All the President's Men

Rating:
Summary: An authentic American classic
Review: The enduring brilliance of the 1976 film "All the President's Men" is not due to the handful of great performances by legendary actors. It's not due to the shockingly true story it documents. What sets "All the President's Men" apart, making it one of the great suspense thrillers of all time, is its utter authenticity.

The film does not make a single misstep. Each low key scene after another, solidly crafted, realistically portrayed, slowly builds a growing sense of dread. Like reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, we discover each clue. With great apprehension, we begin to realize this peculiar Watergate burglary is leading to one of the great scandals in American history.

I have seen "All the President's Men" at least 10 times, and each time my respect for this film grows. I am amazed by the camaraderie during the editorial meetings, so realistically portrayed. Equally impressive is how two larger-than-life actors Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman (as Woodward and Bernstein) disappear into their roles. Rarely noted, these two superstars give what is arguably the finest performances of their storied careers. By film's end, they are no longer Redford and Hoffman but two young reporters, intensely on the trail about to break the story of the century.

One of the great supporting casts of all time is important to the success of this film. Jason Robards, Jack Warden and Martin Balsam as the Washington Post editors who grudgingly guide and support their young reporters, are nothing short of brilliant. And then of course, you have Hal Holbrook, Jane Alexander, Ned Beatty, Robert Walden, Stephen Collins and Lindsay Crouse in crucial, but memorable supporting cameos.

The late director Alan J. Pakula was the perfect choice for this film. An expert in paranoid thrillers ("Klute," "The Parallax View," "Presumed Innocent"), "All the President's Men" must be considered his crowning achievement. Hollywood has a history of changing true stories for dramatic embellishment, and Pakula should be applauded for sticking to the facts (as should William Goldman, who wrote the tight screenplay based on the Woodward/Bernstein novel of the same name) and creating an authentic recreation. It must have been an incredible challenge to make a film with so little action (no explosions, murder or gun fire).

In "All the President's Men," the pounding of the typewriter key is akin to the firing of a cannon. Eventually, as we see Woodward and Bernstein furiously typing away while on the television Richard Nixon is sworn in for his second term as President, we realize just how great a country the United States is. We are all accountable for crimes, even our highest elected leaders. This is a free country, perfectly personified by our free press. "All the President's Men" flawlessly documents this.

Rating:
Summary: "I don't mind what you did. I mind how you did it."
Review: Alan J. Pakula's "All the President's Men" chronicles the investigation that exposed one of the darkest chapters in American history. So profound was the impact of Watergate on the national psyche that the public's trust in its government has never been completely restored since President Richard Nixon resigned from office. Politically and historically, Watergate is a fascinating subject. However, as a subject for a feature film, it is decidedly less captivating.

Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) are working on a story about a break-in at the National Democratic Headquarters. Nothing seems out of the ordinary at first but the duo soon learns that the Nixon Administration may be involved. Woodward and Bernstein's investigation gains steam and eventually an enormous cash slush fund and mysterious payments to government officials come to light. When all the pieces of the puzzle finally come together, both men discover that they have been pursuing the biggest national story in recent memory.

The life of a reporter is typically not glamorous. Big-time stories rarely fall ready-made into a reporter's lap. Endless hours must be spent chasing leads which might lead to paydirt or might lead to a dead-end. "All the President's Men" captures the life of a reporter perfectly - and that is its problem. Watching Woodward and Bernstein running from one source to another hoping to uncover that one crucial clue that will unlock the mystery that is consuming them generates only minimal excitement. Furthermore, knowing beforehand that the identity of Deep Throat has still not been revealed works against the film because you know in the back of your mind that you are not watching the whole story behind Watergate. In the final tally, Redford, Hoffman and Jason Robards are all great but all three actors are stuck in a film that has few electric moments.

