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ON THE SHELF: All the President’s Men (1976)
01/12/2009 Several films have been made that delve into the field of journalism, and many of those have been good. Absence of Malice, Shattered Glass and Good Night, and Good Luck. are notable titles I can think of just off of the top of my head. But one film stands a cut above the rest as the absolute best representation of what the cinema has to offer when it comes to making the job of a reporter seem not only interesting, but downright exciting. That is what you get with All the President’s Men, a movie that should be required viewing for each and every journalism student. You don’t see a lot of reporters like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein around anymore. But to be fair, different times breed different people, and society now is a lot more concerned with gossiping over whether Anderson Cooper is gay than if he is a good journalist, or learning what Wolf Blitzer ate during his dinner with the President (or maybe that was just Wolf who cared). Still, it makes you step back and appreciate what it was like back in the day, and it’s brought to beautiful realization here. Both Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman turn in some of their best performances in their respective roles, even if they don’t actually look or sound too much like the real journalists (but such is life in Hollywood, right?). I have to give Redford a tad more credit for fighting to get the story done correctly, just a small tidbit of information you’ll find out about in a documentary for the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD. Not to mention, he does feature-length commentary, a rarity it seems for A-list celebs. Get out your notebook. There’s more. While the compelling story and the two leads are engaging and entertaining, it’s the supporting cast that really sells the picture. Into the Wild’s Hal Halbrook easily steals the show from both men as the mysterious Deep Throat. He’s only given limited amounts of screen time, but man, does he ever know how to guide your attention. By the same token, Jane Alexander, who earned a much deserved Academy Award nomination for her performance (as Best Supporting Actress) engages you almost instantly. She, too, is not seen that much, but she leaves an impact in the length of time she appears. I know I’ve taken one or two journalism courses where the name Ben Bradlee has come up, but I’ve never been able to put a face to the name. Enter Jason Robards, a living, breathing embodiment of the man running the paper Bernstein and Woodward worked for. He is so pitch-perfect in this role, you wish more of the story revolved around him. Like Alexander, Robards landed a nomination for his performance as well, except he ended up winning (and how could he not?). Journalists should appreciate the realistic hustle-and-bustle pace, aside references to deadlines, and overall attainable feel to the profession the film presents. But really, this is something anybody and everybody should be able to sink their teeth into. After viewing this, if no part of you wants to be a journalist, or if you don’t even find any aspect of the field appealing, I don’t know what else can be done. Comments [post a comment]Comments are closed |
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Friday, March 12, 2010
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Redford Oscars All The Presidents Men Cinema Movie, Dvd