The Washington Post Film Analysis

Steven Spielberg’s exhilarating film, The Post, is centered around The Washington Post, a family owned newspaper company, which is racing against the New York Times to exploit the wrongdoings of the U.S. government. It tells the story of the Pentagon Papers and how the Government hid these classified documents from the public along with the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War for three decades and four presidencies. This film stars Meryl Streep who takes on the role of Katherine Graham, Chief Publisher of the Washington Post after her husband passed away. Co-star Tom Hanks takes on the role of Ben Bradlee, executive editor of the paper. This film was directed by Steven Spielberg, an extremely talented director/producer for many well

Spielberg did an amazing job at setting the mood for each scene. For instance, he would intensify the music when something significant was about to happen, putting the viewers on the edge of their seats. Spielberg also used gloomy coloring to get the viewer to feel the emotion of the characters at given times. Even the way that some scenes were shot made it more intriguing to watch. When Katherine (Meryl Streep) was on the phone discussing the potential downfall if they were to publish, Spielberg filmed an aerial shot. The camera was rotating around her, which built the intensity of the scene and symbolized Katherine’s emotions, that everything was spinning out of control. Spielberg finally ended the movie with a powerful and intriguing cliffhanger which leads to the possibility of a sequel.

This film also presented the viewers with a variety of themes. There was strong sense of feminism through Katherine Graham. There were many instances where Katherine would walk into a meeting comprised of men in suits deeming her the only woman present. Graham goes on to state that “it is no longer my father’s company, it is no longer my husband's company. It’s my company. And anyone who doesn’t see it that way probably shouldn’t be on my board.” Streep did a spectacular job in developing a powerful woman