cinswan
Spoiler alert -- for those old enough to remember when this story, and the story the Washington Post would break soon after, it's not a spoiler. For those of you who weren't born yet, it is.Spielberg ends the movie with an allusion to the Watergate Hotel break-in. I remember Watergate. I barely remember the Pentagon Papers except that their publication was mentioned on the evening news.The attention to period detail is impeccable. As a former typesetter (offset/phototypesetting) I was amazed that the linotype machines got to play a significant part. Yes, I did see them in action when I went to a job interview, and learned the typesetter needed to be able to proofread on the fly reading something upside down and backwards (like Snell shorthand, a job skill that isn't appreciated anymore).Hanks, Streep, Rhys, Paulson, Whitford and a cast too long for me to name were all spot on. The juxtaposition of Kay Graham's battle for her newspaper and Daniel Ellsberg's battle to get the truth out about the Vietnam War being a failed cause (I had no idea Ellsberg was actually in combat in Vietnam), along with the legal machinations preventing publication are riveting.If you think what we see on televised/cable news, or on the internet news, is true reportage, think again.This film portrays what the Fourth Estate is all about, and it's so timely to watch it now.And for those born after these times? After you watch this, watch "All The President's Men" with Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, and Hal Holbrook among others.Both of these films are required viewing for anyone who is a journalism student, teacher -- or a journalist who is below the age of 50.Isabeau Vollhardt
author, The Casebook of Elisha Grey scifi/detective ebook series
rtowner-210-758639
As an Englishman I don't blame my American cousins for wanting to expose evil and wrongdoing by former senior politicians. But this film actually made me feel a bit of sympathy for the past Presidents and their cronies who were being tried in their absence here. But my main feeling watching this film was boredom caused by the actors repeating the same sentiment relentlessly for around 90 minutes. And the lack of visual variety/ dull locations. It was all summed up for me in the scene when they all looked amazed when peering into a cardboard box. You'd think they were looking at the contents of Tutankhamen tomb when all that was visible was a stack of A4 paper. I usually like to watch films at least twice but once was more than enough with this one.
