True Stories 7: 70s—All the President’s Men

Well, we’ve had bloodthirsty killers in In Cold Blood, then charismatic killers in Bonnie and Clyde, now we move on to white collar political criminals in All the President’s Men [1976] by William Goldman.

“White” collar—as if the crime is somehow of a lesser degree because the culprit wears a nicer shirt. Though the criminals in All the President’s Men, at least, don’t kill anyone…well, as far as we know.

This film was a sensation. It told a very difficult story through the eyes of the two reporters who broke the story for the Washington Post. It’s the story of the Watergate scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s resignation.

Everyone saw the news and followed the story as it emerged—so everyone knew the broad strokes of what happened. But the amount of information gathering that had to go on for the reporters to break the story was mind- boggling and, also, kind of boring. So, as a screenwriter, how do you make fact checking and countless interviews seem exciting?

Take a look at the trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AroQdon3ZY

The consummate screenwriter William Goldman managed it with seeming ease. And, btw, I do mean consummate. He’s probably the best we’ve seen in the profession. And if you want to learn a lot about the man’s views on the profession, read his book Adventures in the Screen Trade—it has, hands down, the best advice you’ll ever read… and it comes from a true pro so you know it can be trusted.

But make no mistake about it, this film is a thriller. So, again, I ask the question, how do you make a story—the end of which everyone knows—thrilling?

If you’d read the book the film was based on, you knew all of the work the reporters went to in order to uncover the facts of the story. But most people who saw the film hadn’t read the book, of course, so the film had to take us through what the reporters did. So that was the thing the filmmakers had to remember—everyone knew the outcome but few knew how it actually came about.

So the film gives us two reporters—one who’s officially assigned this little story to cover a hearing about a break-in and another who really wants the story. The two—with their quite different styles—end up working together. And how they uncover each lead, each witness, each statement that will lead them to the explosive final story is fraught with tension. And how is that done? Through character.

Once again, it’s all about character. Sure, the characters of the two reporters, but also the character of a few of the witnesses whom we get to see unravel… in different ways. But at the heart it’s these two young reporters who were true to their jobs. And, interesting side note, the number of students majoring in journalism in college increased dramatically after the film came out—that’s the power film can wield.

Next week we’ll visit more criminals—just thieves this time, though—in Escape from Alcatraz.

Copyright © Diane Lake

17Jul22

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com