Blog Post 5


Several historical facts can be learned by watching All the Presidents Men. These facts include topics directly related to the Watergate scandal, and the culture during the early 1970s. The first thing I noticed is that most business is done over the phone. Back then, the internet didn't exist like it does in the present day. One couldn't just look up the names of people and where they worked. Trying to find out where a person worked and the information on the place they worked all had to be done over the phone. The reporters in the movie had to call several people who each gave them references to various businesses just to talk to a person they wanted to interview. Communication skills seem to be very important because of the way the business world was operating back then.

The film also provides facts directly about Watergate. In fact, it seems like every second of the movie is overflowing with information on this subject. Because the movie is set in the perspective of the reporters from the Washington Post, the viewer is bombarded with all the information that is being uncovered. The viewer gets information on the five burglars who broke into Watergate such as Liddy and McCord. We learn that many of the burglars are former FBI and CIA employees. This shows the viewer that the Watergate break-in possibly went deeper than just the five people who broke in. We get to see specifics in regarding the break-in like the officer discovering the duct tape on the door. The film also reveals that the purpose of the breaking was to bug the headquarters which is important to know because Nixon wanted to get dirt on the Democrats. We learn about the slush funds and how corrupt money was going into the Nixon Campaign. The movie also tells us that Donald Sergretti played a part in trying to mess with the Democrats. Woodward thinks he is onto something but "Deep Throat" says that it goes deeper than Segretti. Because the Watergate scandal is very complicated, every small fact is important to fully understand what really happened.

While the movie provides many facts about Watergate, there is also information that is left out. Most of this information left out relates to the effect Watergate had afterward. One of the last scenes of the movie shows Woodward and Bernstein getting enough confirmation about the White House being linked to Watergate and then they publish a paper. Then the movie cuts to a tv where we see Nixson resigning. We don't get to see a lot about how Nixon tried to conceal the tapes when people were demanding to see them. When he didn't give them up the court knew something was not right. Then he resigned. The following president pardoned Nixon for his crimes.

After all of this, the American people had serious trust issues with the government. People weren't so keen to believe everything they heard because of Watergate. That culture has even lasted to the present day, which is probably a good thing. We don't get to see any of this in the film.  Post-Watergate reforms are also not shown in the movie. These reforms were put in place to try to keep a similar incident from happening, but it actually slowed politics down and made it more prone to personal interests. 

If All the Presidents Men could add 20 extra minutes, I would suggest that they add more to the end and include scenes that catch the viewer up on everything that has happened. My main critique of the movie is that it is extremely difficult to understand. I had to rewatch parts several times to try to understand what was happening. Because there are so many names and situations being thrown at the viewer it is so easy to get lost and mix up people. I had to do a lot of research after I watched the film just to comprehend what happened regarding Watergate. The source of increased confusion might also come from the fact that a lot of dialogue is done over the phone so the viewer can only connect the voice to a person and not a face. The way I would solve this issue is to actually cut down and simplify the film, but if we are free to add 20 extra minutes, then perhaps adding one or two scenes can help. These scenes should include Woodward and Bernstein going over there note together in plain English so that the viewer can be caught up and understand what has happened up to that point. I also think that if there is still time left, the ending could be a bit longer. Maybe it could include more news headlines that depict how Watergate affected the nation moving forward.