An Officer and a Spy

media release: France, Italy | 2019 | DCP | 111 min. | French with English subtitles

Director: Roman Polanski

Cast: Jean Dujardin, Louis Garrel, Mathieu Amalric

Adapted from Robert Harris’ book, Polanski’s critically acclaimed and award-winning movie takes a compelling look at the Dreyfus Affair, a landmark case of institutional corruption, antisemitism, and resistance to both. In the late 19th Century, French officer Georges Picquart (Dujardin) initially accepts the conviction and exile of Alfred Dreyfus (Garrel) as justified. After assuming command of a military intelligence unit, Picquart discovers evidence that Dreyfus was deliberately framed to conceal another officer’s treason, forcing him to confront the corruption and bigotry at the heart of the army he serves. Brilliantly edited and impeccably photographed, An Officer and a Spy is “effortlessly absorbing procedural cinema” (Justin Chang, The Los Angeles Times) that “has something very real and urgent to say about the world we live in today” (Glenn Kenny, Rogerebert.com).

Admission free for all screenings, seating limited. No admission 15 minutes after scheduled start times. Please visit our website for a complete listing of programs and descriptions.

New Restorations and Special Presentations

In addition to several titles showing in our Owen Kline and John Ford series, other 35mm presentations this calendar include Todd Haynes’ Safe, screening in honor of its 30th anniversary; Masaki Kobayashi’s thrilling and beloved samurai drama, Harakiri; and two Hong Kong classics from director Tsui Hark: The Blade and Green Snake – showing in special prints from the Wisconsin Center for Film & Theater Research. Special presentations on DCP include the first Madison theatrical screening of Roman Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy (J’accuse); two star-studded thrillers from the late 1970s, Capricorn One and Rollercoaster; and new restorations of Adrian Lyne’s terrifying Jacob’s Ladder, Mike Nichols’ The Day of the Dolphin, Luchino Visconti’s Conversation Piece, and Terry Gilliam’s sumptuous The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.