All the President's Men (1976)

Thursday, March 08, 2018 @ 6:45 PM
The Plaza Theatre - 1133 Kensington Road NW, Calgary, AB
$12 General | $10 Members/Seniors/Students | $40 5-Pack Punch Pass | $99 Season Pass

Critical Cinema: WEXLER & WILLIS

ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN | Dir. Alan J. Pakula | 1976 | 138 min

NEWSPAPERS AND NEWSPAPERMEN HAVE LONG BEEN FAVORITE SUBJECTS FOR MOVIE MAKERS—A SURPRISING NUMBER OF WHOM ARE FORMER NEWSPAPERMEN, YET NOT UNTIL ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, THE RIVETING SCREEN ADAPTATION OF THE WATERGATE BOOK BY CARL BERNSTEIN AND BOB WOODWARD, HAS ANY FILM COME REMOTELY CLOSE TO BEING AN ACCURATE PICTURE OF AMERICAN JOURNALISM AT ITS BEST.
All The President's Men, directed by Alan J. Pakula, written by William Goldman and largely pushed into being by the continuing interest of one of its stars, Robert Redford, is a lot of things all at once: a spellbinding detective story about the work of the two Washington Post reporters who helped break the Watergate scandal, a breathless adventure that recalls the triumphs of Frank and Joe Hardy in that long-ago series of boys' books, and a vivid footnote to some contemporary American history that still boggles the mind.

The film, which opened yesterday at Loews Astor Plaza and Tower East Theaters, is an unequivocal smash-hit — the thinking man's Jaws.

Much of the effectiveness of the movie, which could easily have become a mishmash of names, dates and events, is in its point of view, which remains that of its two, as yet unknown reporters. Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), highly competitive and a little more experienced than his partner, and Bob Woodward (Robert Redford), very ambitious and a dog for details.

It's through their eyes—skeptical, hungry, insatiably curious—that All The President's Men unfolds. It begins logically on the night of June 17, 1972, when five men were arrested in an apparent break-in at the headquarters of the Democratic National Committee in the Watergate complex in Washington, and continues through the spectacular series of revelations, accusations and admissions of guilt that eventually brought the Nixon Presidency to its conclusion. READ MORE, via NY Times, originally published Apr 8, 1976.

Awards
Academy Awards, USA 1977 - Won (Oscar, Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jason Robards, Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium | William Goldman, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration | George Jenkins, George Gaines, Best Sound | Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Rick Alexander (as Dick Alexander), James E. Webb), Nominated (Oscar, Best Picture | Walter Coblenz, Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Jane Alexander, Best Director | Alan J. Pakula, Best Film Editing | Robert L. Wolfe)
Golden Globes, USA 1977 - Nominated (Golden Globe, Best Motion Picture - Drama, Best Director - Motion Picture | Alan J. Pakula, Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Motion Picture | Jason Robards, Best Screenplay - Motion Picture | William Goldman)
BAFTA Awards 1977 - Nominated (BAFTA Film Award, Best Actor | Dustin Hoffman, For Marathon Man, Best Cinematography | Gordon Willis, Best Direction | Alan J. Pakula, Best Film, Best Film Editing | Robert L. Wolfe, Best Production Design/Art Direction | George Jenkins, Best Screenplay | William Goldman, Best Sound Track | Milton C. Burrow, James E. Webb, Les Fresholtz, Arthur Piantadosi, Rick Alexander, Best Supporting Actor | Martin Balsam, Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards)
American Cinema Editors, USA 1977 - Nominated (Eddie, Best Edited Feature Film | Robert L. Wolfe)
Directors Guild of America, USA 1977 - Nominated (DGA Award, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures | Alan J. Pakula)
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards 1976 - Won (KCFCC Award, Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards)
National Board of Review, USA 1976 - Won (NBR Award, Best Film, Best Director | Alan J. Pakula, Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards)
National Film Preservation Board, USA 2010 - Won (National Film Registry)
National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA 1977 - Won (NSFC Award, Best Film
Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards), Nominated (NSFC Award, Best Director | Alan J. Pakula)
New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1977 - Won (NYFCC Award, Best Film, Best Director | Alan J. Pakula, Best Supporting Actor | Jason Robards)
Online Film & Television Association 2017 - Won (OFTA Film Hall of Fame, Motion Picture)
Writers Guild of America, USA 1977 - Won (WGA Award (Screen), Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium | William Goldman)

All the President's Men is the sixth selection in our SPOTLIGHT: WILLIS AND WEXLER series.

SPOTLIGHT: WEXLER & WILLIS

In a new direction for CCS, we're shining a spotlight on cinematographers, choosing two Americans, Gordon Willis and Haskell Wexler, and their politically charged films of the 1960s and 1970s.

Calgary Showtimes: All the President's Men >

CC: Spotlight: Wexler & Willis Whitepaper >

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