The film begins with a close-up of actor Timothy Hutton as “Daniel Isaacson,” performing a monologue about capitol punishment and electrocution. The passage continues intermittently throughout the film. The narrative weaves in between the present-day life of Daniel Isaacson and the past lives of his parents, “Paul” and “Rochelle,” who met as young political revolutionaries in 1940s New York City and were executed in the 1950s for espionage. Daniel and his sister, “Susan” are portrayed as youths in these sequences, which depict their happy childhood at their father’s radio repair shop, their family vacation with a socialist group to a Paul Robeson rally, their parents’ arrest, and their subsequent escape from an orphanage. The picture is framed by newsreel footage of anti-Vietnam War demonstrations.
       Although a 17 Oct 1973 HR news item announced that producers David Susskind and Abby Mann had acquired screen rights to E. L. Doctorow’s The Book of Daniel (New York, 1971), with plans for Mann to adapt the novel into a feature film, the project remained in limbo until late Mar 1982, when DV reported that Sidney Lumet optioned a screenplay, written by Doctorow. The deal was announced in a 31 Mar 1982 DV column, which stated that Zanuck/Brown Productions was considering the project. At that time, Lumet was directing The Verdict (1982, see entry) for Zanuck/Brown, but the studio eventually decided against The Book of Daniel. A 1 Jul 1982 NYT article explained that Lumet submitted the property to various studios thirty-three times over a decade, long before Mar 1982, but executives were reportedly uncomfortable with its controversial subject. While neither the film nor the novel refer to Julius and Ethel Rosenberg by name, the narrative explores the couple’s 1953 execution for divulging atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, and the impact it might have had on their children. Lumet told the NYT that the Rosenberg story was generally a source of discomfort and “embarrassment” to Americans, and producers were reluctant to invest in a picture that did not have a guaranteed audience.
       When The Book of Daniel was on hold, E. L. Doctorow published his first bestseller, Ragtime (New York, 1975), and Lumet directed a series of hit movies, including Dog Day Afternoon (1975, see entry) and Network (1976, see entry), giving them a more viable box-office reputation. In mid-May 1982, entrepreneur John Heyman offered to recruit investors for The Book of Daniel and secured $8.2 million in six weeks. Lumet agreed to work for Directors Guild scale instead of his standard $1.5 million fee, and Doctorow was paid the Writers Guild minimum for his screenplay, as well as an executive producer credit.
       On 26 Jun 1982, HR reported that casting was underway, and Mandy Patinkin had recently been hired to costar with Timothy Hutton. One month later, a 28 Jul 1982 HR column stated that filming was set to take place at Astoria Studios in Queens, NY, and a 6 Oct 1982 Var article confirmed that principal photography began on 27 Sep 1982. Shooting was scheduled to continue through mid-Nov 1982, according to a 5 Nov 1982 Backstage news item that referred to the picture by its new title, Daniel.
       In the first week of production, a 1 Oct 1982 DV article announced a financing, production, and distribution partnership between John Heyman’s Film Writers Co. and Paramount Pictures. The deal had been in the works for four months, and marked the first enterprise in Paramount’s new “production acquisition” strategy, in which independent film companies financed foreign distribution while Paramount covered domestic release. Although the project was initially developed outside Paramount’s jurisdiction, the studio maintained the same authority as “in-house” productions, with approval rights to script, casting, budget, and packaging.
       End credits include: “Portions filmed at Astoria Studios, Astoria, New York,” and, “The producers wish to thank: The Mayor’s Office for Motion Pictures & Television; Trans World Airlines.”