Katharine Graham, Deep Throat, and Al Pacino alternatives
In the discussion (3)
Screenplay dispute, invented Florida scene, Robards background presence, overlapping lines, and Redford handedness
In the discussion (7)
- Goldman reported that Bernstein and Nora Ephron secretly drafted an alternate screenplay that elevated Bernstein and contained inaccuracies
- The Florida office sequence is described as the only wholly invented scene retained from that draft
- William Goldman skipped his Butch Cassidy Oscar ceremony for a Knicks game
- Jason Robards reportedly stayed in Bradlee’s office on non-shooting days so his character remained visible in the newsroom background
- Redford and Hoffman reportedly memorized each other’s dialogue to overlap naturally
- Left-handed Redford performs close-up writing and dialing right-handed
- Redford and Hoffman split billing, with Redford leading marketing and Hoffman leading the film credits
The count-to-ten confirmation and invented Florida-office trick
In the discussion (2)
- The count-to-ten phone confirmation is criticized as overcomplicated and overly cute for the film
- The invented Florida-office deception is criticized as inconsistent with the reporters’ methods elsewhere
New York Times omission, Deep Throat identity, and modern political sabotage
In the discussion (4)
- The film is criticized for minimizing the New York Times’s competing Watergate reporting
- Whether life would be more fun if Deep Throat remained unidentified receives agreement, though disclosure is defended as helping Mark Felt’s family
- Revealing Felt is said to rebut suspicions that Woodward invented or combined Deep Throat
- Whether Watergate tactics supplied a blueprint for later Russian election interference is debated
Casting What-Ifs