Rating:
Summary: "A third-rate burglary attempt"
Review: - that was how presidential Press Secretary Ronald Ziegler referred to the attempted June 17, 1972 break-in at the Washington, D.C. Watergate building in his initial comments on the event. Not worthy of further notice, although "certain elements" might try to "stretch this beyond what it is." Ziegler would come to eat his words several times over when, as a result of the Pulitzer Prize-winning reports by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, one senior government official after the other lost his post to the prospect of exchanging suit and tie for prison garbs, until at last even President Nixon himself was compelled to resign from the office which, as he'd declared only shortly before, he had "no intention whatever of ever walking away from."

Based on Woodward and Bernstein's bestselling book and released only two years after Nixon's resignation, "All the President's Men" chronicles the two reporters' investigation of the infamous money trail leading from the burglars' court arraignment and notations in two of their notebooks to White House Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman and to a conspiracy which, as the reporters would discover, went far beyond a simple attempt to plant bugs at the national Democratic headquarters, and was chiefly engineered through the Republican Committee to Re-Elect the President (appropriately acronymed "CReeP"). While the events are somewhat streamlined and not all of the individuals actually involved in the conspiracy are mentioned - wisely so, as even the information that *is* given takes either several viewings of the film or a close reference to the underlying book to be fully digested - the movie faithfully depicts the events as they are described in the two reporters' account.

Woodward and Bernstein were an unlikely match; both regarding their personalities and their respective backgrounds: Woodward an Illinois native, Yale graduate and former naval officer with upper-crust ties, only nine months with the Post when the Watergate story broke; Bernstein a D.C. native and college dropout with liberal leanings, who had worked his way up in the business from age sixteen onwards. Yet, over time they not only came to be friends but actually worked together so closely that their colleagues took to addressing them collectively as "Woodstein." Equally unlikely was their staffing on the Watergate story, as neither of them was a senior journalist with the Washington Post, nor were they on steady assignment with its national desk. Yet, largely due to patronage by the paper's Metro Editor, as well as eventually Executive Editor Ben Bradlee, they were able to pursue their investigation to its very end.

Starring as Bernstein and Woodward are Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford (who had purchased the film rights to the story shortly after the book's publication and is also one of the movie's co-producers). Both actors performed a tremendous amount of research for their roles, which enabled them not only to perfectly portray the two lead characters - and this although Redford in particular has virtually no physical resemblance to Woodward - but also to convey their tenacity in pursuing a story that even their own colleagues at first didn't want to believe, and in whose development they were hampered at every corner. Similarly, Jason Robards, who won a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar and several other awards for his role as Ben Bradlee, convincingly nails the famous newsman's mix of New England pedigree and tough talk; and Jack Warden, Martin Balsam and Hal Holbrook are equally compelling as Metro Editor Harry Rosenfeld, Managing Editor Howard Simons and Woodward's still-unidentified source "Deep Throat." Outstanding in a cast featuring dozens of actors are further Jane Alexander as bookkeeper and reluctant source Judy Hoback, Ned Beatty as Florida prosecutor Martin Dardis, Stephen Collins as former Haldeman aide and CReeP treasurer Hugh Sloan, Robert Walden as California attorney and "ratf*cking" organizer Donald Segretti and Penny Fuller as Woodward's and Bernstein's colleague Sally Aiken, who uses her personal contacts to provide crucial CReeP insider information. (Plus, watch out for F. Murray Abraham's brief appearance as one of the arresting officers at the Watergate.)

