The Post

How ironic is it that two of the best newspaper movies ever made dealt with the Washington Post during the Nixon administration? I have always thought that “All the President’s Men” was one of the best films made about news reporting. Now comes “The Post” which tells the story of what it took to get the Pentagon Papers published. When the government put a halt to the New York Times revealing what was in them, Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee risked a lot to publish them in the Post. Along the way I learned that the Washington Post was not considered a major paper before the Pentagon Papers and that most of the men on her board walked all over Mrs. Graham. Meryl Streep once again inhabits a character, becoming someone different than she has played before. Tom Hanks, as Bradlee, does what he does best; he plays honest, tough and forthright. The supporting cast is excellent and this being a Steven Spielberg movie, it is filmed beautifully with a score, by John Williams, that enhances the whole film. “The Post” is a great film that tells an important story about freedom of speech and why we need journalists to do their job.