Review of All the President's Men (1976) by David B — 18 Sep 2009

This easily could have been a terribly dull movie. It's the story of two journalists working on a story (which means a lot of talk -phone calls, interviewing etc.), the events are complex and not necessarily cinematic, but most importantly, the audience already knows the outcome. Instead Pakula and Redford have created a thrilling action film. Pakula's direction is masterful, but equal credit (possibly more) should go to Redford.

I recently had the opportunity to hear Robert Redford, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein discuss the film. It turns out that Redford had approached them about making a film before they had written the book. It was even his idea for Woodward and Bernstein to include themselves as characters (their original idea was to write the book from the perspective of the Watergate burglars). It turns out that he was a very hands on producer.

Not only is "All the President's Men" a seminal film from the 70's, it's one of the best of all time.