What makes "All the President's Men" so compelling are, of course, first and foremost the true facts of the underlying story; the sheer enormity of a conspiracy constituting nothing less than a full-fledged attack on the electoral process and on the very foundations of the American democracy, and involving the entire U.S. intelligence community and almost all of the Republican establishment, up to and including former President Nixon. Appropriately, the movie is styled in the way of a documentary, resisting all temptations to hype the events and relying entirely on its stellar cast and on the authenticity provided by its D.C. location shots, by the recreation of the Washington Post's newsroom (with numerous props supplied by the paper itself), and by actual TV footage from the era. And although David Shire is credited for his soundtrack contribution, the film's most memorable sounds are not those of his almost non-audible score but the hammering of the reporters' typewriters, of the news ticker announcing the story's final developments, and of the gunshot- and whiplash-enforced pounding of the opening caption. Not surprisingly, the movie also won the Academy Award for Best Sound, in addition to Robards's and those for Best Writing (William Goldman, with input from Carl Bernstein and his former wife Nora Ephron) and Best Art Direction. Why it didn't also win the "Best Movie" award, I will never understand. (Rocky who?!)

"Nothing's riding on this except the First Amendment of the Constitution, the freedom of the press and maybe the future of the country," Ben Bradlee tells Woodward and Bernstein after their investigation has almost faltered over a misunderstanding with two sources regarding Haldeman's involvement, and he adds: "Not that any of that matters. But if you guys f*ck up again, I'm going to get mad ..." They didn't give him reason to. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history - hopefully never to be repeated, anywhere in the world.

Rating:
Summary: Nod your head if we're not wrong: A tense but long film.
Review: "All the President's Men" is an interesting film that manages to hold its tension throughout the entire movie. My only complaint is that the film is a bit long and tedious. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman both do a superlative job bringing journalism to life and humanizing a profession that generally receives nothing but criticism from me. Their chemistry together is believable and they bring wonderful expertise to their roles.

What I particularly enjoyed about the film was the inventive ways the journalists invented to allow their sources to divulge information. Everything from just having them nod their heads to confirming initials, Redford and Hoffman try everything to get their story. It is fun to watch the implications and legalities at work.

Not having been alive during the Watergate Scandal, I was at a bit of a loss concerning all the particulars of the case-a fact that certainly would not hamper anyone more familiar with the events surrounding the incident. It is amazing to watch the story unfold, tense moment by tense moment, until the ultimate climax. The ending sequence is absolutely original and superb; a somewhat chilling way to end a great true story.

Rating:
Summary: The Politically Thrilling
Review: Maybe it is just me, but they don't make make movies like this anymore do they? At least not this good. Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, a couple of old pros, play Woodward and Bernstein in Alan J. Pakula's classic film about political corruption.

Who are Bob Woodward and Carl Berstein? They are the Washington Post reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal. How did they do it? Well the film is based on their co-authored book of this account, so see this movie. I will say no more on the film's subject.

Redford and Hoffman are so convincing they may as well be Woodward and Bernstein. The supporting cast of Jason Robards(who won an Oscar), Martin Balsom, and Jack Warden is so good as the various editors of the Post, one would think they were newspapermen their whole lives. Pakula has really fasioned an awsome film. The attention to detail is amazing, the story's progression is well paced, and it delivers in the end.

This is one of those films that gets better upon multiple viewings. Perhaps it is a little overlong, but it needed to be, this is very good filmmaking. It is easy to understand why it is a classic. And it should be recognized as such.

Rating:
Summary: The power of an independent media!
Review: Should one pursue truth at whatever cost? This is essentially what this movie is about if we divorce it from the reality it is meant to represent. At what price should one stop one's pursuit and accept the world as it appears to be? Thankfully, Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) and Woodword (Robert Redford), or Woodstein as they were 'affectionately' called by their superior, did not put a price on truth, and in their search brought down the highest power in America. This is a great testimony of the power of the media to affect and even change society.

If, like me, you are not completely familiar with the Watergate scandal then watching this movie would be a great way to familiarize yourself with some of the facts. We follow Woodword and Bernstein as they get on the trail of something bigger than anyone expected. Unfortunately, the adrenalin that must have been pumping through both men as they followed leads and made discoveries does not come through in this movie. Most of the time is spent trying not to miss the conversations or squinting to see what is written on the little pieces of paper scattered about.

