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As Bridge of Spies builds toward its climax, there is a scene in front of a Berlin 'cineplex' which is showing four films (titles translated to English)...

  • One, Two, Three
  • Spartacus
  • The Damned (actually "Village of the Damned")
  • The Secret of the Black Box (imdb info here)

Is it conceivable that these films would have been in theatrical release with German subtitles or dubbing at the time the negotiations depicted in the film were being conducted? Most of the 'historically correct' "Bridge of Spies" takes place in 1960/1961, but the director used artistic license to include events from 1962.

Afterthought: Were cineplex establishments a common feature in European cities in 1961?

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  • I've edited your title to be a bit more useful. Please feel free to change it if you believe I've missed the mark. :) I actually am not certain about the dates and the specific film references for the other two films... if you can find them and add links... it's possible that the titles aren't translated literally.
    – Catija
    Jan 29, 2016 at 19:18
  • The official date of the trade is Feb 10, 1962. Just a note.
    – Catija
    Jan 29, 2016 at 19:54
  • @Catija, the 1st three films are Hollywood productions, don't know for 'The Secret' (perhaps a future question in its own right :) )
    – Gayot Fow
    Jan 29, 2016 at 19:58
  • I don't actually see a Hollywood film from that era titled The Damned... there's a 1963 British film and a 1947 French film.... and a 1969 Italian film... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damned#Film
    – Catija
    Jan 29, 2016 at 19:59

1 Answer 1

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You've caught an error.

The first three were available at the time. Imdb lists release dates in West Germany as:

One, Two, Three Dec 18, 1961

Spartacus Dec. 16, 1960

Village of the Dammed Feb. 3, 1961

But if the date of Feb. 10, 1962 given by Catija is correct, the last film, The Secret of the Black Box was not released until Feb. 23, 1962, 13 days after the exchange.

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  • Thanks, given your answer, is it permissible at this point to ask a new question about the possibility of these films being a 'tribute' contrived by the director or producer?
    – Gayot Fow
    Feb 3, 2016 at 8:03

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