All The President's Men (1976) (Special Edition) - November 12, 2013

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by yellowcakeuf6

These political films have been getting a lot of spin lately, but this one looked a bit rough to me, so I was looking around for some information on the transfer and came across this Hollywood Elsewhere article with the late great DP Gordon Willis, who had some things to say about it. I can't believe I missed this article 10 years ago.

http://hollywood-elsewhere.com/2011/04/whv-screwed-up/

I highly doubt that Willis quote is real.

[dylrichard02]

Originally Posted by blueman_Richie

Is this film likely to get a revisit and a 4K do-over ever? I was hoping something might happen for a 45th anniversary edition or something? A remaster and 4K release would be most welcome.

This is the third entry in Pakula's Paranoia trilogy, seeing as how Criterion got the rights for the other two from WB and Paramount (Klute and The Parallax View). It's possible this will get a Criterion BD from a new scan.

[zepol]

Originally Posted by blueman_Richie

Is this film likely to get a revisit and a 4K do-over ever? I was hoping something might happen for a 45th anniversary edition or something? A remaster and 4K release would be most welcome.

Sure is needed because this is the worst bluray transfer of a great movie from the 70s'.

[Marcmovie1]

Originally Posted by zepol

Sure is needed because this is the worst bluray transfer of a great movie from the 70s'.

I just bought an Oled tv and I popped this on to see if there was any improvement. I also looked at the blu ray of the Conversation. The Conversation looks great! One of the best looking 70’s films I’ve seen I think. “All the President’s Men” is a murky mess. The orange skin color just burns my eyes. I’m not sure what’s the problem is. The image looks clean but it’s dark & the colors stink.

[jacksonwalker]

Originally Posted by Marcmovie1

I just bought an Oled tv and I popped this on to see if there was any improvement. I also looked at the blu ray of the Conversation. The Conversation looks great! One of the best looking 70’s films I’ve seen I think. “All the President’s Men” is a murky mess. The orange skin color just burns my eyes. I’m not sure what’s the problem is. The image looks clean but it’s dark & the colors stink.

You have to follow the money.

[Marcmovie1]

The image is so bad, I’m having trouble keeping track of the money!!

[zepol]

Originally Posted by Marcmovie1

I just bought an Oled tv and I popped this on to see if there was any improvement. I also looked at the blu ray of the Conversation. The Conversation looks great! One of the best looking 70’s films I’ve seen I think. “All the President’s Men” is a murky mess. The orange skin color just burns my eyes. I’m not sure what’s the problem is. The image looks clean but it’s dark & the colors stink.

A case where the dvd and VHS is better than the bluray.
Why do they release this is the real question.

[PowellPressburger]

I just wonder if the issue with the persons new TV is that it isn't properly calibrated. I have had the original Blu-Ray since it's release and I don't get odd orange skin tones.

I think the BLU looks fine, I've wanted a re-issue to reinstate the original logo and to try to be more in line with the DP's vision, he did comment back when it was released that WB got it wrong.. but it had nothing to do with skin tones.

Plus a higher bit rate on 4K UHD would be nice to have for a Re-issue.

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by PowellPressburger

I think the BLU looks fine, I've wanted a re-issue to reinstate the original logo and to try to be more in line with the DP's vision, he did comment back when it was released that WB got it wrong.. but it had nothing to do with skin tones.

I still doubt that Willis quote from Hollywood-Elsewhere is even legit because Jeffrey Wells has a history of being a bullshitter.

[Marcmovie1]

I’ll give the blu ray another watch but it looked pretty bad on my old tv too. Maybe it’s me! I do remember watching the movie on either vhs or dvd years ago and it looked fine. I’ve popped in a few other 70’s films and they’ve all looked nice.

[Eye Candy]

The Legacy of All the President's Men - YouTube

[brtracker2023]

I’m watching the documentary on the All The President’s Men Blu-ray and there’s a depressingly hilarious quote by Robert Redford. After Nixon was re-elected in a landslide despite being implicated in the Watergate scandal, he said, “Looking back at the Watergate reports, it’s hard to believe that Nixon was completely unscathed. Imagine a President getting away with that unfolding scandal in today’s political environment.” Obviously, this was made before Trump came along. You even had Supreme Court justices voting unanimously that Nixon should release the White House tapes. I can't imagine that happening today. If you own the Blu-ray, do yourself a favor and watch this documentary. One of the best Blu-ray special features I have ever seen.

[RedbeardS]

@brtracker2023 - I agree, evaluating ATPM in today's world gives one a queasy feeling. I watched it last night in honor of Redford's passing. While the artistry holds up, the "shock" elements seem quaint. When Deep Throat reveals the intelligence agencies are in cahoots with Nixon, Redford/Woodward's stunned disbelief seems hopelessly naive by today's standards.

One aspect that bothers me now (and didn't when the film came out in '76) is the lack of a Third Act. It ends with Ben Bradlee telling Woodstein to go after Haldeman, then there's a two-minute montage of the reporters typing while teletype chyrons announce all the resignations and guilty convictions that followed. THE END. Apparently screenwriter Goldman felt one movie could only tackle the first half of the book, and everybody already knew how the saga ended because they'd been watching the Watergate trials. To modern viewers, the story stops right when it starts to get good. Too bad there were no streaming series back then, because this history lesson deserved to be told in its entirety.

[Shane Rollins]

Originally Posted by brtracker2023

I’m watching the documentary on the All The President’s Men Blu-ray and there’s a depressingly hilarious quote by Robert Redford. After Nixon was re-elected in a landslide despite being implicated in the Watergate scandal, he said, “Looking back at the Watergate reports, it’s hard to believe that Nixon was completely unscathed. Imagine a President getting away with that unfolding scandal in today’s political environment.” Obviously, this was made before Trump came along. You even had Supreme Court justices voting unanimously that Nixon should release the White House tapes. I can't imagine that happening today. If you own the Blu-ray, do yourself a favor and watch this documentary. One of the best Blu-ray special features I have ever seen.

All The President's Men, Gabriel Over The White House, Quo Vadis, Wag The Dog, to a certain extent A Clockwork Orange and Caligula...we thought these were stories of the past, but they were predictions of the future. It's disturbing and frightening in every single way.

[kristoffer]

Such a great film and one of Redford's best! Maybe we can look forward to a 4K remaster? https://gatewayfilmcenter.org/movies...s-men-1976-4k/

[zepol]

Originally Posted by Marcmovie1

I just bought an Oled tv and I popped this on to see if there was any improvement. I also looked at the blu ray of the Conversation. The Conversation looks great! One of the best looking 70’s films I’ve seen I think. “All the President’s Men” is a murky mess. The orange skin color just burns my eyes. I’m not sure what’s the problem is. The image looks clean but it’s dark & the colors stink.

Wish I still had my dvd which looks like the movie should look like.