Appreciating all that makes America special

Film: All the President's Men

 

The source book was dense and detailed. Screenwriter extraordinaire William Goldman distilled its essence, turning it into an engrossing thriller. Uploaded by john-likes-movies.blogspot.com.

Typically, when you’ve read a book and then see the movie adaptation of that book, the film leaves much to be desired. So much must be omitted. That’s one of the things that cause me to marvel at this movie – long after the book has faded, the Alan Pakula film is still fascinating to watch.

Uploaded by img5.allocine.fr.

One of the reasons is the screenwriter. William Goldman is one of the all-time masters of the art, and he realized what was important in the complicated Watergate saga, and what didn’t advance the story. Especially considering the large cast in this epic.

The main characters were excellent – Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein and Robert Redford as fellow Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward. And what a supporting cast! Martin Balsam, Jason Robards, Jack Warden, Hal Holbrook, Jane Alexander, Meredith Baxter, Ned Beatty, Stephen Collins…

All the President’s Men received eight Academy Awards nominations, and won four (Sound, Art Direction, Adapted Screenplay, Supporting Actor – Robards).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzZJamfE48Q]

It's easy to share with friends.

2 Comments

  1. I also love this film. Its too bad your review wasn’t a little longer. There is a real down-to-earth quality and the writing is excellent; it puts a lot of suspense into small moments, the sign of a great piece of film.

    • Thanks for visiting, Ian. Your site is excellent (http://ianthecool.wordpress.com/ for those reading this), but I’m not really trying to review my selections, just explaining why they’re Great American Things. Hope you drop by often.