Power of the Press (1943)

“Freedom of the press means freedom to tell the truth. It doesn’t mean freedom to twist the truth.” – Edwina Stephens

Number of Times Seen – 1 (20 Jun 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A small town newspaper editor is given the job of taking over at a national level and tries to find a way to fight the rampant corruption all around.

My Take on it – This is a small film (and short one for that matter) that I came across by accident and was drawn into the story immediately due to the way they present things.

This film gives us a look at the behind the scenes mechanisms of how a large city newspaper can be run by an editor with integrity and no fear of reprisals.

The movie has superb dialogue that resonates throughout and makes us feels as if we are truly watching real men and women who have been immersed in the journalistic realm for years if not decades.

The run time is slightly over an hour, yet the choice to keep it short keeps things moving rapidly throughout and there are no lulls in the story or the feeling as if things are being dragged along at all.

Despite it’s short length, it’s extremely effective in what they are trying to show here.

Guy Kibbee is superb in the lead role and really stands out among the rest of the great cast.

He is quite enjoyable to watch as the local newspaper editor thrust into the big city world of publishing and must learn quite quickly how to deal with this very big chance for him by letting things take hold naturally.

He has some great speeches here that are extremely poignant and still relevant to the world of today even after more than 7 and a half decades.

THis film and much of its dialogue make me yearn for a world where newspaper editors like him were around to make sure that the world had a watchful editorial eye to make things remain with much integrity and dignity.

Bottom Line – Excellent film that gives a behind the scenes look at how a newspaper can be run and should be run. The dialogue is superbly written and we feel as if the characters are truly portraying men and women who have been immersed in the world of journalism and journalistic integrity for years if not decades. The story doesn’t feel the need to drag things out at all and despite this film being only slightly over an hour, it’s quite effective in what it’s trying to show. Kibbee stands out among the cast and really gives such an enjoyable performance as a small town editor thrust into the world of big town politics and newspapers yet learns quite quickly how to move along with the flow of things. Some of his diatribes are quite poignant and made me wish that there were still newspaper editors like him around to help keep the outside world in check. Highly Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The first film in which writer Samuel Fuller uses the character name “Griff”. In many of his subsequent films as a writer and director, Fuller would have a character with the first or last name Griff. (From IMDB)

Rating – Oscar Worthy (9/10)