Hanks, Streep deliver in “The Post”

By Leanne Signoriello & Alex Balletto – Features Editor & Copy Editor

Steven Spielberg and his star-studded cast in “The Post” allow audiences to accurately revisit tumultuous 1971. “The Post” focused on the publication of U.S. Pentagon papers, exposing the secrets that the federal government lied to citizens about the Vietnam War, leading to the Watergate scandal.

After the death of her husband Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) steps in to run the family business, The Washington Post. Graham’s decision-making skills and abilities as the first female publisher of a major American newspaper are severely overlooked by her staff, except for Executive Editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks).

Graham and Bradlee pair up as an unlikely duo when they are faced with the opportunity to reveal government secrets. This movie, with allegations of “the fake NYT,” related well to current events.

It began with former U.S. military analyst Daniel Ellsberg (Zach Woods) releasing the Papers. The New York Times first published the documents, but after court injunction was forbidden from printing contents from the source. The post worked its magic and obtained the same source.

To no surprise, Streep excelled as a bold, independent female lead. She is advised not to release the controversial information from the source, but gives the go-ahead anyway. She knew she was possibly committing treason, but wanted to fight unconstitutional prior censorship, going along with The Post’s slogan “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

The film has an insightful take on the production of a newspaper as well as emphasizing the importance of journalism ethics. The powerful story of The Washington Post’s evolution of a local paper to being the ring leader in one of journalism’s most pivotal points in history makes the film worth seeing for anyone with an interest in the field as well as others.

With a well-known story, world-class director, beloved main characters and composer John Williams, this movie was directed to impress, and it did not disappoint.