'All The President's Men' is inspiring, alluring yet gives you a silent message of warning. Journalism requires courage, will and the passion to make a difference. And if you are persistent, you will make history.
‘ALL THE President’s Men’ is one of the few movies that exudes’ the true experiences of the media industry. It has all the elements of journalism and is quite compelling to watch the story unfold. The fact that the investigations lead to a President’s resignation indicates the power of this industry. It also shows the amount of hard work they put in to be able to achieve that.
The movie is directed by Alan J Pakula backed by Warner Bros. It revolves around the Watergate scandal that occurred in 1972. This incident catches the eye of two reporters Bob Woodworth and Carl Bernstein of the Washington post. They are asked to follow it and they decide to do a little bit of research on the background.They get exposed to some shocking revelations, which include the direct involvement of the members of The Committee to Re-Elect the President (CREEP) in the scandal. They spend long sleepless nights and face some huge obstacles in order to uncover and gather some facts. The movie ends with them succeeding, which results in imprisonment of most members of CREEP and the resignation of President Nixon.The story is as riveting today as it was 20 years ago. What stand out are the dial telephones, typewriters and haircuts. The movie opens with typewriter keys thunderously hammering on paper with the date of June 1, 1972, the day President Nixon returned from China. Sixteen days later the infamous break-in occurred. The Post newsroom also has computers and touch-tone phones with voice mail. Also, people smoked in the newsroom, which would be inconceivable in any office today.Most of the notes are taken on a piece of paper, that contributes as enough fact and no other proof is required. No tape recorders were used in those times and they had most of their interviews on phone calls. They dug out numbers from the directory and called every individual involved and instigated them to comment on a certain development. The stress for reliable sources for such a big scoop was evident. They influenced, manipulated and forced their way in to the people’s minds and got them to answer and comment. This showed the need for spontaneity, wit and intelligence. Woodworth and Bernstein also had to face a lot of flak from their editor and other authorities. The pressure was continuous yet they managed to balance on their feet. The developments were hugely fuelled by a man name Deep Throat, who wished to remain anonymous but gave out some crucial information. The movie reveals the scandal in an almost raw manner with intricate attention to details with regards to names, numbers and facts. The movie was nominated for 8 Oscars. A line that got stuck in my head was when Deep Throat tells Woodworth to “Follow the money”. It indicates the root cause of all mayhem. Money, which equals to power, which finally leads to the reason for the break in. Also, when the editor Ben Bradlee tells Woodworth and Bernstein, “Nothing is riding on this except the First Amendment of the Constitution, freedom of the press and maybe the future of this country.” It magnifies the real enormity of the issue quite blatantly.‘All the President’s Men’ is based on a true story, which changed the face of journalism and politics. It showed the power and influence of the press and the helplessness of a man when exposed. The scandal resulted in the first ever resignation of an American President in history. As someone once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” In this case the media used its power responsibly. But in all cases today? I am sure that is debatable.
