ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN

(April 1976, U.S.)

The resignation of former President Nixon in August 1974 was, perhaps, the first political event I have any memory of. Of course, being only 7 years-old at the time, children like myself had a knack for relating to things in the simplest way; we were all saying, "The president quit." I think I can remember thinking, "Can he do that?" I was too young to know that the entire scandoulous event was just the final blow to America that had suffered for too long during the course of a period that was wrecked with homefront turmoil and war overseas in Vietnam.

By the time I was in college, I had become somewhat fascinated by the entire Watergate scandal and Nixon's demise the way some people have been fascinated by John F. Kennedy's assassination and the conspiracy theories that have accompanied it. In college, I wrote a 20-paper on Watergate and Nixon (I got an 'A', thank you very much!)

Watching ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN is a classic example of how one can become totally thrilled and enthralled by a story without any physical thrills or action. The story here relies totally on dialogue and conversation to carry it through to it's inevitable conclusion. You find yourself really caught up in the phone conversations of Woodward, Berstein and the person you can hear on the other end of the phone. It's a detective story that you enjoy following step-by-step as the famous investigative reporters for the Washington Post get closer and closer to the truth that ultimately brings down the president of the United States.

Favorite line or dialogue:

Ben Bradlee: "You know the results of the latest Gallup Pole? Half the country never even heard of the word Watergate. Nobody gives a shit. You guys are probably pretty tired, right? Well, you should be. Go on home, get a nice hot bath. Rest up...fifteen minutes. Then get your asses back in gear. We're under a lot of pressure, you know, and you put us there. Nothing's riding on this except the first amendment to the Constitution, freedom of the press, and maybe the future of the country. Not that any of that matters. But if you guys fuck up again, I'm gonna get mad. Goodnight."