Respond to these rapid questions in our The Post quiz and we will tell you which The Post character you are. Play it now.
“We have to act as a check on their authority.” “Who will hold them accountable if we don’t hold them accountable,” we wonder. ‘The Post,’ directed by Steven Spielberg and produced in a time frame that only Ridley Scott could match, may be the story of a challenge to the free press in 1971, but lines like that underscore how much the film is intended to be read as a mirror of the current political climate. Because, in an era when the President of the United States challenges different journalistic institutions primarily through his Twitter feed and when “truth” appears to have become a looser term than ever before, “The Post” is intended to be read as a commentary on today’s events as much as it is on yesterday’s, if not more so. The thought of watching a film this well-constructed and packed with talented performers that would have played out completely differently just two years ago is fascinating to consider. However, I question whether rushing the film in order to capture a specific moment was the best decision. In comparison to Spielberg’s best historical dramas, such as “Munich” and “Lincoln,” which earn their messages rather than simply stating them, “Munich” and “Lincoln” fall short of the mark. One can almost feel the pressure on its shoulders to “say something important,” and it can sometimes feel like the entire venture is weighing down on its shoulders. The film does have a lot going for it, including a strong ensemble, the best performance by a living legend in years, and a message that feels depressingly relevant at the time of its release.
“The Post” tells the story of the Pentagon Papers, focusing on two key players in the unfolding battle between the free press and a White House that struggled to keep the secrets of how our government handled the Vietnam War under wraps. “The Post” is directed by David Fincher and stars Matt Damon and Jennifer Lawrence. As Fritz Beebe (Tracy Letts, continuing his incredible 2017) points out at one point, this was the first time that the court system of our government attempted to essentially prevent the free press from performing its constitutionally mandated functions.
After walking away with thousands of pages on the history of Vietnam, including sensitive and confidential information that revealed the lies that the government had been telling the American people for years, Daniel Ellsberg (Matthew Rhys) began to spread his information. According to a line from the film, “McNamara knew we couldn’t win in ’65,” to put it simply. Thousands of deaths later, and six years after the scandal broke, the truth was finally revealed, first in the New York Times and then in the Washington Post. In spite of court orders prohibiting the publication of additional documents or information gleaned from them, The Washington Post was able to get their hands on the story as well, with Ben Bagdikian (Bob Odenkirk) gaining access to the same source as his rival. Suddenly, the Post found itself in possession of hundreds of pages of highly sensitive documents that had been ordered by the courts not to be published. If they published a story, not only could they be forced to close their doors, but they could also be arrested for treason. What would you do in this situation?
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Kay Graham (Meryl Streep), the beleaguered publisher of the Post, who is doing a good job that too many men around her believe she is incapable of doing, and Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), the editor of the Post and the man who never questions whether or not they should publish, are the two central figures of this story. Spielberg expresses his dissatisfaction with Graham and Bradlee through the casting of two of the most beloved actors of all time to fill their roles. As for Streep, she gives one of her most nuanced performances in a very long time, reminding one of what she can do when paired with the right collaborator (my biggest complaint about Streep’s work from the 2000s and 2010s is that she rarely works with directors who challenge her). Hanks also manages to convey the appropriate level of gravitas as Bradlee, despite the fact that both actors occasionally falter as a result of a script that draws too much attention to itself. Although the focus of this story should be Graham’s concern that she may make the wrong decision—for her business or for the state of journalism as a whole—the stakes don’t always seem to be appropriate. We never really have any doubts about what anyone is going to do in “The Post,” especially given how thoroughly this story has been reported. (However, even if you are completely unfamiliar with the story, there is a distinct lack of suspense). The co-writers Liz Hannah and Josh Singer make up for the lack of genuine tension by incorporating large amounts of dialogue that would normally only be heard in movies (Jefferson “just rolled over in his grave,” for example). A more tactile, dirtier version of “The Post” was something I wished for a lot, something that didn’t feel like it was taking place in a Hollywood vacuum. Bob Odenkirk comes close to stealing the movie simply by not appearing to be a mouthpiece at all.
The Post Quiz
Although the truth is that every time “The Post” is on the verge of devolving into pure, pretentious melodrama, the talent of one or more of the actors involved saves it. Whether it’s a subtle choice made by Streep or Hanks, Spielberg’s economy of storytelling, or a piece of music composed by John Williams, there’s always something to latch onto in “The Post” that keeps it working. Even the sound design, which includes a symphony of typewriter clicks and ringing phones that reverberates throughout the Post offices, is captivating. In terms of pure entertainment, it’s a film from one of our most important filmmakers today, and it succeeds on that level. A parade of familiar faces (not to mention the always-welcome appearances of Carrie Coon, David Cross, Sarah Paulson and Pat Healy) will be enough to keep you interested….
Also, you will find out which character are you in this The Post quiz.
Whether or not that engagement will continue following the journalistic upheaval caused by the Trump administration is unclear. The lesson we’ve taken away from “The Post” is that challenges to free expression will always exist, and as a result, there are almost certainly lessons for future generations to learn from this film. Will it be able to stand on its own as cinema once it has passed through its cultural moment? On the one hand, it doesn’t seem to make a difference. Regardless of what people want to argue in the comments section, film does not exist in a vacuum; it frequently responds to and plays differently as a result of current events and cultural movements. Even though I’m interested to see how people remember “The Post” in ten years, we can only respond to it today, given that institutions like the newspaper at its heart are once again being targeted for destruction. The Kay Grahams and Ben Bradlees of today are nowhere to be found. Despite the fact that I wish “The Post” had asked this question more directly and angrily, I believe it is important that people of this stature ask it at all.
For more personality quizzes check this: Christopher Robin Quiz.
