All the President’s Men (1976)

All the President’s Men (1976)

starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman 

directed by Alan J. Pakula

138 minutes

Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), reporters for the Washington Post, investigate the aftermath of an attempted burglary at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, D.C. during the summer of 1972. The evidence points to connections to the efforts to get Richard Nixon re-elected President of the United States.

Woodward and Bernstein run into a lot of brick walls during their investigation. They chase down numerous leads and talk to hundreds of people in the process of trying to connect the dots. Eventually they amass enough evidence to convince Ben Bradlee, the Executive Editor of the Washington Post, to print their story which accuses top White House officials of ordering and funding the burglary of the Democratic National Committee’s HQ in the Watergate.

Thoughts

This is not an easy movie to describe without going into all sorts of detail. Nothing comes easy in Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation. It feels a little like a film noir in that respect but the protagonists are not film noir protagonists. There is no one bad guy that the story focuses on although there are a number whom the intrepid reporters try to link to the burglary. 

The movie is based on the book of the same name written by Woodward and Bernstein. 

This was not the easiest movie to follow. It is fast paced. There is a lot crammed into this film. I have not read the book upon which it is based. I have my doubts as to how much reading the book (before seeing the movie) would have helped. I don’t regret seeing this movie. It is a decent movie but it did not impress me. The fact that most of the broader brushstrokes were known to me might have something to do with my impression of the movie. I understand that it describes an important part of an important moment in American history but as a movie, as a narrative, and as a story I wasn’t terribly taken with it. 

One of the hosts of the Unspooled podcast made a good point that I think I agree with. He pointed out that the movie is all about the investigation which is being done by Woodward and Bernstein but there is little to nothing about their personal lives in the movie. What motivates them to take on this investigation? Why are they so determined to find out who is behind it all? The audience is left to come up with their own conclusions as there is practically nothing revealed about Woodward and Bernstein aside from the fact that they are reporters for the Washington Post.

Notes

This movie was nominated for eight Academy Awards. It was nominated for Best Picture but did not win. Alan J. Pakula was nominated for Best Director but did not win. Jason Robards was nominated for and won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Jane Alexander was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Supporting role but did not win. The other Academy Awards that the movie was nominated and won were for Best Writing (Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Best Sound. It was nominated for but did not win the Academy Award for Best Editing.