the BRIDGE OF SPIES press junket to facilitate this movie review.
Jane says
This looks like an interesting movie. I have to look into seeing it this weekend.