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The ‘Oppenheimer’ expanded universe: Steve James’ tale of atomic espionage in ‘A Compassionate Spy’

Political Theater, Episode 297

American film producer and director Steve James poses during the 79th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 2, 2022, in Italy.
American film producer and director Steve James poses during the 79th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 2, 2022, in Italy. (Franco Origlia/Getty Images)

Steve James is a documentary filmmaker whose body of work has taken him from “Hoop Dreams” to the 2008 financial crisis and more. His latest film, “A Compassionate Spy,” is about Ted Hall, a physicist who worked at Los Alamos during World War II and helped develop the atomic bomb. You may have heard something or other about the bomb lately, with Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” in theaters now and creating buzz by the gallons. Hall’s story is just as important. He took what he learned at Los Alamos and shared it with the Soviet Union, an action that continues to reverberate. 

Show Notes:

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