Barnes & Noble

Hollywood customarily takes its time to plumb history, waiting decades -- or even centuries -- to explore the real-life drama of, say, the Vietnam War. But in the case of All the President's Men, director Alan J. Pakula set a particularly high bar for himself, depicting a complex chapter of American political history only two years after the actual events had transpired. Based on the prize-winning book by Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, the story details the step-by-step investigation of the Watergate scandal that led to the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon. In preparing for their roles, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman did formidable legwork researching the intrepid journalists, and their efforts paid off -- Redford conjuring to perfection Woodward's fastidious, almost irksome, penchant for exactitude; Hoffman painting Bernstein as a charming (if a bit reckless) go-getter with an eye for good copy and attractive women. And Jason Robards brings the right blend of grumpiness and grit to the role of Post editor Ben Bradlee. The story has a tragic inevitability -- from an absurdly bungled break-in at an office building to the systematic crumbling of a presidential administration -- which Pakula captures vividly in this edge-of-your-seat political thriller. Bruce Kluger

All Movie Guide

Conspiracy film specialist Alan J. Pakula turned journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein's best-selling account of their Watergate investigation into one of the hit films of Bicentennial year 1976. While researching a story about a botched 1972 burglary of Democratic Party headquarters at the Watergate apartment complex, green Washington Post reporters/rivals Woodward (Robert Redford, who also exec produced) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) stumble on a possible connection between the burglars and a White House staffer. With the circumspect approval of executive editor Ben Bradlee (Jason Robards), the pair digs deeper. Aided by a guilt-ridden turncoat bookkeeper (Jane Alexander) and the vital if cryptic guidance of Woodward's mystery source, Deep Throat (Hal Holbrook), Woodward and Bernstein "follow the money" all the way to the top of the Nixon administration. Despite Deep Throat's warnings that their lives are in danger, and the reluctance of older Post editors, Woodward and Bernstein are determined to get out the story of the crime and its presidential cover-up. Once Bradlee is convinced, the final teletype impassively taps out the historically explosive results. Lucia Bozzola

Product Details

• UPC: 012569734012
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Language: English, English
• Subtitles: Français, Español
• Editions: Remastered, Special Edition
• Time: 2:18:00
• Sales Rank: 18,455

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Controversial Classics 2

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