An Officer and A Spy

On January 5, 1895, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young promising officer, is degraded for spying for Germany and is sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil’s Island. Among the witnesses to his humiliation is Georges Picquart, who is promoted to run the military counter-intelligence unit that tracked him down. But when Picquart discovers that secrets are still being handed over to the Germans, he is drawn into a dangerous labyrinth of deceit and corruption that threatens not just his honour but his life.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: An Officer and A Spy premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2019 and subsequently opened theatrically in Europe, Mexico and Russia.  In August of this year the film premiered in the U.S. at Film Forum in NYC.  We would like to acknowledge in presenting this work, in light of Roman Polanski’s sexual assault conviction and allegations, Rialto Cinemas does not condone Polanski’s crime.  We respect our audience’s diverse opionions, and acknowledge the complex debate surrounding the presentation of work by artists with controversial or problematic histories. 

This film is a well-crafted, dramatic depiction of the Dreyfus Affair — a landmark case of institutional corruption, antisemitism, and resistance to both, and a timely reminder of the perils of being a whistleblower. It is thus an important contribution to cinema’s crucial role in historical storytelling. We have programmed the film in keeping with our commitment to presenting compelling cinema to our audiences.   – Adapted from Film Forum, NYC