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It is impossible to overstate the magnitude of the Dreyfus Affair, which remains one of the most flagrant and consequential antisemitic incidents of the modern era.
The disgraceful event has been described as the most notorious miscarriage of justice in French history – a scandal so great it split France in half. Dozens of books have been written about the politically motivated trial and wrongful conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a 35-year-old Jewish Alsatian artillery officer in the French Army sentenced to life imprisonment in 1894 for treason and sent to the notorious Devil’s Island penal colony.
The 2013 historical fiction novel “An Officer and a Spy” by Robert Harris tells the Dreyfus story from the perspective of the dogged intelligence officer Georges Picquart, who investigated and ultimately uncovered the truth behind the case.
Roman Polanski’s 2019 French-language film “An Officer and a Spy,” adapted by Polanski and Harris from the award-winning novel, premiered at the Venice International Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the FIPRESCI Prize. It received twelve nominations for the César Awards, the most nominations of any eligible film, and eventually won the awards for Best Adaptation, Best Costume Design, and Best Director. The film was also nominated in four categories at the 32nd European Film Awards, including for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Screenwriter, and received Polish Film Awards nominations for Best Foreign and Best European film.
Despite the awards and accolades, controversy arising from a sexual assault allegation against the director that emerged just as the film was being feted led to an effective ban on its theatrical and home video release in the US and the UK.
In June, New York’s prestigious Film Forum ended the unofficial ban by showing “An Officer and a Spy,” which is now being screened nationwide.
The long-delayed critically acclaimed drama comes to the Dairy Arts Center’s Boedecker Theater for a five-day run December 3-7. The screening on Thursday December 4 at 7 pm includes a talkback with Kathryn Bernheimer, founding director of the Boulder Jewish Film Festival. For tickets, visit thedairy.org.
Editor’s Note: This is not as old a story as it sounds. Just this week (November 17, 2025), France posthumously promoted Alfred Dreyfus to brigadier general.
