Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, the Big Three of "Hollywood" in one movie, and there can only be one result: it must be a fantastic movie.
Spielberg's films are often full of epic qualities, especially biographical dramas like "Schindler's List" and "Lincoln". How to prevent the characters from being engulfed by the grand background and become empty, not only need to dig out the complex mentality and contradictions behind the characters to create the conflict of the plot, but also the expressive power of the actors is essential. Therefore, the two living fossils of acting skills are naturally in the hands of Spielberg, and the success of the "Washington Post" is also smooth.
The Washington Post (The Washington Post) has become a monument in journalism history. Its serious reporting style and objective and rigorous attitude have set the tone of its newspaper. Become an industry benchmark in one fell swoop. So far, I don’t know how many books and film and television dramas have reproduced that period of history. Spielberg chose to unearth the woman behind the Washington Post, Katherine Graham.
At that time, the Washington Post was not as influential as the New York Times; it could not match the regional tabloids in terms of circulation, and was in a stage of confusion. Editor-in-chief Ben Bradley was determined to compete with the New York Times, and even sent interns to the New York Times headquarters to inquire about news, but in the end he failed to gain the upper hand in the matter of "Secret Pentagon Documents". The other party had already done three months of sorting and investigation before them, which can be said to have accumulated a lot of money, and the front page of the Washington Post could only publish the political lace of Nixon's daughter's wedding, which made Bradley indignant.
On the other hand, Kathryn Graham, as the newspaper's chairman and publisher, is under even greater pressure. First, there was a problem with the company's finances. Mrs. Graham and her assistants have been trying to find a way to go public and raise money. Second, although she is an expensive boss herself, the editors under her command will not listen to her at all under the leadership of Bradley. Opinion; third, Mrs. Graham, who came from a high-class society, has contacts with many powerful people. If her own newspaper exposes the negativity of these people, which front should she stick to? But in fact, the source of all these pressures is caused by the squeeze on women's workplace space in an era when men are absolutely dominant.
Mrs. Graham did not take the initiative to become chairman; her father initially handed over the newspaper to her husband, Philip L. Graham. Unexpectedly, she committed suicide suddenly in 1963, and she was determined to be a husband and a child behind the scenes, and she had to take this position like a duck on the shelves. However, nearly ten years later, people around her still regard her as a housewife who doesn't understand anything.
A few details are quite interesting. During the meeting, she couldn't get in at all. Her inner opinion had to be taken seriously by a male assistant. After the meeting, she had to endure the gossip of individual directors; Mrs. Graham, but could not participate in the topics discussed by the men, and could only bring a group of "lady" to the other side to talk about some boring topics of fashion bags; But she was scolded on the spot for "extending her hand too long", and it was neither possible for her to sit nor to stand. It can be said that such a female chairman looks beautiful, but in fact she is an air bag and a soft persimmon.
Fortunately, there is a great actor like Aunt Mei, who did not let such a character collapse on the vulgar road of selling miserably. Under the guise of "Silly White Sweet", Mrs. Graham is tough and intelligent. Despite her slow speech, Mrs. Graham has a creed in her heart that has sustained her — her belief in journalism professionalism and the vital role of the media as a "fourth power" in society.
It is this creed that allows her to gradually reshape her independent personality and become a female entrepreneur who stands on her own.
For example, the first thing that Mrs. Graham thought of when raising money was that these millions of dollars would allow the newspaper to pay enough salaries for journalists and editors for five years. She has always believed that as long as you make good reports and create a good style, The Washington Post's profitability is by no means an issue.
The chairman also acted as a spy during dinner with a New York Times reporter. She looked silly with a smile on her face, but she secretly inquired about the government's ban on the media industry from the other party's few words, and promptly passed the news back to the editor-in-chief's office so that she could prepare for it, which surprised Bradley.
When faced with pressure from the Nixon administration, company executives urged her to compromise and not confront the president head-on. This time, even the assistant who had been silently helping her by her side was on the side of compromise; on the other side, the editor-in-chief Bradley threatened to resign and demanded that the report be published. For a time, Mrs. Graham was overwhelmed and fell into a situation of isolation and helplessness. She knew that no matter what decision she made, if the final result was a failure, then as a woman, she might have no place in the workplace in the future. After a moment of silence on the phone, she chose to take a gamble. With a crying Mrs. Graham, she said three "let's go" in a row, and decided to continue to issue the confidential Pentagon documents, exposing the four presidents of the United States over the past 30 years. deception.
In the face of a powerful state apparatus, it is hard to imagine how the parties involved made those few sentences at that time. I can only surmise that there are two reasons why Mrs. Graham dared to gamble:
1. The casualties and a series of sequelae caused by the Vietnam War have already aroused the dissatisfaction of the majority of the people. Now that the Vietnam War lies are made public, on the one hand, it can gain public support, and on the other hand, it can also increase the influence of the newspaper.
2. The New York Times, as an industry benchmark, has been controlled by the government ban. Although it is a competitor of the Washington Post, at this moment, if the media colleagues do not speak up to break the ban, the right of the entire media industry to speak freely will be compromised from now on. The upper shadow can be described as winning the battle but losing the entire war, which is absolutely impossible.
Fortunately, Mrs. Graham made the right bet. They defeated the government in the Supreme Court, defended the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and defended the right of the media to speak freely, which has also allowed the Washington Post to take off since then.
Walking out of the courtroom, reporters flocked to the side of the New York Times, and when the Washington Post was left out, the strong woman smiled lightly, "What we should say has already been said in the courtroom", and then did not enter the crowd, hiding a lot The taste of power and fame. At this moment, the movie also made this character more plump and three-dimensional. It is no longer a battle between you and me in the industry, and it is no longer a political intrigue, but has reached a higher place.
When we read the development history of The Washington Post, in addition to seeing the story of editor-in-chief Bradley leading reporters to fight against power, we should also see the strong, wise and transcendent woman behind it - Katherine Graham.
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