Some reviewers have called it an American classic and the consensus is that this movie deserves a five star rating. Although I would in most cases agree with the majority opinion I have to dissent here and these are three of my reasons.

Firstly, although the acting was great, there is that missing element of suspense and excitement. Secondly, toward the end, some of the information is presented to the viewer through a typewriter with very small print which makes it quite difficult to read. I should have used subtitles I guess, but this shouldn't have been necessary for a movie in English. Lastly, the extras on the DVD should have at least included a documentary type piece to supplement the movie; instead of assuming that everyone knows all there is to know about Watergate. You may argue that this is just quibbling for its own sake, but to give it 5 stars would be lying to you. That being said, if you can put up with some of the 'faults' that I have listed and have an interest in politics or journalism, then I would recommend this movie to you.

Rating:
Summary: Their obsession for a good story brought down a president
Review: This Oscar winning 1976 film is about Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two Washington Post reporters who broke the biggest story of the 1970's - that of the Watergate scandal. It originally seemed like a small story, a break-in at the Democratic headquarters, but because of these two young men doggedly going after the facts, it brought down a president.

Starring Dustin Hoffman as the chain-smoking and quirky Bernstein, and Robert Redford as the more sophisticated Woodward, there is a chemistry between them which gave them the impetus to push way beyond the limits of what the story required, and as one discovery led to another, build on the accumulated details to go even further. Both the men were good at sizing up people, and the film shows how, in one interview after another, they got each interviewee to reveal those details that could fit into the king-size puzzle that they had taken on. Martin Balsam, cast as the managing editor, wanted to give the job to more senior reporters, but as Jack Warden, the metro editor, pointed out, the two young men had a passion for the story that was very special. Jason Robards, the executive editor, was quick to question all their facts, but generally supported them all the way.

Throughout, there are lots of shots of the massiveness of the tall buildings in contrast to the smallness of the men. And, when it came to the secret informer who they called "Deep Throat", those scenes were cast in shadow. The pacing was excellent and the there was tension throughout, which kept me fascinated even though I knew the eventual outcome. This story became an obsession with the two reporters and it seemed as if nothing would stop them. Occasionally, it got a bit repetitive, but that is the nature of good reporting, which can also be called good detective work.

The film brought back the reality of the 1970s, from the hairstyles to the manual typewriters. I found myself thinking about the cell phones and computers we take for granted today, as I watched them pour through phone directories as well as thousands of library take-out slips as they followed up on every clue. The acting, of course, was excellent as well the screenplay, which focused entirely on the news story, rather than becoming maudlin with the personal lives of the men. I give this film a high recommendation. It's definitely worth seeing.

