DVD review: The Post

Reviewed by: Samantha Keogh

Review made possible by: Empire Entertainment

A definite must-see for history buffs and lovers of a good conspiracy theory, The Post sees the birth of the Washington Post as a serious news outlet under the control of the paper’s first female owner and publisher.

If you aren’t interested in the American media and how this paper came to prominence, fear not, its also a great movie for anyone who enjoys seeing the “little people” take on the government and win.

As the heiress of the Washington Post, a major American newspaper left to her late husband, Phil Graham, by her father, Eugene Meyerby, Graham steers the paper as it tackles one of the largest government scandals to rock the USA in the 1970s at a time when women were not seen as capable of running businesses.

With help from editor Ben Bradlee, Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four USA presidents.

Together, they must overcome their differences as they risk their careers to help bring long-buried truths to light.

The movie follows a two week period in 1971 at the Washington Post after the Pentagon Papers were leaked to the New York Times (NYT) by Daniel Ellsberg.

In 1971, Ellsberg surreptitiously photocopies classified reports documenting the country’s decades-long involvement in the conflict in Vietnam, dating back to the Truman administration and leaks these to the New York Times which, after it first published details of the papers, was banned from further publication.

The Washington Post takes up the cause and prints more of the leaked information which details a period of history in which American troops continued to be sent to war in Vietnam despite Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara admitting in 1966 to Ellsberg, a state department military analyst, and William Macomber that in his view the war in Vietnam was hopeless.

The movie is based on the historically true events detailed in the Pentagon Papers, officially titled Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force, which is a history of the United States’ political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967.

The papers are released to the paper days before Graham launches the newspaper on the stock-market, a move she recognises as important for strengthening the paper’s economic stability, but which could be jeopardised by the coverage of this news.

Apart from taking on the government, both past and present, she must also take the bold decision to print the information despite the potential effect it will have on the paper’s stock price when it is launched.

In addition, she faces opposition from the paper’s lawyers who advise against publishing the material, lest the Nixon administration bring criminal charges against them.

However, taking into account the opinions of both Bradlee and trusted Post chairman Fritz Beebe and agonising over the decision, Graham takes the decision to “print and be damned”.

By publishing the information leaked to the media, Graham took a bold decision to put her career and freedom, and that of Bradlee, on the line to bring the news to the people at a time when it could have been detrimental not only to her personally but to the longevity of her family’s legacy – The Washington Post.

The White House retaliates, and in short, order the Post and Times appear together before the Supreme Court to plead their First Amendment argument for the right to publish the material.

Meanwhile, newspapers across the country pick up the story in solidarity with the Post and Times.

The court rules six to three in the newspapers’ favour, vindicating Graham’s decision.

Nixon demands that the Post should be barred from the White House.

One year later, security guard Frank Wills discovers a break-in in progress at the Watergate complex after a guest at the Watergate hotel calls complaining about people using flashlights.

And so begins the Post’s legacy as a series purveyor of news.

The movie has a sterling cast and is highly recommended for anyone looking for a great movie to while away the cold winter nights.