All the President’s Men
by Alan J. Pakula
About
All the President’s Men is a 1976 American political thriller film that follows Washington Post reporters Carl
Bernstein and Bob Woodward as they uncover the crimes committed by the Nixon Administration, in what would
come to be known as the Watergate scandal. The movie is based on the non-fiction 1974 book of the same name
penned by Bernstein and Woodward. The move has become an American cultural hallmark, and it serves as a
reminder of the importance of the freedom of the press in preventing the government from becoming tyrannical.
Though the Nixon administration doesn’t come off well, All The President’s Men is less a movie about politics than
a movie about the role of the 1st Amendment in a democracy. A historical film, it not only captures an event, but
also the broader spirit of the 1970s.
The film features Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman as Woodward and Bernstein and was directed by Alan J.
Pakula’s as the third installment of his “paranoia trilogy,” which includes Klute (1971) and The Parallax View (1974).
The script was adapted from the original 1974 source material by William Goldman, and the filmed earned him an
Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
The film details the infamous Watergate Scandal and how it brought down the Nixon Administration. It puts
emphasis on the perseverance of Woodward and Bernstein in the face of an unprecedented federal scandal. It is a
tale that illustrates the importance of a free press in a democracy against difficult odds. Because of the pro-First
Amendment message and its depiction the heroic and important work done by journalists, All The President’s Men
was deemed as a culturally significant film by the United States Film Registry. It is still viewed and enjoyed to this
day.
Description
This study guide accompanies the film All the President’s Men, which chronicles the real-life investigation by
Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein into the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to
President Richard Nixon’s resignation. The film explores themes of journalistic integrity, political corruption,
courage under pressure, and the power of persistent reporting to hold even the highest levels of government
accountable. This study guide contains 78 questions across 6 chapter sections (60 Factual + 18 Critical), 1
Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1 Character Focus Activity.
What’s Included:
This study guide features 6 sets of 10 Factual Questions (60 total), 6 sets of 3 Critical Analysis Questions (18 total),
1 Crossword Puzzle (12 clues), and 1 Character Focus Activity (8 traits + evidence prompt + critical thinking
question).