Roman Polanski’s “An Officer and a Spy” to Screen in the US Six Years After Venice Premiere
According to cinemadrame news agency, Roman Polanski’s film “An Officer and a Spy” will be screened for the first time in the United States. This film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and received 12 César nominations a few months later. Polanski ultimately won the César for Best Director, but his commendation at the ceremony was not without controversy. However, after six years, “An Officer and a Spy” is finally coming to the United States, premiering at Film Forum in New York on August 8th.
“An Officer and a Spy” depicts how Georges Picquart, a 19th-century French military officer and the country’s Minister of War, endeavors to uncover the truth about Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish artillery staff officer in the French army who was deemed a traitor in 1894 and sentenced to exile on Devil’s Island in South America.
Polanski moved from the United States to France after being convicted of raping a thirteen-year-old girl. Since then, he has directed films such as “The Pianist” but has never escaped the shadow of that case. The 91-year-old filmmaker previously stated regarding the rape trial proceedings and the ongoing reactions: “Most of the people who bother me neither know me nor know anything about the rape case.”
After “An Officer and a Spy,” Polanski directed “The Palace” with a budget of 17 million euros. That film grossed 972,000 euros and received a 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
