The film is compelling -- especially when the Rosenbergs' sons revisit their old family apartment -- the same kitchen sink is in place. However, there is no real settling of the central question of guilt. The family has had to question whether Julius and Ethel were "totally innocent," as they died claiming. Soviet documents made public in the 1990s list Julius as a spy with a code name. His friend Abe Osherfoff, interviewed in the extras, says that he knows Julius passed on aircraft technology to the Soviets. I am unclear as to whether Ivy Meeropol thinks then it is a proved fact that Julius committed treason. The family position seems to be, yes, Julius was probably a spy, but, no, Ethel wasn't, and no, they never gave away atomic secrets and shouldn't have been executed. Of course, all this is muddied by the witch-hunt hysteria of the times. The questions I am left with: What should have been their punishment? How can the family be sure that Julius never passed on atomic bomb specs? As devoted to the socialist dream as he was, would Julius have hesitated to pass on such information? Granting that David Greenglass's testimony was the only incriminating evidence against Ethel (and thus I agree that she was unfairly convicted) is it likely that she knew nothing of Julius's espionage? Was their silence to the end attributable to the zealotry of their politics? (I think it was, and I find it unsettling that their present-day defenders don't put this into the discussion. Julius was trying to help Stalin's regime -- is there anything noble about that?) Because they refused to talk to the FBI, even on the day of their deaths, we'll never know the whole story.

This film is lovingly created and deeply touching. What happens when parents are forced to say goodbye and children must go on without them? I first became interested in Ethel Rosenberg after viewing "Angels in America". I thought Meryl Streep had done a great job of making us remember Ethel. Ivy's film has been honest and makes me want to understand what truly happened here.Michael and Robert (Rosenberg) have done an amazing job of holding each other up through the years. This film is a must see.There are moments in the film where Ivy is fighting her own emotions while telling the tale of her Uncle and Brother. Why did none of the brothers and sisters of the Rosenberg's come forward to take the boys? The important questions are both asked and answered here. Also important, Ivy is not trying to convince us her Grandparents were perfect. Rather, she is showing the world the questions that still haunt them all. I recommend this film.

The entire film is based on a fallacy and therefore makes it difficult to watch. Ivy basis the documentary on the misleading notion that her grandparents are not guilty of being traitors. The facts are that her grandparents were spies. Later, her father Michael says, Julius might have helped the Soviets, but Julius did not do what the government accused him of. Then another person says Ethel was only being a loyal wife.The film is a sophomoric effort to understand the dark stain on her family. The camera work, editing, and narration are all weak. Ivy should have created a documentary on what caused the executions. It wasn't 'red scare', or 'communist witch-hunts'. It was because Julius and Ethel were spies for the Soviets. They are both guilty of betraying their country.

The historical record currently indicates that Julius Rosenberg probably gave the Soviet Union information, and that loyal wife Ethel was a bargaining chip used by brother David Greenglass to avoid prosecution. That's about as much background as one needs to appreciate and enjoy this deeply personal and very moving film about the aftereffects of the Rosenberg executions, and the worn out 'did they/didn't they' arguments are of only peripheral importance. Filled with fascinating interviews with the Rosenberg's children and a surprising number of elderly compatriots as well as some timely and frightening 1950s footage of anti-Communist hysteria, Heir to An Execution is an emotional attempt by director Ivy Meeropol (granddaughter of the convicted 'spies') to come to terms with a dark chapter in her family history. Strongly recommended.