Rating:
Summary: THEN REDFORD MADE THE KENNEDY-STOLE-1960-ELECTION MOVIE??
Review: "All the President's Men", based on the book by Woodward and Bernstein, was impossible to resist for Redford. Nixon! Oh boy! Again, Hollywood passed up the Kennedy-stole-the-election story. What a shock! You have to hand it to these guys, though; they have talent. "President's" was masterful, thanks in large part to Goldman, who knew how to condense the story. Redford tried to play it close to the vest, and comes close to making it come off as straight and narrow. The actual truth portrayed betrays the lack of objectivity, however, at the Washington Post. Redford is Bob Woodward, a former Navy officer and a Republican. This is revealed to Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) who gives him a furtive look upon learning this shocking truth. Jason Robards is Ben Bradlee, the Post's editor. We all know the story: The DNC is broken into by Cubans with White House phone numbers in their address books, and in investigating the burglary Woodward and Bernstein suspect a larger plot, which they uncover through dogged journalism that cannot be denied. The two writers are shown to be complete heroes. Hal Halbrooke plays "Deep Throat", the White House insider who gives Woodward the leads he needs to keep investigating. To this day his identity is unknown, and it remains entirely plausible that he was invented out of whole cloth.
The story is the story, and there is no room for liberal bias in that. To Redford's credit, he does not demonize the Republicans or sermonize. Implicit threat against the pair are made, but not expanded into anything. G. Gordon Liddy did volunteer to "off" Jack Anderson for revealing CIA assets in the U.S.S.R., but there is no evidence that Nixon's Republicans ever thought about blowing Woodward and Bernstein away. Domestic political murders, as best as I can tell, are the province of the Democrats. Even in Oliver Stone's "JFK", it is Lyndon Johnson who supposedly was in on the plan to kill the President.
The bias in "All the President's Men" is subliminal, but leave it to yours truly to see it. First, there is the acronym CREEP, which stands for Committee to Re-elect the President. There have been numerous such committees over he years, and they always go by the acronym CRP. But Woodward and Bernstein turned it into CREEP. Gotcha. There is also a scene in which Bradlee, who in real life was a drinking buddy (and God knows what else) of Kennedy's, getting the news that the story is progressing and has real legs.
"You run that baby," he tells Woodward and Bernstein, then does little jig as he leaves the office. This is telling. Redford and director Alan Pakula allowed it, probably because it let them impart their own happiness over Nixon's downfall through the character. In another scene, Robards/Bradlee tells the reporters, "There's not much riding on this. Just the First Amendment and the Constitution of the United States."
Now just hoooold on there, Ben. Was Watergate really about the Constitution? Was that august document threatened? This begs the question, Where was Bradlee and Post publisher Katherine Graham when the Constitution really was threatened by their pal JFK, who stole the 1960 election? Where were they when their pal Bobby Kennedy was wiretapping Martin Luther King? Democrat operatives had to break into homes, hotels and offices to wiretap Dr. King just as the Plumbers had to break into Dr. Fielding's office, and Larry O'Brien's. A free press is undoubtedly the cornerstone of Democracy, but it functions best when it is not populated by over-inflated egos who think they are the soul arbiter of freedom of expression.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
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Rating:
Summary: KENNEDY STOLE 1960 FROM NIXON, BUT NOBODY MAKES THAT MOVIE
Review: "All the President's Men" (1976) was Robert Redford's breakthrough from pretty boy star to filmmaker with clout. Redford, a former baseball player at L.A.'s Van Nuys High School whose classmates were Dodger Hall of Fame pitcher Don Drysdale and (...) Natalie Wood, had been typecast by his looks and blonde hair into Malibu beach boy roles early on. This offended his sensibilities as an artist. Redford is in some ways the patron saint of liberal movie stars, and his story is a common one. He is no Dumbellionite, even though he dropped out of college. Like so many, he was drawn like a bee to honey to the theatre, trekking to New York as a teenager. His liberal views apparently were formed in his youth, growing up in the Mexican section of Santa Monica and seeing racism up close (at least, that is the story he tells). His lack of formal education in no way speaks to a lack of political knowledge, but his success and looks speak to a certain amount of good luck while others his age were in Southeast Asia. This very likely created a guilt complex that Redford, a star with an ego, could not manifest upon himself, so he found a culprit in this country, which had provided him a forum to achieve so much (...)

Rating:
Summary: Blast from the Past
Review: "All the President's Men" remains one of my favorites. Not only was it produced so well, it's also a textbook for screenwriting.

Woodward and Bernstein's book of the same title was an account of their Watergate reporting. In it they very wisely referred to themselves as a unified, second-tier character in third-person, which allowed them to get out of the way of their own reporting.

William Goldman's screen adaptation was inspired and brilliant. The job of any screenwriter adapting a work is to realize the smaller, and separate, story within the original that will be the cinematic story. Although Richard Nixon was Woodward and Bernstein's main character, Goldman realized the cinematic story was about two young reporters unheard of outside the DC area, and that without guard Frank Wills discovering a piece of tape on a lock things most likely would have remained that way. The action, then, is in the newsroom, not the White House.

Any serious screenwriter wanabe should read the book, then take apart the film version to see how its done.