Few Hollywood directors jump between great ones so effortlessly Blockbusters and Oscar dramas back and forth like Steven Spielberg. In 1993 he brought Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List to the cinema in one year. He was just fiddling with elaborate dinosaur effects when he entered one of the darkest chapters in our history.
In 2017 he also delved into the past: in the historical drama The Verlegerin (original: The Post) he tells it History of the Pentagon Papers. This is a secret study by the US Department of Defense into the US role in the Vietnam War, which exposed numerous government lies.
Tonight you can watch The Publisher on TV.
The publisher on TV: Steven Spielberg’s gripping journalism thriller is a complete race against time
Kay Graham (Meryl Streep) is the titular publisher of the film, although she never wanted that title. The death of her husband ultimately led to her now the Washington Post and has to assert himself against an environment dominated by men. Her greatest test arrives in 1971.
You can watch the trailer for The Publisher here:
The Publisher – Trailer (German) HD
The Post comes into possession of documents that reveal shocking truths about the Vietnam War. As the pressure from outside grows, Graham realizes that the documents are real. With her editor-in-chief, Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), she now has to make a serious decision: publish or not.
A dry history lesson is out of the question with such exciting material. Spielberg transforms the true events on which his film is based into a gripping journalism thriller that… big questions and dynamics of the professional field to the test and makes every conflict understandable.
Let Graham risk everything to run this one story, even if it means the Post might didn’t live to see the next day? Or does she drop the documents and secure their publication in return – knowing that the price is a compromise that no journalist should ever make?
Spielberg’s production moves rapidly through the rooms of the post office, sticks to the characters’ lips and lets us in every second Race against time feel what Graham and Bradlee are exposed to for two nerve-wracking hours – framed in the light-flooded images by cameraman Janusz Kaminski.
And then there is the incredible cast. In addition to Streep and Hanks, Carrie Coon, David Cross and Alison Brie appear in supporting roles. They are joined by Bob Odenkirk, Tracy Letts and Sarah Paulson. Did I mention Jesse Plemons, Michael Stuhlbarg and Matthew Rhys? No? Then get ready for Zach Woods, Bradley Whitford and Bruce Greenwood.
Spielberg masterpiece: When is The Publisher on TV?
The publisher is running today on April 29, 2024 at 11:10 p.m. on MDR. The film is shown without commercials and runs until 12:55 a.m. There is no repeat.
If you prefer to stream The Publisher, you will have to resort to purchase and rental offers on Amazon Prime Video and Co. The film has also been released on DVD and Blu-ray in Germany.
*. If you purchase through this link, we will receive a commission.