I caught the Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep film, The Post, last night.
Although the film focuses on the Washington Post efforts to find a copy of the Pentagon Papers, after parts were originally printed in The New York Times, and the decisions the Post publisher Kay Graham (played by Streep) had to make as to whether to publish the papers, there is a much more important subtheme that comes through clearly, how much lying the government will do.
This is the reason to see the film, although it is a decent drama. If you need a refresher course (or introduction) on what the Pentagon Papers were all about and how administration after administration lied about the Vietnam war, see the film.
The movie has rave reviews, albeit some of those seem to be tilted because of political bias from movie critics. Nevertheless, it's a Spielberg movie, which means one can and should expect a story well told and crafted. I want to see it once it comes available on rental only because my kids are not into those kinds of movies yet, being pre-adolescent and all. Maybe when they're 30,they will...
ReplyDeleteHa! I can empathize with you. Eric Morris
DeleteCaveat, I'm a cynic that has yet to see the film, and hope to be proved wrong but fear that sub-theme (as perceived by an-cap / libertarian Target Liberty readers) will be too subtle and thus lost on most of the viewing public.
ReplyDeleteAlthough presented as mere entertainment, television and Hollywood movies are the intended media used for the education (indoctrination) of the mindless masses, especially in these united States of America.
After the "fake news" fiasco and plummeting ratings and newspaper readership of the past year, the release of this particular film is probably a ploy to alter the perception of the public positively.
Thus, rather than exposing inherent government deceit to the viewer, the film is likely intended to bolster the credibility of the current but failing mainstream media by accurately portraying (some) journalists of the past as daring, independent and truth-seeking, etc.
Speaking of the past and a refresher course, it may benefit readers to read up on Operation Mockingbird:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird
and to keep in mind that Jeff Bezos purchased the Washington Post in 2013 and that Amazon Web Services has developed a lucrative $600 million computing cloud for the CIA in 2014.
Best Wishes,
Q.