The Post is a timely reminder of the importance
of a free press holding government accountable even as it asks, “Can the
government censor the press and tell it what to print?” Filmed in near record time, this labor of love
by director Steven Spielberg from a strong script (by Liz Hannah and Josh
Singer) features a winning acting combo of Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.
In
1971, analyst Daniel Ellsberg steals copies of a secret study (known as the Pentagon
Papers) commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara which chronicles how several Presidential
administrations lied to the public about the Vietnam War when it was really a losing
cause. ‘The Papers’ become sought after by the Washington
Post, whose owner, Kay Graham (Streep) is a novice running the newspaper of her
late husband. Her close relationship with powerful leaders like McNamara puts her in an awkward position of
friendship versus conscience. When
editor-in-chief Ben Bradlee (Hanks) capitalizes on a source for the papers, The
Post, its reputation on the line, prepares to publish them at tremendous
personal and professional risk for Graham and Bradlee and a likely court battle
all the way to the Supreme Court.
Streep has a great
role as the initially tentative Graham, who must find her voice in a male
dominated, corporate boardroom and a newspaper run by the headstrong Bradlee (winningly played by Hanks). A solid
supporting cast is led by veterans Bob Odenkirk as a key reporter and Bruce
Greenwood as McNamara.
This
serves as a prequel to the classic, All
the President’s Men, and shows how the Post became a major player in
journalism. It also portrays good old fashioned, hard-nosed reporting when printing
presses not computers generated news copy.
Well paced without sacrificing intimate moments, it’s a remarkable
slice of history that parallels the current political climate and serves as a
cautionary tale about some brave souls at a newspaper, particularly one courageous
woman.
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