BRIDGE OF SPIES
IS AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL HD ON 14TH MARCH AND BLU-RAY AND DVD ON 28TH
MARCH FROM TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT
Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks
four-film collaboration is one of the greatest director-actor partnerships in
movie history. Hanks’ ability to convey an all American dignity, wholesomeness
and an understated heroism matched by Spielberg’s mastery of every aspect of moviemaking
has informed films as diverse as WWII classic Saving Private Ryan (1998),
colourful caper Catch Me If You Can (2002) and charming character comedy The
Terminal (2004). Now their fourth collaboration, Bridge Of Spies takes them
into the cauldron of the Cold War as Hanks plays James B. Donovan, a US
insurance lawyer recruited by the CIA to negotiate a swap between Russian spy
Rudolf Abel (Mark Rylance) and US pilot Gary Powers (Austin Stowell). The
filmmaker and actor talk about the origins of the film, their passion for history
and the little known beginnings of their remarkable partnership.
With Bridge Of Spies, you seemed to
have unearthed the last untold Cold War story?
Steven Spielberg: Somebody came to me and said, “Do you
want to make a movie about Gary Powers being shot down above the Soviet Union
in his U2.” And that might have been enough for one whole movie. But Tom and I
later found out that there was so much more to it than that. We came to realise
that, as incredible as it might seem, these events really happened.
Tom Hanks: My first question was, “Has it been
done? What are we going to do? Go back and recreate the greatest hits of the
Cold War movies?” I had no knowledge of James Donovan so this was all brand new
human detail. It has to be a major bell that goes off so you say. “I didn’t
know this.” So you can dig in.
At the centre of the film is the
relationship between US insurance lawyer James Donovan and Russian spy Rudolf
Abel. It isn’t the usual mismatched duo we’ve seen a million times before.
Steven Spielberg: It avoids stereotypes because the
true-life incidents of Donovan and Abel avoided stereotypes. It was a very
unlikely partnership. I wanted this movie to be the kind of relationship story
where the audience couldn’t wait to see Abel and Donovan in a scene again.
And Tom, how did you create the magical
chemistry you share with Mark Rylance playing Abel?
Tom Hanks: Donovan and
Abel developed quite an affection for each other. With The Boss’ (Spielberg’s) permission,
I called up Mark up and said, ‘Hey we’re in this movie together, let’s get
together and run the lines if nothing else’. So he and I got together in New
York. He’s an artist without compare.
The film is about timeless values —
integrity, moral courage — but it also shines a light on a lot of contemporary
concerns and issues?
Steven Spielberg: Back, in those days, we had an eye on
each other. These days we have a jungle of eyes on each other and not even when
there is important information to be snatched. Today hacking is a sport.
Occasionally a hacker will hit upon actionable information that can make him
some money or get him to flee the country. Anyone who knows how to manipulate
electronic devices can spy on anybody else.
Tom, Donovan feels like the quintessential
Tom Hanks hero. Does it feel different playing a real life figure to a
fictional character?
There are two
versions of it. One is in which the people are still alive. That’s tricky. In
the case of James Donovan, he’s passed away so we are not going to screw up his
life by talking about it too much. There was enough footage of him that I could
determine a number of things. One, I look absolutely nothing like him. It’s
hilarious. That’s no big deal. But there’s the other aspect of how he addressed
his mission as an insurance lawyer and how that impacted the movie. My first job was to maintain that degree of
integrity.
Steven, what are your earliest
memories of Tom as an actor?
Steven Spielberg: I was a big fan of Tom in (‘80s sitcom) Bosom Buddies. He also did a
movie (Every Time I say Goodbye) in Israel that I liked a lot and then
Volunteers with (Hanks’ now wife) Rita Wilson. So I was really acquainted with
his work before we did The Money Pit. The first thing I noticed about Tom is
that I never caught him acting. He said the lines as if there was no script,
there was no director, no lights and he was just talking to me.
And, Tom, when did you become aware of
Steven’s work?
Tom Hanks: I was in 6th Grade. We all went to school and talked about
Steven’s episode of Night Gallery. It was like The Twilight Zone squared. Then
a couple of years later, in the Oakland Tribune, Bob Mackenzie wrote his entire
TV column and just said ‘There is this thing on TV that should really be
playing in theatres.” And it was Duel. I went to Junior High School the next
day and said, “Did-you-see-that-thing-called-Duel? Oh my God. There is hardly
any conversation in it and you never even saw the guy driving the truck!” And
then, of course, you throw in Jaws and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.
So how was your first meeting?
Tom Hanks: I believe we sat and had a bite to
eat. I could count on one hand the amount of times I got to drive onto any
studio lot in town. I drove on and ran into Bob Zemeckis who had just been
talking to Steven about Back To The Future. Then I went in to see Steven. I was
petrified. I couldn’t believe it. I remember having, for me, a very stilted
dinner because I was meeting — ya know — Steven Spielberg.
Is it true you were offered to direct
Tom’s film, Big?
Steven Spielberg: It’s a true story. I was offered Big
and I turned it down because my sister Anne had written it. (Producer) Jim
Brooks and I had many meetings about this and he was very persuasive about my
doing it. I said to Anne, “Here’s why I’m not doing it. I’m not doing it
because you’ll get no credit for this great script you wrote. It will all go to
me.”
How did you come to work together on
Saving Private Ryan?
Steven Spielberg: One of the things we had in common
was a tremendous interest in World War II. I knew that about Tom. He knew that
about me. He knew about my dad Arnold (a
radio operator on WWII planes), whom he calls Burt, and we talked about
documentaries on World War II. I was in the kitchen of my house when I read the
script of Ryan. I immediately wanted Tom to play Captain Miller. Little did I
know that Tom had read the script and had the same reaction I had.
Saving Private Ryan, the TV miniseries
Band Of Brothers and now Bridge of Spies reflect your passion and skill of
telling little known stories from history. Why are you attracted to historical
subjects?
Tom Hanks: We read about it for pleasure. I get into bed and I’m reading
some 1400 page tome and Rita says ‘What’s that about?’ and I’ll say, ‘It’s
about some arcane thing in the 14th century’ and Rita says, “Will
you ever just read a novel?” And I say, “I’ve tried, baby, I’ve tried. But that
stuff is just made up!”
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