The Post

The Post is an engaging drama about the Pentagon Papers which was a top secret report about the history of the Vietnam War. It showed how administration after administration escalated the war even though they knew it wasn’t winnable. The report was leaked to the media which led to a legal battle over whether it had the right to write about it or not.There are several outstanding moments in the film. The best is obviously about Vietnam which shows how the government consistently lied about what was going on. There’s one moment where Daniel Ellsberg played by Matthew Rhys who helped write the Pentagon Papers said the study found 70% of the reason why U.S. troops were sent to Vietnam was not to win the war but to stop the humiliation of a U.S. defeat. Another memorable part is actual recordings of President Nixon and his aides talking about prosecuting the media for reporting on the Pentagon Papers. The Post also showed how the political establishment in Washington works with both Streep and Hanks being close to the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, going to vacation with the them and having dinner with them. It emphasizes that the media just doesn’t report the news it also reflects the political elites’ views and ideas. Another time Hanks goes on a monologue about the role of the free press in a democracy. He said that the government can’t lie to the people and it’s the role of the press to expose them and stop them and hold them accountable. It’s the ideal that the media believes in even if it doesn’t often do it. Another time the editors and reporters at the Post get into a heated argument with the lawyers and executives about whether the Post should publish stories or not because it could put the paper out of business. It showed the risk the paper was taking. What I didn’t like was this background story about the financial situation of the Post. It was supposed to add to the dilemma Streep faced over whether or not to go with the story but I thought it was extraneous.Overall it’s an excellent movie about the role of the press in America at one of its best moments in history.

Steven Spielberg steps up to focus on the ills and hopes of American government and view of life in this multifaceted film about a cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents and pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government. It is an unseemly complicated script by Liza Hannah and Josh Singer but with a cast that includes some of the best actors in film today Spielberg makes the story works well.Appropriately, the film opens in South Vietnam in late 1965 - the middle of the war. Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) is at a campsite with other soldiers to observe any progress in the battle for his work at the Embassy. At night, the soldiers walk through the forest before they are shot at by unseen enemy soldiers. On his flight home, Ellsberg speaks to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara (Bruce Greenwood) and talks to the Chief of Staff regarding the progress in the war. According to Ellsberg, nothing has changed, which McNamara states means things are just getting worse. Upon landing, McNamara speaks to the press, lying to them and saying that things are getting better. Unable to tolerate the tenor of the progress and history of the war Ellsberg later sneaks out of the Pentagon with classified documents on the Vietnam War. He meets in secret with two of his colleagues as they make copies of the papers. Ellsberg reads them, and it reveals that four U.S. presidents (Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson) were covering up certain facts regarding the war, contrary to what they had told the press. Jump forward to Washington, D.C., 1971 and Publisher Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) meets with a colleague as she is set to take her company, The Washington Post, public. Graham gets a call from the Chief of Staff to inform her that President Nixon does not want The Post to cover his daughter's upcoming wedding. Graham later meets with her managing editor, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), to discuss this. Graham makes suggestions to Bradlee about expanding their coverage on certain topics to attract a wider demographic of readers.And the rest is history. The leaks, the shutdown of the New York Times by Nixon, the transfer of the documents to the Post and the Post’s decision to go forward with exposing the lies that span for presidents about the very wrong Vietnam War.As we all know now, in the end the Supreme Court allows publication by the Post, offering the judgment -'In the First Amendment the Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to fulfill its essential role in our democracy. The press was to serve the governed, not the governors.'A fascinating reenactment of history, but the most poignant moment is the statement for Feminism made by Meryl Streep’s walk through crowd of finally proud women at film’s end. Well worth watching. Grady Harp, April 18

The acting was great, the environments used in the movie felt authentic for the time period, the classical soundtrack did a great job of making the story feel more dramatic and exciting, and the film tells a riveting story covering a thought-provoking moment in American history.What more can I ask for from a film?Highly recommended for people interested in historical drama, the history of civil liberties, or films that take place in this time period more generally.There aren't many movies that are so nicely done I want to buy them on disk to watch again in the future, but this is one of them.

Good acting

Very good story and great actors.

Well done and thought-provoking.

'The Post' isn't pulsating stuff, just a well-made account of a true story reported at a time when US media had respect. And with Streep and Hanks driving the acting, it makes for a convincing portrayal. Thought-provoking stuff that might make you reconsider those media subscriptions we all have.

Great true story with breakout character structure. Part of my growth as a college student in Detroit. History telling that continues relevancy to this day!

Good movie, little underwhelmed by Meryl Streeps' character, but not her performance, and once again Tom Hanks can do no wrong.

È forse la prima volta che Spielberg mi delude così profondamente.Il film è di una piattezza allucinante, noioso, prolisso, statico e lentissimo, manca di dinamicità, la storia non riesce a suscitare interesse (nonostante sia interessante!) e il cast non è ispirato, perfino Meryl Streep è parecchio sottotono.Da Steven Spielberg mi aspettavo un film più coinvolgente, più entusiasmante, con un climax di tensione e una regia più energica e scattante (se penso a The Terminal che è girato tutto in aeroporto e che, quindi, uno penserebbe essere monotono e noioso, risulta invece coinvolgente e avvincente).Ho faticato ad arrivare alla fine senza addormentarmi, non si salva quasi nulla (la colonna sonora sarebbe pure buona, ma è praticamente assente, un po' di musica in sottofondo avrebbe reso alcune scene più drammatiche e tese!).Non metto una stella soltanto per stima verso il grandissimo regista, ma di certo è un film che non rivederò mai più.

Peccato che a Meryl Streep non abbiano consegnato l'Oscar per questo film perché, secondo me, lo avrebbe meritato ampiamente. Vedere la stessa attrice che ha interpretato "Un diavolo veste Prada" nei panni così umani di Key Graham ci permette di comprendere meglio la dimensione, la professionalità e il talento di questa donna. Grandissimo Tom Hanks - che, secondo me, in questo film occhieggia Humphrey Bogart in "l'ultima Minaccia" - veramente bravo e simpatico. Film molto bello non solo per la ricostruzione della vicenda, cioè la pubblicazione sul Washington Post dei documenti segreti del Pentagono in merito alla guerra in Vietnam, ma anche per aver fatto conoscere la forza, la tenacia e l'umanità di Katherine Graham. Un grande esempio per tutte le donne e non solo.

Le aspettative erano molto alte, dati il regista e gli attori. La delusione pertanto è stata ancora maggiore, con la visione di un film lento e per nulla coivolgente. Niente a che vedere, per intendersi, con Tutti gli uomini del presidente di Alan J. Pakula. Stranamente ho trovato non all'altezza e, a volte, irritante, il doppiaggio di Meryl Streep. La storia si trascina fino alla fine stancamente, senza acuti, e né il regista, né gli attori, sembrano volere fare molto per impedirlo. Spielberg ha fatto ben di meglio. Vale la pena di rivedere la pellicola di Pakula, quello si un capolavoro.

**IMPORTANT Digital Copy is ONLY for Google Store, no other options allowed** I saw this m ovie in the theatre, when it was released. It IS a tad slow, but the over all story is very important, as we're repeating now. Obviously not one to one, as this dealt with the Pentagon Papers. But we're seeing govt's increasingly using Executive privilege and National Security as an excuse to jail journalists and whistle blowers (and yes, I mean BOTH Obama, and Cheeto Hitler) And excellent cast. Give it a chance, and I'm certain you'll enjoy it.