The only way to protect the right to publish is to publish. –Ben Bradlee
The Post is an exciting and intelligent movie about the publishing of the Pentagon Papers by The New York Times (the most influential American newspaper at the time) and The Washington Post (an upstart, mostly local paper with an ambitious editor at the time). Brilliantly directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie turns this historical event into a gripping coming of age thriller even though we all know the ending. At least I am assuming you know the ending, so spoilers ahead.
The Pentagon Papers were a top-secret U.S. government study that documented America's political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. Commissioned by the United States Department of Defense in 1967, the 7,000-page report revealed that every presidential administration from Truman to Johnson had lied to both Congress and the American public about the scope and extent of the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.
In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a former military analyst who had spent a great deal of time in Vietnam and who had worked on the report copied it and gave it to The New York Times.
The first time I watched the movie, I thought the first two scenes were odd choices. Ellsberg watches young kids he had come to know die painfully and needlessly and then he watches the Secretary of Defense lie to reporters. No matter what we may think of what Ellsberg did (and I am a big supporter), he committed treason. These opening scenes help us to understand why.
At the same time that all the political intrigue is going on, we have a coming of age story about a woman in her forties. Katharine Graham was born into money and was raised to be a wife and mother. In fact, her father who was the publisher of The Washington Post at his death, left the paper to Graham’s husband. Graham didn’t mind and was happy being part of the Washington social set. When her husband died in 1963, she became the editor.
It is clear at the beginning of the movie that Graham is nervous and unsure when in the boardroom discussing money. In a social setting, however, there is no one who can best her. We get to watch as she gains in confidence, as she makes some very hard decisions, and as she becomes the formidable publisher of the paper that she was for many years. Meryl Streep does an outstanding job of making the transition believable and moving to watch.
As Graham changes over the course of the film, Spielberg makes some interesting choices among the other women in the film. The women of her social set believe she is just doing what she must until she can hand the reins to a man. But, it’s through the eyes of the other women that we see what an influence she was on a generation. Women, still struggling to find their place in the world, look at her with unguarded admiration. It is Bradlee’s wife who makes it clear to him exactly what Graham is facing throughout this ordeal. As his wife points out, he doesn’t have much to lose; Graham will lose everything.
Tom Hanks is Ben Bradlee. Smart, suspicious, and socially canny, he is the quintessential newspaperman. He understands exactly what is happening and he is going to push every boundary he can to get on par with The New York Times. To his credit, that is exactly what he does.
I love the Graham/Bradlee relationship. Over the course of the movie, you watch them grow closer together professionally. He begins to take her more seriously and to respect her opinions; she begins to trust him over all the other people who have been guiding her for the past few years. When she chooses to side with Bradlee to publish, you understand that the earth has shifted and that these two will be a formidable partnership moving forward. Which, by the way, they were.
The Pentagon Papers became one of the most significant examples of investigative journalism and government accountability in American history. Many historians now believe that without this event and the cynicism it evoked, Watergate would have been just another break in.
This movie is an inspiring tribute to what journalism can achieve and the power of individuals who choose what is right over what is easy.
Further Reading:
If you would like to learn more about either Bradlee or Graham without the lens of Hollywood, I highly recommend both of their memoirs. Bradlee’s is A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures; Graham’s is Personal History. She won a Pulitzer Prize for hers.
The Supreme Court ruling is New York Times Co. v. United States. If you are interested in the First Amendment, the decision is a great read.
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ChrisB is an unabashed history nerd who reads Supreme Court decisions for fun.
I thought for sure that I'd seen this one, but I haven't. Thanks for your review, Chris. I certainly do like Meryl and Tom. :)
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