Not to be confused with Robert Penn Warren's novel All the King's Men from the late forties, All the President's Men parallels is a film about the Watergate scandal. Political espionage is a theme throughout both plotlines, pulling back the curtain to see the dirty deck this dark side of journalism pans out. Cinematically speaking, the interviewers' faces were half covered in darkness, showing their desire to speak the truth but their greater fear for safety, for conforming to the government's threats to keep quiet.
Bernstein and Woodward are Kovach and Rosenstiel's dream journalists. They clearly worked meticulously to do journalism the right way. Woodward did not reveal who "deep throat" was, nor did he or Bernstein identify anyone who wished to remain anonymous. They double checked their sources. They were transparent about why they were asking the questions they were, in order to achieve a greater good. The two even skirted around the questionable parts of journalism with descent tactics. When they mess up, they admit it. (click here to see dialogue between Woodward/Bernstein and Debbie Sloan)
I enjoy the rough transition from scene to scene in the movies from older decades. Modern movies rush through scenes so quickly it is sometimes hard to keep up, whereas in these movies, an intense, loud situation can be happening then a quick juxtaposition to a serene landscape, new setting--next plot point.
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