The precise accuracy of ‘All the President’s Men’ finds its thrills in the details

Robert Redford (left) and Dustin Hoffman chase the story in the acclaimed 1976 hit, “All the President’s Men.” (Warner Bros/MovieStillsDB.com)

Ultimate Movie Year finds the best films from weekends past to build an all-star lineup of cinema.

“All the President’s Men”
Released April 9, 1976
Directed by Alan J. Pakula

Movies tend to portray news reporters as a lot more glamorous than reality suggests, but then again, you can probably say that about most professions. In any event, it's pretty astonishing that the forces behind 1976's "All the President's Men" not only presented the dry realism of investigative reporting, but made it so compelling that the film achieved top-level critical and box office success.

The movie depicts the true-life events, investigation, and reporting that led to the resignation of President Richard Nixon from the perspective of two journalists from The Washington Post, Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman). The movie, based on the book of the same name by Woodward and Bernstein, only documents the beginning of their investigation, so viewers don't even get the expected conclusion that occurred only two years earlier at the time of the film's release. 

And yet, millions of people wanted to see this. Given its legacy within film history, many people still do.

Let's face it, one of the reasons why "All the President's Men" continues to hold our attention nearly 50 years later is because it's a film about the hard work of journalism, so naturally many of the taste-makers employed by various media organizations are going to go to bat for a movie that treats their industry with respect. You can see this with happen again with films like 2000's "Almost Famous" and 2015's "Spotlight" that feature protagonists in media. That's not to diminish the quality of any of these movies. Still, it's one aspect that separates these titles from other films of similar quality, not unlike how the Academy Awards tends to throw statues at any movie that presents its own industry in a beautiful light. The film that treats our professions with respect tend to linger in our minds more than flicks about lawyers, firefighters, and doctors.

But in addition to all that, "All the President's Men" endures beyond its newspaper setting because of the superior direction of Pakula and brilliant script by William Goldman (although Woodward and Newman have disputed the sole screenwriting credit in the past). This is a movie that never skips the parts where the reporters are thumbing through telephone directories, making cold calls to every name they come across, and scanning hundreds of library receipts. It's a movie that respects the hard work of the procession, and finds a way to depict even the minutia of it excitingly, both visually and through dialogue.

Pakula and cinematographer Gordon Willis (formerly of some movies you may have heard of, "The Godfather" and "The Godfather Part II") consistently frame the film to emphasize the enormity of the challenge faced by the characters: Investigate potential crimes that rise to the highest offices of the nation. The movie employs many wide shots of the newsroom that make Woodward and Bernstein seem very small, and are just two of several editorial staffers working on the job. On occasion, a live broadcast about the president will be foregrounded on a TV in the newsroom as the reporters work in the background, further illustrating the dominance of the Nixon administration compared to the journalists working on the story. There are also bird's eye view shots from parking lots and libraries, reinforcing that Woodward and Bernstein are just two people amongst many in public, while the president, the ultimate antagonist in this story, is never directly seen as a character in the movie. Instead, the filmmakers use shots of the White House as an ominous presence throughout. Again and again, we are visually reminded how the power of the federal government can overwhelm our protagonists at any moment. 

President Nixon looms large in the frame as the reporters work in the background. (Screenshot from “All the President’s Men”)

This framing style is inverted at one point in the movie, with Woodward in the foreground of the shot and the breaking news story far in the background. Woodward has tracked down a potential source and calls Kenneth H. Dahlberg, one of the figures in the investigation. Dahlberg is obviously nervous and flustered by the call, as Woodward keeps asking questions. As we watch Woodward work, the camera moves in on him so slowly that it's almost imperceptible. The conversations here help Woodward move forward with the story, and by the end of the scene, he dominates the frame. Suddenly, the reporters have power.

The Oscar-winning adapted screenplay by William Goldman that requires the strict attention of the audience, but that attention is rewarded consistently as we watch Bernstein and Woodward work out the players and motivations behind all this, and employ strategies to coax information out of their sources. The job of these reporters is a unique one in context: They have to coax information out of people who are naturally reluctant to give it to them, and then the duo must verify the accuracy of the statements. 

In these two scenes, Woodward and Bernstein are reviewing the notes from a conversation Bernstein had with bookkeeper Judy Miller (Jane Alexander, who received a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her work here). The anxious Miller gave Bernstein some insight, but Woodward wants direct confirmation of the people involved. The reporters plot out a routine where they verbally suppose some theoretical facts, and then wait to see what Miller's reaction would be to confirm. It's the best example of a device the reporters (and the film) use over and over again to state information to rely on the source to confirm or deny. The key to the dialogue is always in the reactions. 

