Due to the proliferation of fake news and the well-known sensationalism, journalism is one of the professions with the worst press. However, the media can also be a very noble environment, with professional journalists who go out of their way to expose the dirty laundry of politicians and publish the truth on the front page.
In this article, we will share a series of great journalism movies, from the best-known to hidden gems. Due to the extension of this topic, we will focus more than anything on the written press, one of our specialties in Palabra (if you want a list of movies about television media, let us know in the comment section!).
Ready to get started? Lights, camera, action!
Citizen Kane
We can’t begin this list without mentioning this masterpiece. Orson Welles’ 1941 debut film won the Academy Award for Best Screenplay and received eight other nominations. The story follows journalist Jerry Thompson (played by William Alland), who takes on the task of investigating the life and death of Charles Foster Kane (played by Welles himself), a character inspired by both the director and American media magnate William Randolph Hearst. Thanks to the ingenious use of flashbacks as a narrative resource, the audience discovers, along with the journalist, moments of this citizen’s life.
The fame and popularity of this film are undisputed. Precisely for that, it’s difficult to say something about it that hasn’t been said before. However, we can highlight its relevance for journalism despite its eighty years of existence. For example, the movie deals with topics such as media objectivity and gathering reliable information. These debates help us reflect on the epidemic of fake news that plagues the 21st century.
Making a Living
Did you know that Charles Chaplin didn’t always wear his famous toothbrush mustache and his bowler hat? That’s right: the comedian made his debut on the big screen in 1914, as the main character of the short film Making a Living. Also known as Take My Picture, Doing His Best, Troubles, and A Busted Johnny, the legend of the seventh art plays an aristocrat who dabbles in journalism and seeks to progress through deception. The film shows Chaplin wearing an elegant top hat and a thick mustache, an appearance that represents his character’s social status. He had not yet perfected the look we all know.
Although this piece has been overshadowed by other productions, such as The Kid, Modern Times, or The Great Dictator (which I strongly recommend you watch), Making a Living already hints at the physical comedy gestures that are so characteristic of Chaplin. With its great handling of suspense—there’s a scene of a fight on the tram tracks in which a vehicle approaches in each frame—this silent film offers us a glimpse at both the beginnings of the comedian and the world of journalism at the start of the 20th century.
Spotlight
This Hollywood box-office hit film was released in 2015 and won multiple awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. With Tom McCarthy as director, the film focuses on the real case of the newspaper The Boston Globe and its team of investigators, which helped unmask multiple cases of pedophilia perpetrated by the Catholic Church in the state of Massachusetts. These had taken place over decades and had been kept in the shadows due to the intervention of the Archdiocese of Boston.
As for the cast, the film featured Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams, Stanley Tucci, and John Slattery, each with an interesting real-life character to represent. In fact, the investigative reporting of these journalists from The Boston Globe made the newspaper win the Pulitzer Prize in 2003. With a spectacular pace, this captivating film won’t let you look anywhere else.
All The President’s Men
Speaking of the Pulitzer Prize, this is one of the best investigative reporting films, since it covers the famous Watergate case, which involved former U.S. President Richard Nixon. His abuse of power was brought to light by the investigative journalism team of The Washington Post, composed by the figures of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward.
The story follows these two reporters, played by none other than Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford, as they investigate what seems like small-time news two years before the scandal. However, there’s a growing suspicion that this may lead to something bigger. The film took all the ovations at the Academy Awards and won four Oscars, including Best Screenplay.
Did you know this movie was based on a book? And not just any book: Bernstein and Woodward, the protagonists of the investigation, published a non-fiction book of the same title, which narrates the events. Following its publication in 1974, and four years after the start of the wiretapping, in 1976 the duo published a sequel, called The Final Days, with an in-depth narration of the fall of the Nixon presidency. All the President’s Men was released that same year and, in 1989, The Final Days premiered, the film adaptation of the sequel (an extra film for you!). So, if you want to learn more about this historical period, you already have four different sources to turn to.
El crítico
To step out of the American narrative for a bit, we turn to the Latin American film industry with the film El crítico (the critic). This 2014 Argentine-Chilean production revolves around film journalism, covering this article’s two passions.
The story, written and directed by Argentine director Hernán Guerschuny, focuses on the life of Víctor Téllez (played by Rafael Spregelburd), a very severe critic. Fed up with what he finds in cinemas, he destroys rom-coms in his prestigious critics. This character (somewhat hateful at times) lives his life with a black cloud over his head until, as it happens in all romantic comedies, he meets a woman who’s very different from him and will take him to reenact the typical scenes of the films he hates. The Argentine actress Dolores Fonzi plays the beautiful and mysterious Sofia, with a performance that is both amusing and emotional.
If you are one of those who, like Victor, believes that “cinema is dead,” allow yourself to be surprised by this film and its funny plot.
Conclusion
Through the article, we’ve shown that journalists can have good press on both Hollywood blockbusters and lesser-known productions. If you like journalism movies because they portray your own profession, in Palabra we are a team of specialized writers, and we love to share reliable information in our articles. If you think you would be a good fit for our team, send us a message!.
Translated by @florabosch
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