Pass the Popcorn: Movies from where I Sit

"All the President's Men" is a great film.  The fact that the actual events happened long ago does not diminish the tension and excitement of the drama.  It stars two amazing actors as Woodward and Bernstein, Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman, but it is glowing with small parts that shine with vividness and intelligence:  Jane Alexander as the secretary nervous about revealing what she knows, Jason Robards Jr as Ben Bradlee, and many others.  Somehow, though we know how it all ended, we are fearful, jumpy, on edge, as if this has never happened before, and it hadn't.  Physically, the humor in Redford's and Hoffman's casting is delightful.  They are both consummate comedians, so they make us like them and root for them by convincing us they are not superstars, but young eager beavers out for the story that will get them noticed.  The pacing and editing is impeccable.  The strength of the film is the two stars' movements, more than dialogue.  They are watchable and we understand everything from their body movements.  The dialogue could almost be absent.  This is like the best of silent filmmaking.  And how perfect, because the movie thematically is about what isn't said, what shouldn't have been said (on tape) and what must be said.  You can't silence our heroes, or scare them into silence, and we look longingly at this film and wonder where that integrity has gone in journalism.  Now there is news, prepackaged and outsourced from corporations.  Then, important stories were followed up and tenaciously, doggedly pursued.  It's a nostalgic film.