Right now on HBO, there is a fine documentary called “The Newspaper Man.” It’s about Ben Bradlee, the famous former editor of The Washington Post, during the 1960s and 1970s, one of the most tumultuous times in United States history. I invite you to watch that and then, as of Dec. 22, when it opens in theaters, to see a terrific new film entitled “The Post,” directed by Steven Spielberg. It covers the time just before the Watergate scandal, and while it isn’t the masterpiece that the film version of “All the Presidents Men” is, it’s pretty damn good. Focusing on Katherine Graham (Meryl Streep), the reluctant-but-willing owner of The Washington Post during the national scandal surrounding The Pentagon Papers, we watch Mrs. Graham and her editor, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), make a series of decisions: Should they or should they not publish this top secret document that proves the Vietnam War is now and has always been unwinnable, and that the American public has been lied to, over and over again, for years, causing the deaths of millions of young American soldiers? The film asks an even broader question: “Shall we continue to have a free press, the last bastion against tyranny?” which need I say it? is as pertinent today in 2017 as it was 50 years ago.
“The Post” also shines a light on a woman’s place back then, which was to stay in the background and let the men make all the important decisions. We witness one woman’s journey, from a shy and dutiful widow who gradually grows into her power and, finally, wears it proudly. Hanks does very well playing Bradlee; sure, we can’t help comparing him to Jason Robards Jr.’s performance in the Watergate film, but he makes Bradlee’s man’s-man, tough-as-nails bravado all his own. Bob Oedenkirk is perfectly terrified but driven as Daniel Ellsberg, the Rand Corporation genius who spirited out the Pentagon Papers and had them copied. And, really, what is there left to say about Meryl Streep? She so disappears into every role she takes on, that we are left in awe. We choke up at her character’s discomfort with being in the spotlight, then cheer her small triumphs as she perseveres. Streep shines. But then, she always does.
“The Man Who Invented Christmas.” This little film deserves more of an audience than it is currently receiving. It’s an unexpected pleasure, a glimpse into the world of inspiration that fuels the writing process, most specifically Charles Dickens and how he came up with the novella “A Christmas Carol” after three published duds in a row. The actor playing Dickens is Dan Stevens. Sound familiar? Since Matthew Crawley, his character in “Downton Abbey,” was killed off because the actor wanted out of his contract, Stevens has done his best to show us that he is more than a beautifully spoken actor who can play a fine and proper English gentleman. He starred in “Legion,” one of the best new TV shows this past year, as a psychotic young man with powers, and he’s taken a couple of other roles playing nasties. In this film, he’s really good as a self-centered, charming, difficult and brilliant artist with a soft heart for the poor and an inability to stop spending money on a lavish lifestyle. We meet Dickens at a crucial time in his life, watch him create a story as he goes through his days getting inspired by odd names, his own childhood memories and tales told to him by others, even as he keeps reassuring creditors and watching in horror as his wife and children take over his house.
“The Man Who Invented Christmas” is not a cute little story for young kids, but if you and/or your older children are as familiar with “A Christmas Carol,” as most of us are, you’ll get a real kick out of this clever, well-written and-acted film.