The value of all of these techniques is that it makes "All the President's Men" incredibly compelling drama for audiences. As a side benefit, it also speaks to the importance of investigative journalism, with the advice of "Follow the money," bearing no political bias. The newspaper industry has already been suffering from enough challenges before an insulting, combative administration took power, and economic influencers increased the speed of potential eradication. Still, like the many essential professions of our society, we often take for granted the importance of good people doing their best jobs every day they clock in. 

In a world where the loudest, brashest, and most extreme voices are given unworthy attention from society, "All the President's Men" is a tribute to our too-often ignored values of truth, honesty, diligence, and professionalism not for fame or privilege, but because it's merely the right thing to do.

The Weekend: One of the essential classics every movie fan should watch is Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men," which debuted in theaters here in 1957. Originally based on a live television production that was also adapted into a stage play, "12 Angry Men" is about an all-male jury making final deliberations on what was seemingly an open-and-shut murder case. Still, a single juror (played by Henry Fonda) remains undecided. Like "All the President's Men," "12 Angry Men" relies on dialogue and reactions, as the men debate the case, ethics, morality, race, and class. Other old school flicks debuting at this time include 1932's "Grand Hotel" and 1955's "Marty," both winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture in their respective years. 

Moving ahead to 1983, the influence of the then-new cable channel MTV was beginning to be seen in movies. More and more films were being mixed and edited to the popular songs of the day, making entire scenes feel more like music videos. One of the early examples of this style was Adrian Lynn's "Flashdance," starring Jennifer Beals as an aspiring dancer. "Flashdance" became a hit film and soundtrack, with songs like "Maniac," "What a Feeling," and "Lady, Lady, Lady," making the charts while boosted by memorable images from the film.

While John Hughes dominated multiplexes in the mid-80s with his films about teenagers, I don't think he quite captured the grounded emotional honesty that he sometimes went for with movies like 1986's "Pretty in Pink." In comes writer and director Cameron Crowe, who closed out the decade of teenage films with 1989's "Say Anything …" With the central couple played by John Cusack and Ione Skye, Crowe wrote three-dimensional characters that avoided cliché and won over a generation of passionate fans with a simple scene of a boy holding a boom box that became iconic. "Say Anything …" was also the movie that pushed Cusack into leading man status, and years later, he starred as a lonely, confused hitman back in his hometown for a high school reunion in 1997's "Grosse Point Blank."

These days it's pretty standard for all-ages films to be more focused on selling toys or entertaining adults than engaging kids in a good story, but 1993's "The Sandlot" is not one of those movies. A coming-of-age tale about an awkward kid, a baseball team, and a beast behind the fence won the hearts of its audience and became a beloved cult favorite. Another all-ages film uses stop-motion animation to bring Roald Dahl's children's novel to life in 1995's “James and the Giant Peach," directed by Henry Selick of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" fame.

Another critical film that had a small debut but went on to become a cult favorite of film fans was the 2000 adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, "American Psycho," directed by Mary Harron. Christian Bale starred in the movie about a wealthy investment banker living in the height of opulence in the 80s New York City, engaging in a side hustle as a serial killer. The dark satire of "American Psycho" earned critical acclaim and helped launch Bale into the successful second half of his career after starting as a child actor.

Four more movies that may not be award-winners or box office smashes but still worthy of recommendation include Doug Lyman's ensemble young adult comedy "Go" from 1999; Renee Zellweger going British in the romantic triangle comedy "Bridget Jones's Diary" in 2001; Drew Goddard's meta-horror cult classic "The Cabin in the Woods" from 2012; and Oscar Issac, Alicia Vikander and Domhnall Gleeson in Alex Garland's 2015 stylish science-fiction thriller, "Ex Machina."

Other films released on this weekend include "Excalibur" in 1981; "Critters" in 1986, "The Secret of My Success" in 1987; two three-word-action-titles starring Steven Seagal, "Above the Law" in 1988 and "Out for Justice" in 1991; "Indecent Proposal" in 1993; "Anaconda" in 1997; "Josie and the Pussycats" in 2001; "Anger Management" in 2003; "House of 1000 Corpses" in 2003; "Observe and Report" in 2009; "Date Night" in 2010; "42" in 2013; and "The Fate of the Furious" in 2017.

Next Week: “Hot Fuzz”

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