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WHEN LOVE MEETS ESPIONAGE
My eighth-grade English teacher, Aurora Ritter, was a mystery. Rumors swirled about her World War II exploits, but she never shared them with her students.
Years later, I learned the truth: unknown to Aurora, her German-immigrant husband, Nikolaus Ritter, organized one of the largest enemy spy rings in American history. Stranded alone in Nazi Germany, Aurora fought to protect her children from the horrors of war.
The film, a blend of spy thriller and love-gone-wrong drama, unfolds through archival footage, reenactments, and commentary from Aurora’s daughter, Katharine.
THE STORY
In 1924, 26-year-old Aurora, a bright, independent school teacher from Alabama, travels to New York City, where she has a whirlwind romance with Nikolaus Ritter, a dashing young German immigrant. They marry and have two children. Aurora is financially independent, but Nikolaus is too proud to hold a job. Still, Aurora believes in him and remains steadfast in her devotion.
In 1935, Nikolaus moves the family to Germany under the pretense of visiting his dying father. Soon, he fulfills his true intention to join the Abwehr, Germany’s military intelligence agency.
Aurora learns of his spying activities against the U.S. and his affair with a coworker. Though she wins a divorce, German courts force her to stay in the country to retain custody of the children.
In the U.S., Nikolaus organizes the Duquesne Ring, a spy network that steals America’s top military secret, the Norden Bombsight. Three years later, the FBI, with the help of double agent William G. Sebold, arrests 33 ring members in a single night.
Meanwhile, Aurora, persecuted in Germany for being American, secretly plans a dangerous escape in 1941, but Nikolaus has the children kidnapped by the Gestapo.
After a maddening five-month search, Aurora makes a daring rescue of her children, but the trio barely survives the Allies’ ferocious bombings of Hamburg. In 1946, penniless, she and the kids return to the U.S. and Aurora resumes her teaching career in Tallahassee, Fla.
EARLY PRAISE
COLLABORATORS
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Greg Womble
Previous films by writer/director Greg Womble include LOVE WITHOUT PAROLE, airing on PBS and winner of Best Documentary Film at the Oregon Short Film Festival, and A DAY AND TWO HOURS LATE: MY HUNTER S. THOMPSON STORY.
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Michele Forman
Consulting producer Michele Forman is a a filmmaker and educator. She was Associate Producer on Spike Lee's Academy Award-nominated HBO documentary, 4 LITTLE GIRLS. She is founding director of the Media Studies Program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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Jonathan Wiesen, PhD
Jonathan Wiesen, PhD, historical commentator, is Professor of modern European history at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His most recent book is “Nazi Germany: Society, Culture, and Politics.”
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Willard Whitson
Illustrator and co-producer Willard Whitson is an award-winning artist and museum professional. His film/video collaborations with Greg Womble include A DAY AND TWO HOURS LATE: MY HUNTER S. THOMPSON STORY, LOVE WITHOUT PAROLE, and THE SCIENCE POLICE for Kentucky Educational Television.
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Raymond Batvinis, PhD
Historical commentator Raymond Batvinis, PhD, is a historian, educator, and retired FBI Supervisory Special Agent. He authored “Hoover’s Secret War Against Axis Spies: FBI's Counterespionage During World War II,” and “Agent Link: The Spy Erased From History.”
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Kenny Gannon
Kenny Gannon is a composer, singer, and arranger. His original score for COVERT DEVOTION is lovingly based on “Cavalleria Rusticana,” Pietro Mascagni’s 1895 opera masterpiece, as it was one of Aurora Ritter’s favorites.
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Denna Wilkins
Denna is a dancer, choreographer, rap artist and actor in Birmingham, Ala. She choreographs and teaches dance to students in the Midfield City Schools performing arts program, which is directed by Debra Rust.
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Joseph Walker
Joe is an accomplished cinematographer, editor, and film auteur who has channeled his passion and creativity into a number of Womcom Media productions. In addition to editing Covert Devotion, he was also instrumental in the success of Love Without Parole as editor.
