Fun
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Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
“It’s been my experience that people lie… a lot of people lie in Washington. They have no reverence for the truth.” If you’re feeling a little chilled by the relevance of these opening words of The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee, you’re not alone. This portrait of legendary Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee could not be more timely for our current era of “fake news” and journalists’ relentless pursuit of the truth. Through his own words and with the help of those who knew him, this remarkable film chronicles the rise of this formidable figure – and it’s easily one of the best documentaries of the year.
Narrated in part by Bradlee himself, we soar through Bradlee’s childhood, including his time spent battling polio, scraping by at Harvard, his marriage to his first wife, Jean, and his tenure in the Navy during World War II. It was apparent early on that Bradlee was a fairly fearless man, and as he built his career in the world of journalism, no one was really able to stand in his way. There are so many fascinating tidbits here; from Bradlee’s complicated friendship with John F. Kennedy to his regrets about his personal life and choices when it came to the way he treated his wives, Bradlee may have been a relentless, brilliant reporter, but he wasn’t without flaws.
The Newspaperman spends a lot of time chronicling the most pivotal moments in Bradlee’s career, most notably the Washington Post’s bitter legal battle to publish parts of the Pentagon Papers (the subject of Steven Spielberg’s The Post, out later this month) and the Watergate investigation. Even if you are familiar with these stories, it’s wild to watch them play out and hear how things went from the perspective of Bradlee and his peers. We hear from Tom Brokaw, Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein, Norman Lear, Robert Redford, and more, and they all contribute to painting a thorough portrait of the editorial force that was Ben Bradlee.
Some 45 years ago, Jason Robards took home an Academy Award for playing Bradlee in All the President’s Men, and in just a few weeks, we’ll see Tom Hanks play him in The Post. Bradlee left behind a legacy that is unshakeable; the parallels between his work on the Watergate bombshell and the constant controversy surrounding the media’s relationship with President Donald Trump are eerie. If anything, The Newspaperman is a reminder that we all might benefit from boasting the same determination to expose lies that Bradlee did.
“Our business is not to be loved, but to go after the truth,” Bradlee says. Now, more than ever, these words couldn’t resonate more. The Newspaperman compellingly argues that we owe it to him – and to ourselves – to heed these words.
Stream The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee on HBO
