Meryl
Streep Tom Hanks Matthew Rhys Sarah Paulson Bob Odenkirk
Tracy Letts Bradley Whitford Bruce Greenwood Alison Brie
Steven Spielberg’s production of The Post, based on true events and
smartly written by Elizabeth Hannah and Josh Singer (Spotlight, The Fifth Estate), is as exciting and tension filled as
a good mystery story. (I was glad
I knew how everything turned out, so I could relax a bit.) It’s about the time Daniel Ellsberg, a
military analyst employed by the Rand Corporation, released classified
information to the New York Times, and then to the Washington Post, about the
complicity of four U.S. Presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon) and
their administrations in covering up significant U.S. operations during the
Viet Nam War.
The Post
refers to the Washington Post newspaper, which obtained classified documents
after the New York Times broke the story.
The dilemma Publisher Katherine Graham (Streep) and Editor Ben Bradlee
(Hanks) face after the government has already initiated legal action against
the Times, is whether to publish information that came to them from the same
source, Daniel Ellsberg (Rhys).
These are papers reporting on a study requested by the Secretary of
Defense, Robert McNamara (Greenwood) about the progress of the Viet Nam War
from 1945-1967, and document the U.S. Government’s complicity in covert
operations, rigging elections, and lying to the Geneva Convention, and then
covering it up, essentially lying to the American people about the Viet Nam
War. Most egregious of all, is its
sending young servicemen into battle for a war they knew couldn’t be won.
There are numerous aspects of the story that
the filmmakers highlight, which are relevant today. First and foremost is the issue of the need for government
secrecy versus freedom of speech.
At the time, President Nixon was so incensed about the actions of the
New York Times, he sought legal action against it. Some of the more clever scenes in The Post are views through the Oval Office windows of Nixon talking
on the phone and making his threats.
Another theme I appreciated is a picture of how
women were regarded during that era, and another of the film’s highlights is
how Katherine Graham is treated by men, even though she is the wealthy
publisher of a major newspaper.
Her editor somewhat grudgingly gives her respect, as does Defense
Secretary Robert McNamara who is a personal friend, but others clearly think
she is out of her element in making major decisions, when—in fact and in
retrospect—she is highly qualified.
When push comes to shove, she and Ben Bradlee are shown to be brave and
heroic at considerable personal risk.
Steven Spielberg directs a masterful work based
on a true story, but with the intrigue and excitement of a fictional
drama. The cast is outstanding,
highlighted by Meryl Streep as Katherine Graham and Tom Hanks as Ben
Bradlee. Their conversations are
as enlightening as they are interesting.
Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts, Bruce Greenwood, and Matthew Rhys providing
superb acting support. Sarah
Paulson as McNamara’s (Greenwood) wife shines in her argument to her husband
about the greater bravery shown by Graham at a time when he is feeling
besieged. It was rewarding later
to see that he listened to her and at a later time gave Graham credit.
Get informed about a critical event in
U.S. history while enjoying an exciting drama.
