Polanski’s An Officer and a Spy

France just rewarded the mass murderers guilty of the 10/7 atrocities by officially recognizing the territory governed by the responsible terrorist organization. That should be shocking, but antisemitism is baked into French history. Over a century later, French antisemites are still trying to frame Alfred Dreyfus for treason. Sadly, the case remains timely, but Roman Polanski might be a flawed candidate to bring his story to the big screen (since he is a literally a fugitive from justice). Nevertheless, he is the filmmaker who collaborated with author Robert Harris, to adapt his fact-based novel. The result happens to be Polanski’s best film in years, which deserves consideration regardless of your judgement of the director. “Long awaited” by some, An Officer and a Spy (a.k.a. J’accuse), finally opens (after six years) this Friday in New York at Film Forum.

The film starts with the infamous “degrading” of Captain Dreyfus after his treason conviction, including the breaking of his saber. Col. Marie-Georges Picquart played a small, behind-the-scenes part in his conviction, which troubles him not, since he assumes Dreyfus is guilty. Shortly thereafter, he is appointed to lead the contemporary equivalent of military intelligence. In this new position, he soon learns the irregularities in the Dreyfus case were deliberately and dubiously irregular.

While investigating another potential traitor, Maj. Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, Dreyfus uncovers evidence that suggests his new suspect was in fact guilty of the crimes for which Dreyfus was convicted. However, his superiors in the army and the War Department close ranks, preferring a traitor like Esterhazy to remain free rather than admit Dreyfus’s innocence. Picquart refuses to lie, but he always follows orders, so the generals assign him to a whirlwind of dangerous foreign postings. Nevertheless, during a rare homecoming, Picquart consulted with Dreyfus’s defenders, including Emile Zola, who pens the explosive “J’Accuse” indictment.

At this point, French society cleaves in half, while both Picquart and Zola face criminal charges. In some ways, An Officer and a Spy plays like a late 19^th Century variant on paranoid 1970s political corruption thrillers, which makes sense, because that was largely Harris’s concept for the source novel. Indeed, he had plenty of historical material to work with, including assassination attempts and duels. Yet, it also a masterful mood piece, wherein Polanski captures the stuffy social restraint and suffocating hypocrisy of fin de siècle France.

Dreyfus himself only appears intermittently, mostly at the beginning and the end. Nevertheless, Louis Garrel’s performance is quite extraordinary. Harris and Polanski mostly concern themselves with Picquart’s campaign to expose the unjust conspiracy instead of the man who was their target, sort of like Kevin Costner in JFK, except the events of this film really did happen.

Jean Dujardin also disappears into the role of cerebral Picquart. (At times, he looks more like Gilles Lellouche.) Regardless, it is an unusually anti-heroic performance, despite Picquart’s typically heroic activities, like chasing assassins and clearing the name of an innocent man. Dujardin’s portrayal of the Colonel is deliberately hard to embrace (especially given his early anti-Jewish prejudice), but he conveys his intelligence and integrity, while staying consistent with the prevailing attitudes of his time.

Polanski’s wife Emmanuelle Seigner is present and accounted for, this time appearing as Picquart’s lover, Madame Monnier, the wife of journalist Philippe Monnier. Initially, this might look like needless nepotism, but the role takes on great third act significance, at which time Seigner delivers some of the film’s most finely tuned work. Likewise, Gregory Gadebois manages to simultaneously humanize the villainous Maj. Hubert-Joseph Henry, Picquart’s ostensive subordinate, while also reveling in his corruption and sleaze.

It would be a lot easier to discuss this film calmly and rationally if justice had been done and Polanski had been convicted for 10-20 years, but then allowed to return to the Hollywood system, in light of his considerable personal traumas. Instead, he became a culture war flash point. Frankly, the quality of his fugitive-era films has been quite inconsistent. Not matter how you feel about Polanski, An Officer and a Spy is one of his best films, along with The Pianist. Similarly, no matter how your opinions might have shifted with the prevailing winds, Venus in Furs remains one of his worst. At least New Yorkers finally have the opportunity to see the highly accomplished An Officer and a Spy when it opens Friday (8/8) at Film Forum.