Friday Film Noir
The Post (2017) is an outstanding docudrama directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer. The film follows the unlikely partnership of Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep), the first female publisher of a major American newspaper, and her editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks). In 1971, they race to expose a massive government cover-up spanning three decades and four U.S. presidents. As the Nixon administration attempts to silence them, Graham decides whether to publish the classified Pentagon Papers, risking her family's company and her own freedom to uphold the truth and the public's right to know.
The film was shot in Washington D.C. and New York City. For her role as Katharine Graham, Meryl Streep relied heavily on Graham's Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir, "Personal History," listening to an abridged version of the book, which Graham herself narrated. Tom Hanks, for his role as Ben Bradlee, spent time with the real Bradlee's family and visited his old office. Director Steven Spielberg consulted with and had the real-life Daniel Ellsberg, the man who leaked the Pentagon Papers, on set to help with details. The film was nominated for two Oscars: Best Picture and Best Actress for Meryl Streep's performance. The main themes are the importance of a free press, the courage to stand up to authority, and the struggle for women to gain power in a male-dominated world.
