Overlooked, unnoticed and unappreciated are the efforts of women in most interpretations of historical events; however, Steven Spielberg’s The Post serves as a timely exhibition of the female contribution to American history that is certainly a commendable step towards setting the record straight in terms of accuracy in historical inclusivity.
We are encouraged to follow Katherine Graham’s gutsy, brave and daring defense of the most American of principles: the freedom of speech. In this light, The Post offers a poignant critique of some of the most clandestine practices of the American government, thus promulgating that it is up to the governed, not the governors, to uphold the first amendment and our other constitutionally guaranteed rights.
Ending the film with the 9-1-1 call from a security guard reporting the break in at Watergate further instills the notion that the Office of the President, in all its glory, is still held by a human. And, as a human, he (or she!), too, is flawed. This means they are just as culpable and subject to speculation and investigation as any other citizen of the United States.
Spielberg cleverly used parallelism between Nixon’s loathsome attitude towards the media, most especially The Washington Post, and Trump’s personal war with and crusade against the media today. His apt juxtaposition of history proves that not only can history repeat itself, but it most absolutely does.
Cover photo courtesy of FoxMovies.com