“All the President’s Men” and the Watergate scandal it inspired feels all-too-modern, despite being set in the 1970s. It’s as though presidential scandals rear their ugly heads with each generation. But in this particular case the similarity lies more in how deep the scandals can get. The film “All the President’s Men” only covers the first seven months of the investigation, which is an odd choice, but one that works—that means that we as an audience feel Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s frustrations with each source they visit. But Bernstein and Woodward (henceforth called “Woodstein”) knew that what they were doing was important—what started out as a simple burglary soon became a conspiracy, one that involved the entire Republican Party. If they simply let this story go, they’d be allowing corruption to run loose in the White House—and they wouldn’t be doing their job that way.
Woodstein’s investigation into Watergate managed to uphold freedom of the press, specifically because they continued to write and research even while their lives were in danger. Their actions directly lead to preserving democracy, i.e. by letting the public know just how corrupt the White House truly was.
“All the President’s Men” really does capture the feeling of being in the Washington Post’s offices in the 1970s: the endless sounds of typewriting, how the office seems structured like a maze, the subtle hierarchy combined with how reporters worked together, it all felt very real. (It helped that there was a natural feel to the dialogue—the actors could stutter or repeat themselves, and it didn’t ruin the flow.) On the other hand, some details just seem timeless, like the way reporters have to be in-tune with each other to get work done, or how it can take ages to get sources clarified (or to even speak to you). Of course, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman are convincingly charming here, so when they do get sources to talk, it feels natural.
One way to sum of “All the President’s Men” would be: Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman star as the reporters who shone light on Watergate—and the hardships they struggled through to pursue the truth! Stunning acting and cinematography, backed by a noir-style score; this is the Watergate film! A tale of suspense that creeps up on you like only a conspiracy can! Think of the trailers for 1970s films, to really get the feel of the voiceover. Using the film’s score, along with short snippets of dialogue from the film, would also be helpful.
