All the President's Men (1976)

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Directed by Alan J. Pakula.

Starring Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Jr., Jack Warden, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford.

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Conspiracy film specialist Alan J. Pakula turned journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's best-selling account of their Watergate investigation into one of the hit films of Bicentennial year 1976. While researching a story about a botched 1972 burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex, green Washington Post reporters/rivals Woodward (Robert Redford, who also exec produced) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) stumble on a possible connection between the burglars and a White House staffer. With the circumspect approval of executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards), the pair digs deeper. Aided by a guilt-ridden turncoat bookkeeper (Jane Alexander) and the vital if cryptic guidance of Woodward's mystery source, Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), Woodward and Bernstein "follow the money" all the way to the top of the Nixon administration. Despite Deep Throat's warnings that their lives are in danger, and the reluctance of older Post editors, Woodward and Bernstein are determined to get out the story of the crime and its presidential cover-up. Once Bradlee is convinced, the final teletype impassively taps out the historically explosive results. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

Re:Pick a Pair
by Tenenbaums in Movie Games

loved it.

"Two double features that we actually did in my college film society were: Plan 9 From Outer Space and Ed Wood The oft-called "worst movie ever" and the excellent story of the man who made it happen. All The President's Men and Dick The compelling, journalistic Watergate and the hilarious explanations for the mysteries of Nixon (i.e. the missing section of tape; the double peace signs; inspiration for Deepthroat; etc.). Plus, Will Ferrell as Bob Woodward and Harry Shearer as G. Gordon Liddy? Good stuff. " [More]

Sydney Pollack, RIP
by minerwerks in minerwerks Blog

loved it.

Was this review helpful? [Be the first to tell us!]
"Nothing like a tragic loss in the film world to remind me how broad the art of film can be and how many worthy films are out there that I have yet to view. Earlier this year, when reviewing the Oscar nominees for Best Picture, I singled out Sydney Pollack's performance in 'Michael Clayton' as being particularly good. In the later part of his career - the part most familar to myself as a relative youngster - Pollack was best known as a producer and actor. While I knew of him as a director, it turns out I have been ridiculously neglectful of the man's filmography. Of course, most people have seen 'Tootsie,' the 1982 comedy that starred a cross-dressing Dustin Hoffman. But other than this blockbuster, the only Pollack-directred film I've actually seen is 'The Firm' (not a bad film, if I may say). But Pollack, we should not forget, was an Oscar-winner. He directed 'Out of Africa,' starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, two of the cinema's most likable performers. And though Redford ... " [More]

An interesting view of the times
by unclefestering in unclefestering Blog

hasn't rated it.

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"The Parallex View captures the feeling of distrust and paranoia (or is it paranoid if they really are out to get you) in the government and in corporations that pervaded the country in the early 70s. (see All the President's Men (1976) ) The movie is very dark. Maybe it was too dark for its time, because it was passed over when it first came out, but has gained a justly deserved cult following since then " [More]

Re: Top 5 Journalism Movies
by Risselada in Filmspotting

loved it.

"Some of these movies feature journalism more centrally some more incidentally.1. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Gonzo Journalism at it's most iconic2. Citizen Kane - Journalism as a theme and part of the structure3. Shattered Glass - true story of fake stories4. All The President's Men5. No Man's Land - how journalism doesn't just report on wars, but often affects wars, and sometimes even starts them Runner's up - Shock Corridor, The Hudsucker Proxy, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Good Night, and Good Luck. " [More]

All-time Classic
by BigJeffLebowski in BigJeffLebowski Blog

loved it.

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"Early in the film All the President's Men, Editor of the Washington Post Harry M. Rosenfield (Jack Warden) tells reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein (Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman) that "Charles Colson, special counsel to the president, has a cartoon on his wall. The caption reads 'When you've got 'em by the balls, their hearts and minds will follow.'" This could just as easily apply to the film; All the President's Men grabs viewers with its first shot -- an extreme close up of a typewriter banging out the date -- and, without the use of the gratuitous histrionics of most thrillers, doesn't let let them go until its close.All the President's Men tells the story of Woodward and Bernstein, the reporters who broke the Watergate scandal and followed the story all the way through. The two fought to get the scoop, fought to tell the story, fought to find the truth, and then fought to get it published. (There was a lot of fighting, as you can tell.) The film is based on the boo ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

loved it.

Following Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's book, director Alan Pakula and scripter William Goldman make this film a dynamic detective yarn, even though everyone already knows the ending, by covering only the reporters' investigation of the scandal and keeping the administration criminals offscreen. The reporters may be able to expose the truth this time, but who knows what other government conspiracies remain in the shadows. With a heightened realist style that recreated the Washington Post newsroom down to its garbage, All the President's Men became a popular and critical success, indicating that the public had not yet tired of the Watergate story -- at least when it featured Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. Despite winning several critics' prizes, All the President's Men lost the Best Picture Oscar to Rocky, although it did pick up awards for Robards, Goldman, and its meticulous art direction. Cannily appealing to both an audience's desire for a "happy" ending and the 1970s knowledge of that ending's limitations, All the President's Men told a true-life suspense tale about the triumph of a free press, even though what Woodward and Bernstein exposed about Richard Nixon's White House was hardly reassuring. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide

Tags: journalism , watergate , Loved-It , Best-Supporting-Actor , investigation
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