All The Way To Stans, by Tyler Smith

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN (1976)
Directed by: Alan J. Pakula
Written by: William Goldman
Starring: Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman, Jason Robards, Jack Warden

There are a handful of movies out there that, when I see them on television, regardless of how far into the film it is, I will sit and watch it until the end. Now, this could mean that I’ll just be catching the last twenty minutes, or it could mean that I’ll be up until three in the morning, because they just started the movie fifteen minutes ago. Doesn’t matter. There are some films out there that are just so engaging that I can’t help it. I have to watch.

Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men is one of these movies. There’s just something about this film that I can’t quite put my finger on. Unlike many of my other favorite films, there isn’t a deep meaning to this film; beyond, of course, the idea that, in this country, it is possible for a couple of seemingly insignificant Davids to bring down a nigh invulnerable Goliath.

For someone of my generation, who instantly associates Watergate with Nixon, this is certainly an interesting film. Back when Woodward and Bernstein started investigating the Watergate break-in, they had no idea how high up it would go. It’s kind of amusing, with the benefit of hindsight, to watch as the characters get excited and shout, “It goes all the way up to Stans.” Thirty years later, I don’t even know who the hell Stans is, but the fact that these guys are thrilled that he’s involved goes a long way to show just how small this whole thing started. As a detective story, where each person leads to another to another to another, all the way up, it’s quite enthralling.

However, I think the reason that I respond so positively to the film is that it is so authentic. In spite of the fact that this movie had Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as its leads, it at no point feels like a Hollywood film. In fact, at times, it feels like a documentary.

I think much of this can be attributed to a great cast of seasoned character actors. You may recall that, a short while ago, I made a list of my favorite actors of all time. Well, five of them are in this movie. Hoffman, Jason Robards, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, and Ned Beatty. Hoffman and Redford both do a great job of not letting their movie star status show through (and if that sounds like a backhanded compliment, I assure you it’s not).

But, for me, it’s Robards and the others that really sell the reality of the film. As an actor, I’ve tried to be as genuine and realistic as the character allows. Countless times, I’ve heard that great acting does not call attention to itself. While watching a good actor, nobody should think, “Wow, that’s some great acting.” A character should feel lived-in, fully-formed, like he’s actually lived an entire life. I’ve tried to do this; sometimes, it works out and, other times, not so much.

Either way, these guys are pros at this. For example, Martin Balsam is only in the film for about a total of twenty minutes and, even then, he doesn’t play a key role. And yet I still felt that, at the end of the day, this character will go home, kiss his wife of many years, pull off his shoes, sit down in his favorite chair, pop open a beer, and watch television. He feels real. The same goes for Jack Warden and Ned Beatty (who is only in one scene).

I guess that’s why the film has had so much impact on me. The acting (along with the brilliant cinematography and Oscar-winning art direction) is so great that it becomes invisible. You’re not watching Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, playing these legendary journalistic heroes. You’re watching Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, just a couple of normal, hard-working guys who, along with their co-workers and editor, managed to bring down the President of the United States.

I view the film as a milestone for any dramatic artist who strives to bring realism to their work.