Bradlee’s closing scenes and Woodward’s six-minute phone call lead a wide field
In the discussion (11)
- Bernstein trying to take over Woodward’s story is nominated for establishing their complementary talents and rivalry
- Woodward’s six-minute, single-take calls to Dahlberg and McGregor are nominated; a mistaken name at the end was retained
- The gentle post-interview exchange about Sloan’s new baby is appreciated because it shows the reporters returning to ordinary human conversation
- The Library of Congress research montage is nominated for depicting labor now replaced by digital search
- Bradlee first buying into the story is nominated
- Bernstein’s coffee interview with the bookkeeper is nominated
- The final Deep Throat garage meeting and visit to Bradlee’s home are nominated
- The first Bradlee red-pen edit is nominated for showing the newsroom hierarchy through costume and body language
- Bradlee’s final speech is selected as the favorite Robards scene — Chris Ryan
- The visit to Bradlee’s house and speech are separately selected for their tension and management style
- The six-minute Redford phone call is selected as best for difficulty, while the Robards scene remains a favorite
Newspaper craft, accountability reporting, political paranoia, Washington, and Gordon Willis
In the discussion (5)
- The fully reconstructed Washington Post newsroom, period desks, ambient typewriters, phones, and chatter are praised
- Political suspicion and the role of journalists in challenging power are praised as enduring
- The story’s patient, stepwise reporting and high cost of error are praised
- Washington is praised as a character created through locations and Gordon Willis’s shadowed cinematography
- Gordon Willis’s 1970s work is credited with shaping collective visual memory of the decade
Newsroom homogeneity and pervasive smoking
In the discussion (2)
- The newsroom leadership is criticized as entirely white and male through a contemporary lens
- Smoking in elevators, cars, and throughout the newsroom is placed in both Aged Worst and Aged Best
Redford, Robards, Watergate, Pakula, and Goldman
In the discussion (6)
- Robert Redford is assigned an apex because his earlier star run enabled him to produce this major success
- Dustin Hoffman is rejected in favor of later Kramer vs. Kramer, Tootsie, or Rain Man peaks
- Jason Robards is debated between his stage legacy and this first of consecutive supporting Oscars
- Watergate is proposed as being at its cultural apex
- Alan J. Pakula is assigned an apex for his 1970s run and the enduring influence of his films
- William Goldman is assigned an apex for combining this film, Marathon Man, top stars, earnings, and an Oscar
Steve Buscemi as Donald Segretti
In the discussion (1)
Most Rewatchable Scene
