Steven Spielberg's The Post explores the true story of government conspiracy and corruption, starring Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks who give phenomenal performances bringing to life this story that may be more prevalent today than ever.
“OSCAR Winners Steven Spielberg, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks’ team for the first time in this thrilling film based on a true story. Determined to uphold the nation’s civil liberties, Katharine Graham (Streep), publisher of The Washington Post and hard-nosed editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) join forces to expose a decades-long cover-up. But the two must risk their careers – and their freedom – to bring truth to light in this powerful film with a celebrated cast.”
It surely can’t be a coincidence that Steven Spielberg chose to tell this story in the time that he did. Without trying to get too political, which is hard given the nature of the film and terrifying correlations between the Nixon administration and the current one. The Post explores themes very relevant in today’s society, not only of a President with a hostile relationship with the media, but also of a woman navigating through a position of power despite criticism and second guesses around every corner.
Spielberg’s most impressive feat is indeed exploring these themes without throwing them in your face. We turn on the news every day to hear about “fake news” and an administration that deals in half-truths, as well as the continued struggle to eliminate the wage gap between men and women. In a film that tells a story of just these things, it seems like it would be hard to capture the interest of the average movie-goer presenting them with entertainment dealing with these issues. However, in a context of a true story and the Vietnam War, we are exposed to just how far the government went to keep the public in the dark. It’s a chilling tale that many will no doubt be learning about for the first time, and manages to keep excellent pace while continuously building tension over the decision whether or not to publish classified government documents.
With top tiered stars like Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks driving the film, it could honestly be about anything and they would find a way to make it interesting. Throw in a perfect supporting cast and legendary filmmaker and you have the perfect ingredients for a powerful film. Meryl Streep does her best as usual, giving an outstanding performance as Katharine Graham, embodying every nuance and character trait to enhance her portrayal. Tom Hanks gives an equally as impressive performance, and each scene that has the two of them together is such a joy to watch as they play brilliantly off of one another.
The Post is more than just a political film, it’s a mirror we can use to look back on past transgressions in an attempt to prevent them from happening all over again. As much as I wanted to look at it for just entertainment value, the stark reality is that censorship of the press is evolving, and instead of refusing to invite a member of that publication to an event, or passing the blame down a long line of presidents, tactics now consist of malicious attacks, both by the government and the public, and whatever truth they may hold is irrelevant. Regardless of the varying views, it is a much different landscape today than ever before, we are divisive as ever, and this film reminds us that justice will have its day.
Video
The Post is presented in 2160p Ultra High Definition Widescreen 1.85:1. There’s nothing to complain about with this 4k transfer. It looks stunning, regardless of the basic backdrops and scenes, mostly taking place either in dark offices or rooms with extremely low light. Keeping with this darker tone, most of the colors tend to lean toward the darker spectrum, with a lot of greys and dark blue tones, which seem to reflect the themes of the film. As such, the HDR isn’t able to show off its true potential, however, the film still is able to provide some extraordinary detail.
Audio
The audio is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1. The audio track sound great for what it is: a purely dialogue driven film where the surrounds function mainly for stray phone ringing, car horns, basic atmospheric sounds. John Williams’ score is a great accompaniment to the film, providing some swelling moments of music at key times which rounds out the film nicely.
Special Features
There are some very interesting extras on this set, and given the subject matter and correlation to the state of things today, I highly recommend checking them out.
- The Post in High Definition
- LAYOUT: Katharine Graham, Ben Bradlee & The Washington Post
- EDITORIAL: The Cast and Characters of The Post
- THE STYLE section: Recreating the Era
- STOP THE PRESSES: Filming The Post
- ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT: Music for The Post
Steven Spielberg has given us some of the most exciting, imaginative films of all time, and still proves he can tackle a more normal type of film to tell a story of an important period in history. The Post has a lot to tell us about our past, and it’s something that we need to listen to.
