Political Intent in Film: All the Presidents Men and 24

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With the gripping novelty of storytelling through film, comes the ease of political advancement through a medium that is easily accessed by a multitude of viewers. Television and movies alike can use plotlines and the context of fictional or nonfictional events to deliver a perception of a political stance. The critically acclaimed television show 24, and movie All the President’s Men, employs subtle and not so subtle connotations to their dialog and story to convey some sort of politically infused message to the American audience often times without directly pointing it out. 24, follows Jack Bauer, played by Kiefer Sutherland, who works for the Counterterrorism Unit as an agent who is almost seemingly above the law as the show finely addresses issues such as torture, government espionage on citizens, and the most controversial for its release time, terrorism. In turn, All the President’s Men exemplifies Hollywood’s more blatant approach to politics as it trails the events leading up to the Watergate Scandal with the two journalists who brought the presidency to its knees, but the film ultimately made the audience question the amount of power the press has to investigate and divulge information. Essentially, these two works of Hollywood undeniably set a tone of politics being a critical component in modern media. In All the President’s Men, reporters of the Washington Post Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward investigate a break in on the National Democratic Committee which leads them to trace its ties all the way up the political ladder. In this motion picture, much emphasis is placed on the power the press has in divulging the secrets of what the reporters refer to as the “higher ups.” The Watergate scandal turned out to be a historical moment in leading to the resignation of President Nixon. The effects of the film however stirred the ideas that the public had about

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