Movie Marathon: The '70s

The Way We Were (1973) directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Barbara Streisand, Robert Redford, James Woods.

Very moving story, about a driven girl named Katie and laid-back Hubbell, total opposites who fall in love and try to make a life together. The movie follows the story of their romance, from college to New York City during World War II, to Hollywood in the '50s. When Katie becomes embroiled in the McCarthy trials, she and Hubbell have to decide whether they can make their tumultuous marriage work.

I like Streisand's Katie, a fiery activist, and a political woman, something of a rarety in films of the time. Katie's trademark call on the streets, handing out fliers: "Do something about it!" is a message to the audience as well as more withdrawn Hubbell. If "people are their principles," as Katie asserts, then we wonder what to make of Hubbell, who seems to take the peaceful protest approach to politics. He is put off by Katie's constant need to philosophize, and seems to detect a desire to cause trouble. There is something mischevious in Katie's non-stop political uproar, but it is tempered by the earnestness of her beliefs.

Hubbell- Maybe something terrible will happen- maybe you'll have a good time.

Hubbell- You think you're easy? Compared to what, the Hundred Years' War?

Katie- Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.


All the President's Men (1976) directed by Alan Pakula, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman.

My favorite political thriller. Redford and Hoffman are razor-sharp, pulling the Watergate thread, with no idea where it will take them. The Watergate story is considered the first piece of modern investigate journalism, and the model for the genre. Watergate was also immensely important in shaping the presidency and how the public views the President.

I love this movie also for it's look at journalism, sources and the amount of work that went into research in the 70s. With no internet or electronic databases, all research is done "on foot," so to speak, whether it's leafing through the checkout slips at the Library of Congress, or the library research aide who tracked down the picture of Kenneth H. Dalberg, journalism has sped up considerably. Even the scene where Woodward asks one of the editors who Charles Colson is, and Rosenfeld replies "You know I'm glad you asked me that question. The reason I'm glad you asked me, is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee they woulda said, "you know we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb." Nowadays, Woodward would have Googled it, rather than look like a fool in front of his editor. It's good to remember, from time to time, how easy we have it nowadays.

Harry Rosenfeld- Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?

Bernstein- All these neat little houses and all these neat little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses.
Woodward- No it isn't.

Bernstein- Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I - I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Woodward- You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.

Ben Bradlee- All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestory, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.