The movie Steven Soderbergh said has the “greatest opening” ever
Should fate have had it that the brilliant cinematic works of Steven Soderbergh never arrived, then the dual worlds of big-budget and independent cinema would have an obvious and glaring hole in them. After all, Soderbergh has provided countless crucial contributions to American film throughout his remarkable career.
With the likes of his debut Sex, Lies and Videotape, plus Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven and Erin Brockovich to his name, it’s easy to see why Soderbergh is so admired within the movie industry, and it’s more than understandable that he’s been awarded a Palme d’Or and an Academy Award in the process.
Just as far as he is one of the most respected directors of his generation, Soderbergh is as much of a cinephile and has frequently gone on record to state his favourite movies. As an auteur, Soderbergh knows the importance of opening a film well, and he once pointed out the movie he believes has the best opening sequence ever made.
“This is one of the great openings of all time. It is without question one of my favourite American films of all time,” Soderbergh once told The New York Times of Alan J. Pakula’s All the President’s Men. “And it’s one that I looked to quite a lot while I was making my last two movies, Erin Brockovich and Traffic because in both cases, we were trying to make films about serious issues that were also very entertaining.”
“All the President’s Men is one of the better examples of a movie that managed to have a sociopolitical quotient and still be incredibly entertaining,” he added. “It’s my sense that you can balance those things and that the audience will sit still for it, even today’s audience if they feel there is some real connection between the political content of the film and their lives.”
Pakula’s film is riveting from beginning to end and details the investigative journalism of Bob Woodward (played by Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) as they dive into the complexities of the infamous Watergate scandal. The movie’s unbridled tension and excellent performances led to widespread critical acclaim upon its release in 1976.
“I guess what impressed me most about All the President’s Men, and what still impresses me, is that there is really no reason why this movie should work,” Soderbergh continued. “It’s a story that everyone knew. I mean, the movie was released in 1976 and President Nixon had just resigned in 1974. And the movie climaxes with the protagonists making a huge mistake. And yet, it works so completely. I never tire of watching it.”
“This film is just so secure in its belief that you will be interested in the characters and the situations,” the director noted. “There is no attempt to whistle up some dramatic high points. It is confident but quietly so. Which is so rare now, you know.”
Check out the trailer for All the President’s Men below.
