The Post
The Rise Of The Washington Post And The Beginning Of The End To A Presidency.

Trying to decide what movie to watch this past weekend was a difficult choice, as I had several to choose from.  Mi Jung and I decide on Tom Hanks latest political thriller that was released in 2017 and simply called The Post.  Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring veteran cast members Meryl Streep as Kay Graham, owner and publisher of the Washington Post who is trying to bring the newspaper public.  As well as Tom Hanks who plays Ben Bradlee, the no nonsense chief editor who firmly believes in the moral necessity of a free press in the United States as the 4^thchecks and balance of the government. 

   Set in June of 1971, with the Viet Nam war in full swing, a defense contractor by the name of Daniel Elsberg  (played by Matthew Rhys), was hired by Robert Mcnamara in  1967 to produce a report documenting the history of conflict in Viet Nam and stated quite clearly that the United States could not win a conventional ground war in Viet Nam. 

  The documents were removed from the Rand Corporation, copied, and leaked to the New York Times by Elsberg. The newspaper was then promptly sued by the Nixon administration, and preventing from publishing more of the documents.  Ben Bradlee at the Washington Post was also able to get a hold of the report and began publishing their own story.  The film documents the tension and moral questions surrounding the decision to publish the leaked documents, knowing full well that the impending legal battle could bankrupt the paper.

  The decision to publish was made by then owner of the paper Kay Graham played my Meryl Streep.  The injunction against the Times and the Washington Post was deemed unconstitutional, and the papers were allowed continued coverage. 

  The movie was very well written, and presented the story in a way that kept the viewer interested throughout.  Meryl Streep, and Tom Hanks acting is top notch and they play their roles off each other to perfection!  Throughout the movie the irony of the then unknown Washington Post going up against the Nixon administration.  As this is perfect prologue for the reporting of the Watergate break in by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein which made the Post famous, but that’s another movie.  

  The Post can be rented or purchased from The Apple Music Store for $5.99 / $9.99, and is also available on Amazon for the same price.

  Blu Ray media is also available for $15.00, while the DVD is $14.24

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