The Post - 4 smiles

"The Post" tells the story of how The Washington Post, a local daily with little national prominence, transforms itself into an important bastion of investigative journalism by defying the Nixon administration in publishing excepts from The Pentagon Papers. Although the events in Steven Spielberg's movie happened 46 years ago, they find surprising relevance in today's political climate. Most presidents have had adversarial relationships with the press and more than one bemoaned the latitude resulting from the First Amendment, but, until Nixon, none tried to stifle the free press. Now, less than half a century later, we face similar growing concerns. "The Post" provides us with a history lesson with the hope that, by remembering what happened in 1971 and how important it was to the integrity of the government, we won't again attack the free press for doing their job.

Spielberg is a great storyteller and in his capable hands, we learn how The Washington Post landed on the front lines of The Pentagon Papers battleground (along side The New York Times). The movie tackles the story from two angles that eventually converge. Never has a conference call been so suspenseful. Prior to that, however, we follow the actions of The Washington Post's timid owner, Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), to steer the paper along a conservative course as it prepares for an IPO that will provide a needed infusion of cash. Meanwhile, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), after doggedly tracking the so-called 'Pentagon Papers' (a Department of Defense history of the US involvement in Vietnam from the Truman through Eisenhower administrations), comes into possession of the entire 4,000-page document and has an opportunity to uncover one of the many damning stories and take it to print. His aggressiveness throws The Washington Post into a legal quagmire that pits the paper against the Nixon administration in court and threatens jail time for many of the key players. Kay is faced with a choice: allow Ben to go forward or put the breaks on the story. The acting is top notch. Both Hanks and Streep are skilled performers and they give Oscar-worthy performances. And Spielberg is meticulous in his recreation of a 1970s-style newsroom and his portrayal of how papers were typeset and printed before there were computers. And for the two occasions Nixon is on screen, Spielberg uses the back of an actor and Nixon's voice as preserved on tape. "The Post" is reminiscent of Spotlight, which captured the 2016 Oscar. Both films extol the importance of investigative journalism and when there are powerful push-backs, that's when the First Amendment is at its most important. "The Post" offers a stirring reminder of those heroes who protected the American way of life.