"All the President's Men" – Worksheet

Worksheet on the film "All the President's Men" (Alan J. Pakula, USA 1976) for English classes

a) Think about what activities are part of a journalist's daily work. Take notes.

b) Discuss together the importance of journalists in a democracy. Consider why independent media outlets are referred to as the "Fourth Estate". Compare your thoughts with the glossary definition Zum externen Inhalt: "Fourth Estate" (öffnet im neuen Tab).

c) Watch the beginning of the film exposition. Summarize what you learn about the burglary. Include also what strikes the journalist Bob Woodward as unusual. Then discuss your thoughts in pairs and compare your results with the class.

Timecode: 00:00:00–00:12:17

d) Watch the following sequence. Pay attention to how Bob Woodward and his colleague Carl Bernstein work to uncover the background to the burglary. Write down your thoughts in bullet points.

Timecode: 00:12:17–00:28:35

e) Split up into small groups and discuss the following questions. Then present your results in class:

1. What contradictions do Woodward and Bernstein notice?

2. What clues do these contradictions offer regarding the background to the case?

3. What are the main locations shown?

4. From whose perspective has the plot been explained so far?

5. What effect does this perspective have on the viewer?

6. How does the scene create tension?

7. How do Woodward and Bernstein‘s activities match up with your ideas about the everyday work of a journalist? Note the differences and commonalities Refer to your notes from exercises a) and d).

f) Explain why most of Woodward and Bernstein‘s colleagues remain skeptical about their line of inquiry. Consider what Ben Bradlee, the editor-in-chief of the Washington Post, expects of the two reporters. How would you proceed in his position? Explain your reasoning and reflect on the tension between a publisher‘s commercial purpose and its responsibility as a member of the "Fourth Estate".

Timecode: 00:28:35–01:00:56

g) Watch the film almost to the end. Summarize the results of Woodward and Bernstein’s investigations. Speculate about how the final scene might look and sound in terms of narrative and cinematic aesthetic.

Timecode: 01:00:56–02:13:07

h) Analyze the mise-en-scène, the image composition and the audio design of the final scene. Explain their effects. Pay particular attention to lack of shots in which the actors are seen.

i) Illustrate the film’s perspective on journalism and politics. Discuss how attitudes toward media reporting have changed since the Watergate scandal and the reasons for this development.