A Movie That Matters

Steven Spielberg’s The Post takes us back to a time when our government tried to stop the Pentagon Papers -- documents that exposed a cover up of U. S. actions regarding the Vietnam War and Southeast Asia -- from being published. This dramatic film pairs Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks as Katharine Graham and Ben Bradlee, publisher and editor of The Washington Post, respectively. What a treat it is to watch these great actors play off each other as their characters work together during a major crisis for freedom of the press in our democracy!  I felt like a fly on the wall during their conversations and even forgot that it’s Hanks and Streep up there on the screen.

As someone who lived through this crisis while it played out in reality, I am surprised at how suspenseful The Post was for me to watch.

                   

Publish or not, they must decide.

Free press at risk, and it’s their guide.

“The Post” looks back to show the need

to make sure truth is there to read.

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks play roles

that evoke cheers for their fine goals.

As editor and publisher,

they muster courage, that’s for sure.

An injunction stands in their way --

and prison if they don’t obey.

Though slow a bit with its tense plot,

this powerful film means a lot.