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David Smith
David serves as Director of Photography and creative advisor on a number of documentary film and video projects, including Love Without Parole for co-creators Greg Womble and Elaine Witt.
He serves as DP for the award-winning Alabama Public Television series, Discovering Alabama.
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Don Keith
Award-winning author and documentary filmmaker Don Keith has published 40 books, including the best-selling thriller, Firing Point, the basis for the hit motion picture Hunter Killer, starring Gerard Butler and Gary Oldman. Don has written extensively about World War II history.
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Debra Rust
Debra serves as the Gifted Specialist for the Midfield City School District, meeting the needs of talented students in performing arts. Debra has produced 36 musicals for which students are responsible for choreographing, staging, performing, and undertaking all aspects of stagecraft.
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Elise Grace
Executive Producer Lise Grace is a former Washington, D.C.-based public defense attorney. She currently serves Jewish Family Services in Birmingham as co-director of CARES, a day respite program for persons with Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Babies and Spies
A pre-production/production montage that proves that even spies can have a little fun.
Aurora and the Kids
The friendly folks of West Jefferson, Ala. gave us a tremendous boost by providing an authentic school location for filming!
Deena Gets Her Steps In
Our amazing choreographer, Deena Wilkins, prepares her dance students at Midfield High (and a few older dancers!) for scenes from the film.
Filming at Historic Ramsay High
Birmingham’s Ramsay High School doubled for Greg’s alma mater, Cobb Jr. High. We had a blast filming there!
Making Movies at Midfield
We had a blast working with the teachers and students of Midfield High School near Birmingham, Ala., especially Debra Rust, who runs the performing arts program!
Fencing Rehearsal
We found a 100-year old gym and two very talented fencers for a special scene in the film.
THE COVERT DEVOTION COMMUNITY
Thanks to lifelong friendships and social media, a true community started building around Covert Devotion: The Aurora Ritter Story long before the first frame was shot.
The center of this community is Katharine Ritter Wallace (Aurora Ritter’s daughter), who, along with her late brother, Klaus, survived the madness of World War II protected by their mother. Katharine not only provided stories and photos that we used in the film, she also let us interview her on camera for it.
Other community members are Greg’s fellow Baby Boomers who also experienced Aurora Ritter as their eighth-grade English teacher at Elizabeth Cobb Jr. High School in Tallahassee, Fla. They remember Mrs. Ritter fondly, as well as the many poems she had them memorize.
Many in our community provided generous financial support: Lise Grace, Lolly Holk, Ben Masterton, Lois Modell, and Jeana Womble. Our incredible Seed & Spark supporters include:
Jane Yon Bachtler
George Blanks
Jane Brand
William R. Brewster
Michael Carrin
Joy Carter
Michele Ceci
John Champion
Donna & Jack Chason
John Chason
Lisa Chason
Kathy Roberts Cocciolone
Byars Cole
Jeanmarie Collins
John Compton
William Crowson
Julia Daniels
Jane & Peter Dankin
Stacey Davis
Jeff DeVore
Katherine DonTigny
Bill Fannin
Molly Folse
Melba Gandy
John Gandy
Kevin F. Gieb
Cyndi Grace
Paula Hays
Rick Ingraham
Cindy Jacobs
Valérie Kaelin
Don Keith
Cheryl S Kelley
Lynda Kenney
James & Sheri Krell
CJ Llewelyn
Jason McDowell
John Melvin
Pam Mills
Tara Morgan-Alford
Park Nelson
Rebecca Parsons
Tom Perrin
Mary Petrandis
Claude & Tina Pichard
Sonny Pritchett
Helen Rayner
Robert Harvey
Barry & Lucy Robinson
Marcia Rossi
Debbie Sachetti
Kathlyn A. Schumacher
Gil Simmons
Jan Skowronski
Barbara Sloan
Cathy Thirsk Stevens
Sarah Strang
Michael Sznajderman
Mary Beth Taft
Sharon Tecker
Connie & Jerry Walberg
Don Wallace
Willard Whitson
Jonathan Wiesen
Elaine Witt
Ken & Sandy Womble
Lily Womble