NOTE: Version seen was the 1983 update which included interviews with book authors covering the Rosenberg case.
A tiring but informative look back at the case against couple Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, accused of treason and of selling atomic bomb secrets
to the Soviets during the Cold War heydays, accusation such that led to the couple's execution on the electric chair in 1953. It presents the facts
that could prove and disprove how connected they were with the events, the source of denounces, and a quite detailed look on the major characters
involved in the scenario.
Interviewed here are people connected with them, which includes moments with infamous prosecutor of the case Roy M. Cohn;
co-defendant Morton Sebell, who got away with a lighter sentence and here he talks about the many regrets he had by not disclosing evidences that could
help the Rosenbergs since if he were to tesitfy he'd had to share his political affiliations with the Communists, which wouldn't help him out; also
present are the Ronseberg's sons, adopted by the Meeropol's; among others sharing both sides of the issue: those who believed in the Rosenbergs innocence
and those who thought they were guilty.
Considering the period and the fact that many people were willing to present hidden facts about the case, along with the revelation of documents
and audio archives, this documentary is an interesting piece of material. It has many information that can be seen and verified in other sources, and
it's nostalgic to see 1970's-1980's TV from America and how they were deadly serious with their coverage on hot topics. The 1983 inclusion with the
authors worked a little, but not that effectively as the testimonies, like the Schneir couple, are a little confusing and biased with their reflections.
The piece also gets a lukewarm note from me due to the fact of having seen another project on the topic, made in the late 1990's and seen almost back-to-back
with this one, that had a better
presentation of facts, with an added context and one more economic too. This one dragged at parts which can make viewers get distracted and not focused
enough to analyze the material, the opinions shared and see if the case was valid or not. I liked it as it allowed me a wider perspective of things
concerning the Rosenbergs, the whole rush to judgement and how some think it changed the history course for the better as it prevented more Cold War
casualties. Oh the paranoia of it all. 7/10.
