Perception Management In Stephen Spielberg's Bridge Of Spies

“This War is About Information”

The practice of perception management was prevalent throughout the Cold War, both on the side of the United States of America and of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. As such, both sides had to implement ways in which to hide and process information so that their country could gain an advantage. Stephen Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies is able to clearly and succinctly present the practice of perception management through the characters Rudolf Abel and Francis Gary Powers, as well as through the actions taken by both the United States and the Soviet Union to exchange the two prisoners. Rudolf Abel was a spy for the Soviet Union. After his arrest, he became the most hated man in America because he was a living representation of their fear that communism could infiltrate the United States and they would never know. In accordance with the United States’ Constitution, he was given due process and the right to a defense attorney; his lawyer was James “Jim” Donovan. Despite his best efforts, Donovan was unable to win the case in the face of the overwhelming fear and paranoia toward communism. He was successful, however, in persuading the judge to forego the death penalty because of his argument that, should the United States ever be in a similar situation in the Soviet Union, they would want the American citizen …show more content…
In Bridge of Spies, it is easier to see the way Powers was used by his government than Abel was by his because the movie is told from an American perspective, consequently making a deliberate point to show how and why Powers got to the Soviet Union, unlike with Abel who started the movie by getting arrested in America. Now, while the Americans used Powers in order to gain information, the same could be said about the Soviet