All the President's Men
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All the President's Men is a 1974 non-fiction book by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the two journalists investigating the Watergate scandal for the Washington Post. It was made into a film produced by and starring Robert Redford, released in 1976.
The book chronicles the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporting of Woodward and Bernstein from the former's inital report on the Watergate break-in through the resignations and H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and the revelation of the Nixon tapes by Alexander Butterfield in 1973. It relates the events behind the major stories the duo wrote for the Post, naming some sources who had previously refused to be identified for their initial articles, notably Hugh Sloan. It also gives detailed accounts of Woodward's secret meetings with his source Deep Throat whose identity was kept secret for over 30 years. Only in 2005 was Deep Throat revealed to be FBI Associate Director Mark Felt.
Following the success of All the President's Men, Woodward and Bernstein wrote something of a sequel, The Final Days, chronicling the last months of Nixon's Presidency, starting around the time that their previous book ended.
The film All the President's Men stars Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, Hal Holbrook, Jason Robards, Jane Alexander, Meredith Baxter, Ned Beatty, Stephen Collins and Penny Fuller. It was directed by Alan J. Pakula and adapted for the screen by William Goldman.
It won Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Jason Robards), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Sound and Best Adapted Screenplay. It was nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Jane Alexander), Best Director, Best Film Editing and Best Picture.
Much of the film uses dioptric lenses, which allow a "split screen" effect on a single take: each half of a shot can have its own focal length (that is, a man in the foreground can be in focus, yet on the other side of the frame, a man in the background can also be in focus--with objects between the two of them out of focus). Use of a dioptric lens requires a sharp dividing line to hide the effect; All the President's Men typically used pillars and desks for dividing lines.
The film also is an early film to make extensive use of different color temperatures in the same shot: for instance, at the beginning during the break-in, the light from inside is noticeably orange, whereas the light from outside is noticeably blue.
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Cast
- Dustin Hoffman - Carl Bernstein
- Robert Redford - Bob Woodward
- Jack Warden - Harry M. Rosenfeld
- Martin Balsam - Howard Simons
- Hal Holbrook - Deep Throat/Mark Felt
- Jason Robards - Ben Bradlee
- Jane Alexander - Judy Hoback
- Meredith Baxter - Debbie Sloan
- Ned Beatty - Martin Dardis
- Stephen Collins - Hugh W. Sloan, Jr.
- Penny Fuller - Sally Aiken
Famous quotes
- Ben Bradlee: "Goddammit, when is somebody going to go on the record in this story?! You guys are about to write a story that says the former Attorney General, the highest-ranking law enforcement officer in this country, is a crook! Just be sure you're right."
- Judge: "Your names, please, and state your professions."
- Barker: "Bernard Barker, anti-communist."
- Judge: "Anti-communist? That, sir, is not your average profession."
- McCord: "James McCord, security consultant."
- Judge: "With?"
- McCord: "Government, uh, recently, uh, retired."
- Judge: "Where in the government?"
- McCord: "Central Intelligence Agency."
- Deep Throat: "You let Haldeman slip away."
- Bob Woodward: "Yes."
- Deep Throat: "You've done worse than let Haldeman slip away: you've got people feeling sorry for him. I didn't think that was possible. In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges and go step by step. If you shoot too high and miss, everybody feels more secure. You've put the investigation back months."
- Bob Woodward: "Yes, we know that. And if we're wrong, we're resigning. Were we wrong?"
- Bob Woodward: "How do you think your check got into the bank account of a Watergate burglar?"
- Kenneth H. Dahlberg: "I'm, uh, a proper citizen. What I do is proper."
- Bob Woodward: "Well, I - I understand."
- Kenneth H. Dahlberg: "I've just been through a terrible ordeal. My neighbor's wife has been kidnapped!" (this was true)
- Deep Throat: "Follow the money."
- Bob Woodward: "What do you mean? Where?"
- Deep Throat: "Oh, I can't tell you that."
- Bob Woodward: "But you could tell me that."
- Deep Throat: "No, I have to do this my way. You tell me what you know, and I'll confirm. I'll keep you in the right direction if I can, but that's all. Just... follow the money."
- John Mitchell: "Katie Graham's gonna get her tit caught in a big fat wringer if that's ever published." (actual quote from a phone call with Bernstein trying to get a comment on an article claiming Mitchell's involvement with a secret slush fund)
- Debbie Sloan: "This is an honest house."
- Bob Woodward: "That's why we'd like to see your husband."
- Carl Bernstein: "Facing certain criminal charges that might be brought against some people that are innocent, we just feel that it would be..."
- Bob Woodward: "It's really for his benefit."
- Debbie Sloan: "No, it's not."
- Bob Woodward: (long pause) "No, it's not."
- Hugh Sloan Jr.: "Debbie, tell them to come in."