For those watching today who were not alive at the time of the Rosenberg trial, it would be hard to imagine just how reviled they were.  Considered communists and traitors to America, accused of selling nuclear secrets to the Soviet Union, they were the subject of a corrupt investigation, and a justice system that failed not only the Rosenbergs, but core American values.  So despised were they that the people who bought the cemetery plot for them had to lie and say it was for someone else, just so the cemetery would allow the sale.  In the early 1950’s, the Rosenbergs were Public enemy number one.

Heir to an Execution presents their case in the context of the time in which it took place, all while following Ivy as she tries to find the truth behind her infamous grandparents.  In archival footage we see FBI head J. Edgar Hoover likening Communism to a disease, an epidemic, and we see Joe McCarthy himself defining “McCarthyism” as “calling someone a communist who is later proven to be one.”  (As if once he determines that someone is a commie, the “proof” will take care of itself.)  We see communism as a product of the times.  During the years of The Great Depression it was seen as an answer to a system that, with record joblessness and packed soup kitchens, was seen as clearly not working.  People felt a change was necessary, and in that environment Communism made sense.  Abe Oshoroff, a friend of Julius Rosenberg, talks about how they met in City College of New York in the 1930’s, and he calls Julius and Ethel as, “as Jewish as they come… you could practically smell the pickled herring.”  Oshoroff said that CCNY was such a political hotbed that it made Berkley in the 1960’s look pale by comparison.  That was in the 1930’s.  In the fanatical era that followed World War II, communism was seen as the enemy of mankind.  We see one politico read a poem “written by a good American,” and what follows is a few stanzas of hate and vitriol of the worst kind.

The film’s strength is in creating the atmosphere around which the trial of the Rosenberg’s took place.  That is what it does best.  It also does well to present some aspects of the case that may not be as well known.  David Greenglass, Ethel’s brother, who actually did steal nuclear secrets from the Los Alamos lab, turned his sister over to the government.  (Greenglass went on to serve ten years.)  Ivy tracks him down and learns that he lives only a few miles away from her, that she could have gone to see him any time.  With David’s word, Julius’s political leanings, and the intense pressure that was put on everyone involved, the whole case was a tragedy in the making from day one.  Also touching is the story of the Rosenbergs’ two sons.  Together, Julius and Ethel had quite a few siblings, and not one of them would offer to take the boys in.  Later, none of the ones who were still living would talk to Ivy, on or off camera.  Ultimately what we see is a failure in the American justice system on a grand scale, a failure of epic proportions, a government that bullied two people into the electric chair and left two young children orphaned.

The story is compelling, and it goes into great detail about this dark period in American history, a period about which there is too little honest discussion.  Unfortunately, the story is presented in a painfully dull, uninteresting way.  The hour and thirty-nine minute running time feels much longer, and Ivy, who is the center of the film, has all the personality of a door knob.  Scenes are cut away from quickly, abortively, and there are moments where the focus is on Ivy when it should be on the story being told, on the other person talking.  It is a shame that such a compelling story is presented in such an unengaging way.

The question remains: why did Julius and Ethel Rosenberg sacrifice themselves the way they did?  That is never answered, not that it ever could be.  What we are left with is a tragic portrait of the Rosenbergs, battered into the death house by political fanaticism, a justice system that failed to live up to its promise, and the painful lessons of the whole affair.

Heir to an Execution is presented in the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio.  The picture is crisp, free of scratches and defects.  Even the archival material looks great.

This DVD presents both English and Spanish tracks, each in Dolby Digital 2.0.  While not exactly memorable, the presentation is sharp and well done.

Filmmaker audio commentary: Ivy Meeropol talks about making the film, what inspired her to do so, and her thoughts on what she discovered.

Exclusive interviews: Tony Kushner, the playwright behind Angels In America, gives his interpretation of the Rosenberg’s case and how that found its way into his play.  Arthur Kiney, who as a young attorney advocated a stay of execution talks about his experience on the case and how that influenced his later career.  Bill Reuben, the first reporter to argue their innocence, discusses the facts of the case.

Additional observations from family and friends: people we saw in the film expound upon and add to what they said in the film.