All the President’s Men

Often coined as one of the very best screenplays written in the 70’s, All the President’s Men is an exciting mystery in which everyone knows the outcome. The brilliance of the screenplay lies in its ability to entertain the audience with a description of process and discovery when the audience already knows how the story will end. Ultimately, a product is produced that can be appreciated in both print and on the screen.

Overall, the screenplay clearly belongs to the characters of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. However, the selected scene, which takes place outside of Bill Bradlee’s house, differs as it is written for Bradlee.

The circumstances of the three characters clash. Though Bradlee and the reporters share the same objective, they occupy completely different ends of the spectrum in terms of how they reach these goals. Both reporters have been working tirelessly, under the guidance of Bradlee trying to uncover the truth behind the Watergate scandal. In the depicted scene, the fulcrum of the story is established, as the pressure on the reporters to come up with concrete evidence, and the pressure on Bradlee to publish the most reputable national newspaper is approaching a tipping point. Compounding the situation, many politicians in the Republican Party are continually crushing the commentary coming from the paper by deeming their reports as Democratic propaganda at best, adding more weight to the crushing pressure already straining down on them. The action could seemingly tip in favor of the newspaper, or the thin hold they cling to the story by could break, bringing the entire paper down with them.

The dynamic relationship of the characters in the scene is carried visibly through the actions and mannerisms of Bradlee, as he demonstratively expresses his feelings to the reporters. He drives the action, with the reporters in a more submissive role as they know that they must listen to his entire rant whether they agree or not. The dynamic realized from this experience is his escalating mood, as he becomes more vehement with his delivery as the monologue continues. The two reporters grow fairly uneasy as the speech progresses, but this type of behavior is something they have come to expect from Bradlee, as he is a very outspoken character. At the same time, however, they realize much more is at stake than there has ever been before, making them aware of the gravity of his words. Therefore, the tension between Bradlee and the reporters also rises with the action.

The spine of the story is based around the investigation into the Watergate scandal and the massive cover up that ensued. The reporters are trying desperately to reveal the deception behind the break in, but are buried in political rhetoric from the Republican Party, due to insufficient and inconclusive evidence. As viewers, our prior knowledge of the situation provides us the awareness that the allegations are true, making us more interested in the process of the story, rather than the outcome itself.

The spine of the scene is put together using the immense amount of pressure the three characters are under at this point in the narrative. We can tell Bradlee is reaching a breaking point as his patience wears thin. His venting of frustrations lets the viewer know the importance of the investigation and subsequent reports of the information the journalists are gathering.

The spines of the characters themselves relate, but also differ due to the respective hierarchal standings of the characters. As previously described, Bradlee is worried both about being first to break with the story and the credibility of the newspaper. The two reporters are driven by their investigative need to uncover the truth behind the case, not to mention the security of their jobs.
The tone is demonstrated on an escalating scale, culminating in a very harsh and direct manner. This comes through in the deep emotion and threatening comments Bradlee is expressing to his reporters. Once again, we experience a measured amount of desperation and frustration in his voice and mannerisms as he vents on the reporters.

The wants and needs of Bradlee can be described through the examination of his spine. He wants to be the first news source to break the story and also to maintain the credibility of the newspaper, while retaining the jobs of the thousands of people employed by the newspaper. He is worried about the validity of the accounts being published and the reputable reputation of his newspaper. Most importantly though, he wants to break the story and uncover the truth behind the cover up. The obstacles facing Bradlee are two fold. The most obvious of these obstacles is the political structure that is defending the perpetrators and sustaining the cover up. At this point, dropping the lead is not an option as any withdrawal would signal weakness and an admission of incorrectness.

The reporters’ wants are, once again, similar to that of Bradlee’s. As a result of the enormous amount of time they have invested into the investigation, their main goal is to reveal the truth in the case, and to be the first to do it. Their obstacles are, like Bradlee’s two fold, as the political machine stands in the way of their reporting. However, just as the reporters hindered Bradlee, they also find him as a hindrance, as he is constantly looking over their shoulders and forcing them to do things his way, creating tension.

In this scene, the reporters’ actions consist mostly of listening to Bradlee. This becomes important action because, as their boss, he is expressing the importance of their assignment and the new meaning that it has taken on. Bradlee’s actions are necessary for his wants because he is looking out for the well being of the company by expressing his take on the story to the reporters. He needs to make sure that they are conducting themselves and the investigation within the best interests of the company as whole.

In terms of motifs, I feel that the use of dark shadows and contrasting light to the affect the mood of the scene. To create the edgy feel necessary for the scene, the use of the source light as a key light, letting shadow drop on the opposite side of the face will be necessary.

To achieve visual significance with placement of the characters and the camera, I will employ a low angled shot for the intense section of Bradlee’s speech. Through the use of this angle, the viewer will see Bradlee as a more powerful character in the scene, as he will appear to be large in the shot. It is this power that is essential in the effectiveness of this scene. This use of placement and staging captures the action in a way that emphasizes the most important character: Bradlee. His mannerisms and movements capture the importance of the scene through his emotions. These characteristics also help make what is internal transform into the physical, for Bradlee in particular. Internally, he is ready to explode with stress and anxiety. This is exhibited in his physical behavior, as we are aware that he is very tense, but wants to burst out.