Movie Review - The Post

The Post **** (out of 5) (PG-13) A big challenge for film makers plying the waters of historical dramas is crafting a production that offers insight and sustains at least tension, if not suspense, when the audience already knows how the events played out. That was the task for Steven Spielberg when he decided to bring us a version of how the New York Times and Washington Post stood up to hard-core intimidation from the Nixon White House to publish the famous Pentagon Papers. For those too young to remember, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys), one of the top intelligence analysts during the Vietnam War was so appalled by the lies and abuses that got us into that mess, and kept us there for years, he copied thousands of pages of secret documents, and sent them to the Times, believing the public had a right to know what two parties and presidents had sequentially done to its people.

When The Times was barred from continuing publication by court order, the new publisher of The Post, recently-widowed Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), suddenly found herself thrust into a crisis of choosing between journalistic duty and serious risks of losing the paper, possibly including prison time. Her financial advisors urged restraint; Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks) argued for their obligation to inform the public, and to resist the White House’s unprecedented assault on freedom of the press.

An excellent script by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer breathes life into the situation and the players, presenting the types of discussions and pressures they faced nearly 50 years ago. The deep, stellar cast includes Bob Odenkirk, Bradley Whitford, Tracy Letts and Sarah Paulson, among others. Streep and Hanks are, of course, Streep and Hanks. Bruce Greenwood’s Robert McNamara is impeccable. All the visual elements of sets, costumes and locations are fully up to the high standard we expect from Spielberg.

The worst part about this movie is its timeliness. Today’s press is under constant assault from the current administration and its media allies, while financial pressures on major newspapers - historically the ones best equipped for serious investigative reporting - has caused staff and operating cost reductions that make those vital stories harder to unearth. So-called “alternative facts” are not facts. Accusing anyone you disagree with of being “fake news” isn’t rebuttal; it’s manipulation... if not worse.

All citizens should see the movie to remind themselves of what a free press is supposed to be, and how essential that is to our liberty. Journalists should also attend to recall the time when truth-telling was foremost, rather than ratings or favorable treatment from those in power who must be held to account when they breach their duties to the electorate. (1/12/18)

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