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Written by: Tim Riley

Published: 19 October 2015

BRIDGE OF SPIES (Rated PG-13)

Five years of Cold War espionage, with the attendant fallout from cloak-and-dagger machinations and public trials of captured spies, have been compressed by director Steven Spielberg into the compelling two-hour plus taut thriller “Bridge of Spies.”

The film’s title derives the nickname given to Glienicke Bridge, a restricted border crossing from the communist Eastern Bloc into the American sector of West Berlin, which will eventually feature prominently in the climactic scene.

During the 1960s, after the construction of the Berlin Wall that became the symbol of the oppressive totalitarian state of the East, Glienicke Bridge served as a spot for the exchange of prisoners between East and West.

The infamous bridge may be best known historically for the prisoner exchange engineered by New York insurance lawyer James B. Donovan (Tom Hanks), which allowed the United States to retrieve U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers (Austin Stowell) in 1962.

“Bridge of Spies” opens in 1957, when the Red Menace presents clear-and-present danger in the Cold War tensions and school children duck and cover during classroom drills accompanied by films about thermonuclear devastation.

A seemingly mild-mannered Brooklyn resident spends much of his time painting portraits and outdoor landscapes. But he proves to be Colonel Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance), a Soviet spy arrested during a rousingly staged FBI raid of his apartment.

A former Nuremberg prosecutor and skilled negotiator, Donovan is tapped by the head (Alan Alda) of his prestigious law firm to provide the defense for Col. Abel in a trial overseen by a hardly unbiased judge (Dakin Matthews).

At first, for the obvious reasons of incurring public wrath for defending an enemy agent, Donovan is reluctant and unwilling to take the case. His wife Mary (Amy Ryan) and three children are equally unenthused by an assignment that could put the family at risk.

In the end, dedicated to the principle of a person’s right to a trial even though convinced he lacks a winning hand, Donovan undertakes the defense of the Russian spy, losing his case both in the original court and upon appeal, but at least avoiding the death penalty for his client.

Knowing that he would be unpopular did not deter Donovan from upholding his end as defense counsel. There are terrific scenes of him riding the subway to work while people read the morning papers featuring his picture and eye him with contempt. This underscores the barrister’s courage.

More than others in or out of the government, Donovan understood that sparing the life of the convicted spy would someday serve the interests of his country in the event an exchange of prisoners would be necessary.

The story shifts to an American air base in Pakistan where Powers and other pilots are being trained by the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct aerial observations over Soviet territory with U-2 spy planes, which are designed to fly at altitudes unreached by fighter jets.

In May 1960, Powers is shot down over Soviet air space and captured by the Russians. He’s convicted in a Soviet courtroom of espionage and sentenced to three years in prison with an additional seven years of hard labor.

Having been prescient in saving Abel’s life, Donovan is tapped once again into service, this time as a private citizen using the Soviet spy’s incarceration as a bargaining chip to seek the release of Francis Gary Powers.

Leaving home on the false pretense of a fishing trip, Donovan ends up in Berlin, risking his life in the Russian sector to negotiate with stereotypical East German and Russian functionaries.

When East German street thugs steal his overcoat, Donovan ends up with a bad cold and runny nose which only fuels his desire to make a quick deal so he can return home to the comfort of his own bed.

But such desires are complicated by the fact that during the construction of the Berlin Wall, an American student is captured by the East Germans and accused of spying. The student’s capture sets more hurdles in the negotiation process.

As Donovan shuttles back-and-forth between West and East Berlin, he witnesses the terrifying and brutal nature of the Communist regime gunning down East Germans trying to escape to freedom by scaling the Berlin Wall.

Witnessing the barbarity of the East evidently pushes Donovan to insist that there would be no deal for Abel unless the student is also included in the swap with Powers. Some of the CIA handlers object, only wanting to get Powers back.

The tension builds as Donovan is put in the uncomfortable position of having to deal with the Russians and East Germans, whose interests don’t always neatly coincide as one would expect of these allies.

And so it comes to pass that a predawn exchange on Glienicke Bridge is fraught with great tension as the Soviets and Americans meet with their respective captives, and Donovan holds out until the East Germans hold up their end of the bargain.

“Bridge of Spies” is a terrific thriller made all the more exciting because Tom Hanks once again plays the Everyman to perfection in a role that only someone like Jimmy Stewart could have once played. 

History buffs, in particular, should find this Steven Spielberg film an immensely satisfying and absorbing real-life espionage tale that makes for great Cold War melodrama.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

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Written by: Editor

Published: 13 October 2015

LUCERNE, Calif. – Northshore Community Center, formerly known as Lucerne Alpine Senior Center, is hosting its monthly Open Mic Lucerne on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 6 to 11 p.m.

Performers will be on stage with house band FOGG, which will start the evening at 6 p.m. with classic, heavy metal rock and roll with original numbers and covers of your favorites.

FOGG and other entertainers will wrap up the evening by 11 p.m. Assistance is available with amplification.

Bands and individuals are already signing up. Past events have seen full venues, so sign up early.

Call 707-274-8779 for your reserved time or come and sign up beginning at 5:30 p.m. Saturday.

Don’t miss this chance to showcase your talent. Being in the audience is great fun and free too.

Music, comedy, mime, readings, and any other activity that is family-oriented is appreciated. Room is also available for dancing and relaxing. There is no charge for attending or performing.

Bring the whole family to this child-friendly event.

At Open Mic Lucerne, a spaghetti feed is offered with traditional and vegetarian full meals available for $5.

All proceeds from dinner benefit the Northshore Community Center, a not-for-profit serving north shore families and senior populations with on-site lunches, Meals on Wheels, personal advocacy, activities and other services.

For more information about OML, call Northshore Community Center at 274-8779.

The center is located at 3985 Country Club Drive, Lucerne.

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Written by: Ted Kooser

Published: 11 October 2015

Here is a poem by David Ray, of Arizona, that gets to the subject of how a person moves ahead following the death of a loved one.

For a time, the simplest activity can feel both strange and new.

His most recent book of poetry is When, from Howling Dog Press, 2007.

Widower

She took such good care of him
that he seldom lifted a finger.
So only now does he stand

by the sink and peel
his first potato, with the paring knife
she left as legacy.   The potato,

he notes, fits the human hand,
was made to do so, one
of the miracles.   She knew all along.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright 2006 by David Ray, “Widower,” from Music of Time: Selected and New Poems, (The Backwaters Press, 2006). Poem reprinted by permission of David Ray and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.