A film not only journalists will enjoy
“The Post,” a film about a strong woman in a sea of men making a name for herself, shows a trope very fitting with society today. It is a vital American story that needs to be told, not only for women standing up for themselves, but to remind our country of the importance of the freedom of press.
“The Post” is filled with a star-studded cast: Meryl Streep plays Katharine Graham, the socialite publisher of The Washington Post, and Tom Hanks plays Ben Bradlee, the paper’s executive editor who wants to shake up the news scene. Streep has an outstanding performance and nails her character with elegance. Steven Spielberg as the director means it’s sure to get at least one nomination.
The film centers around the leakage of the Pentagon Papers and The Washington Post’s decision to publish the papers. The story begins with The New York Times publishing portions of the Pentagon Papers and then being court-ordered to stop publishing. This was a turning point in American history, a time when the government was putting restrictions on the freedom of the press. Once that happened, The Washington Post decided to join in and start publishing the portions they had, leading them to be involved in the court case. This was a big step for the Washington Post — going from a local paper to a national one.
All of the events taking place in the film happened rather quickly, which was exceptionally portrayed through rhythms and camera movements. For a journalistic movie to work well, it must be fast-paced to demonstrate intensity — and this movie accomplished that.
The cinematography is incredible. The images of the printers and all the writers clacking away on their typewriters made me feel that being a journalist is a noble work to be taking part in. I noticed in every scene how much time was spent on getting all the small details correct, transporting me back a couple decades.
Streep’s character not only won over all the men trying to tear her down, she helped start a revolution. It was fulfilling to watch newspapers across the country showing solidarity for the risky move.
The film reminds viewers that the press cannot accept restrictions because by doing so it opens itself to losing its freedom. Filmmaker Spielberg makes this film feel more like a wake-up call to our country than a film about our history.
Written by: CaraJoy Kleinrock — arts@theaggie.org
