Paul Thomas Anderson Praises Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Post’

There are some filmmakers whose technique is so flawless, their technical precision can be easy to take for granted. Steven Spielberg is one of those filmmakers. The veteran director works at a quick clip, and the ease with which he bounces from grand, blockbuster spectacle to character based dramas, can make it easy to focus on his career moves over his craft. But Paul Thomas Anderson knows great game when he sees it, and he took a moment out of his promotional cycle for “Phantom Thread” to praise “The Post.”

I’ll leave the conversation about the film’s Oscar chances to the side for now, and just share Anderson’s comments to the Chicago Tribune about Spielberg’s newspaper drama to speak for itself.

“[Max] Ophuls is my hero when it comes to blocking the actors and blocking the camera and the dance they do together. He’s just the best. By the way, have you seen ‘The Post’? I’d say Steven Spielberg is as good with the camera as anybody in film history,” Anderson said. “I saw it the other day, and I couldn’t believe how good he is at dealing with a lot of people in that small a space. He’s got 10 people in a living room, and everybody’s moving around, and everything seems natural, and the camera’s dancing around them, and that thing is a miracle of staging and camerawork. I can’t wait to see it again, to really look under the hood and watch how he did it.”

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling particularly jazzed about seeing “The Post,” but Anderson just sold my ticket. Both “Phantom Thread” and “The Post” are now playing, which might make for a great date night double bill.