Development Communication

& CSR Assignment

Name: Saquib Panjwani
PRN: S1142200127
Batch: TY BAJMC
 POWER OF THE PRESS

NAME OF THE MOVIE: Power of the Press

DIRECTOR OF THE MOVIE: Lew Landers
CAST: Guy Kibbee, Gloria Dickson, Lee Tracy, Otto Kruger, Victor Jory, Edmund Cobb,
EddieLaughton, Larry Parks & Minor Watson.
GENRE: Crime Drama

YEAR OF RELEASE: 1943

PLOT OUTLINE:
A compelling story of crime, reporting, and justice set in the affluent neighbourhood of New York
City is called Power of the Press. It covers the investigation of John Cleveland Carter's demise,
who was the publisher of The New York Gazette, one of America's most well-known newspapers.
Evil powers are at work who will stop at nothing to uphold the status quo, even while his friends
and well-wishers search for the offender and bring him justice.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Considering the circumstances of its debut, Power of the Press is a highly intriguing introduction
into the world of movies. The movie was released during a time when World War 2 was raging
and the media had a crucial role to play in preserving public harmony and peace. The movie
opens with John Carter telling his secretary Edwina Stephens that he was careless in managing
the newspaper and had allowed people like Howard Rankin to have too much authority. He goes
on to say that he plans to come clean and reveal the Gazette's murky past. Carter is shot and
killed the same same night, just as he is about to start giving his important speech. Soon later,
Carter dies away, and Rankin assumes control of the newspaper. He initiates a complex scheme
to make the Gazette a cash cow and provide "news" that would serve the objectives of the
newspaper's backers. He also accuses Jerry Purvis, a former newspaper employee, of killing
Carter, citing Purvis' animosity for Carter as a major factor in the crime.

While Rankin is making his claim to be the largest megalomaniac in the world, Edwina travels a
long way to Nebraska to carry out Carter's last wishes. In his last testimony, Carter requested
that a longtime friend and local newspaper runner named Ulysses Bradford be named as his
replacement. The personnel in New York are uncooperative and don't take Ulysses seriously,
which the pair encounters when they arrive there. Furthermore, Rankin and Griff Thompson,
another significant executive at the newspaper, consistently thwart his efforts to alter the
Gazette's sensationalism-driven approach to journalism. Due to their conviction that Purvis is
innocent, Ulysses and Edwina investigate the matter further in an effort to identify Carter's
genuine perpetrator and exonerate Purvis. As Rankin orders the murder of an innocent guy who
was trying to save Purvis by giving him an alibi, his devious behaviour only intensifies.
Additionally, he murders a previous governor just to satisfy a personal grudge and to generate
dramatic headlines. By obtaining an injunction and removing Ulysses from the newspaper, he
also obstructs Ulysses and Edwina's research.
When it seems as though Rankin would get away with his crimes, a changed Thompson steps in
like a hero in shining armour and comes up with a scheme to persuade Rankin to admit to his
wrongdoings. After bringing Rankin to "justice," Ulysses takes back his job at the newspaper and
makes a stirring speech in which he declares his desire to usher in a wave of change there and
turn the daily into an advocate of justice in the purest sense.
The movie falls short in a number of ways if I had to evaluate it just on the basis of technical
factors. The screenplay moves quickly and skips from one occurrence to another, failing to give
the audience time to process the story's powerful undercurrent.

The tone of the performances, especially those of the villainous characters, fit more with a James
Bond picture than the sombre depiction of reality that the movie strives for. Some of the
scenarios are just absurd. Additionally, the editing contains some awkward transitions between
scenes that don't connect one scene to the next.

When it comes to the purpose behind it and the message it seeks to convey, the movie holds its
own. It brings up important issues about "freedom of speech and expression" and If a slight
restriction on press access to it is appropriate or not. The movie explores the authority granted to
the media in its effort to report on behalf of the people and places special emphasis on that
authority. The movie also reveals the shadowy undertones behind journalism's idealistic façade
and illustrates how closely related "news" and "money" are. It goes on to further develop the idea
of media trials, which I believe was depicted in a way that was far ahead of its time because the
problem still rears its toxic head today. In one of the greatest scenes in the movie, Ulysses
advises his coworkers to be fair and nonjudgmental while leaving the administration of justice to
the legal system.
The movie, which is set during World War II as previously said, very subtly examines what
constitutes patriotism. The movie takes a brave stance by emphasising how simple it is to place
the blame on a foreign oppressor while trying to demand accountability inside one's own
home. The movie's finale poses a significant moral quandary. It forces viewers to consider if
continuing moral uprightness is required in the fight against injustice or whether the methods
try to justify the end provided a wrongdoing is brought to justice. The finest illustration of this is
when Ulysses decides to mislead Rankin into confessing while maintaining his moral superiority
throughout the film because he knows that this is the only way to purge the media of a vicious
monster. If I had to single out one negative aspect of the movie's finale, it would be how easily
Thompson got off the hook and the encouragement he received to carry on acting in the same
way throughout the entire film.
In conclusion, it is reasonable to state that a movie like "Power of the Press" is unquestionably
required, perhaps even more so in these turbulent times. But that does not compensate for how
poor its technical features are, and in my opinion, that is what prevents it from being a classic
film.