The Newspaperman

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee is an American documentary film that premiered on December 4, 2017 on HBO. Directed by John Maggio, the film explores the life and legacy of journalist Ben Bradlee.

The Newspaperman:
The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee
Directed byJohn Maggio
Produced by
  • Sheila Nevins
  • Richard Cohen
  • Jacqueline Glover
  • Peter W. Kunhardt
  • George Kunhardt
  • Teddy Kunhardt
Starring
Music byGary Lionelli
CinematographyClair Popkin
Edited bySeth Bomse
Production
company
Kunhardt Films
Distributed byHBO
Release date
  • December 4, 2017 (2017-12-04)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Premise

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee is "an intimate portrait of Bradlee that traces his ascent from a young Boston boy stricken with polio to one of the most consequential journalistic figures of the 20th century."[1]

The documentary includes interviews with:

Release

Marketing

On November 13, 2017, HBO released the first trailer for the film.[2]

Premiere

On November 29, 2017, the film held its New York premiere at the HBO Screening Room in New York City.[3]

Reception

Critical reception

The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee has been met with a positive response from critics. On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 94% approval rating with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10, based on 16 reviews.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100 based on 7 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[5]

In a positive review, The Hollywood Reporter's Frank Scheck said, "Chronicling its subject's life and career in fascinating detail, The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee will prove catnip to journalism and political buffs, not to mention anyone who cares about the free press and its role in our democracy."[6] Similarly complimentary, The Wall Street Journal's Dorothy Rabinowitz said, "As any rational person would expect, the subject of HBO’s The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee--the executive editor who presided over the Washington Post’s coverage of the Watergate scandal that drove Richard Nixon from office--quickly emerges as a heroic figure. What’s not so expected, what comes as something bordering on shock, of a gratifying kind, is how much else the film takes on in this buoyant and mercilessly frank look at Bradlee’s life and career."[7] In a more mixed review, Verne Gay of Newsday gave the film two and a half stars out of four and said, "In the argot of Bradlee’s glorious trade, “The Newspaperman” is a puff piece. That’s OK. Bradlee deserves one. He was the greatest editor of one of the world’s greatest newspapers who supervised a story that will forever grace the Valhalla of journalism. But the problem with puffery, however well-meaning, is that it obscures subtler, more complicated, perhaps less complimentary truths."[8]

Accolades
Date of ceremony Award ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
January 20, 2018 29th Annual Producers Guild of America Awards Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures Teddy Kunhardt and George Kunhardt Nominated [9]

See also

References
  1. Evans, Greg (September 25, 2017). "HBO Sets Premiere Date For Ben Bradlee Doc 'The Newspaperman'". Deadline. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  2. Rich, Katey (November 13, 2017). "Exclusive Trailer Premiere for The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee". Vanity Fair. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  3. Ciampaglia, Dante A. (December 15, 2017). "Legendary 'Washington Post' editor Ben Bradlee defends the free press in the documentary 'The Newspaperman'". Newsweek. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  4. "The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  5. "The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
  6. Scheck, Frank (December 1, 2017). "'The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  7. Rabinowitz, Dorothy (December 1, 2017). "'The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee' Review: Ink-Stained Idol". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  8. Gay, Verne (December 4, 2017). "'The Newspaperman': Ben Bradlee portrait is puffery". Newsday. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  9. "The Newspaperman: The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee: Nominations and awards - The Los Angeles Times". The Los Angeles Times. April 6, 2018.
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