She Said, the film that details the investigations of two New York Times reporters, Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor, into the sexual and work-related harassment of Harvey Weinstein, a totem of cinema in the United States thanks to its producer and distributor Miramax. Clearly born in the shadow of Spotlight, the only journalism title to have won the Oscar for Best Picture, the film aims to review, in alphabetical order, the best cinematic work on the profession available on platforms.
“Under Fire” (1983). During the late 1970s and early 1980s, Central America experienced turbulent times, navigating between CIA-backed military governments and revolutions. So the Americans were not loved very much, although their journalists were truthful witnesses of what was happening. In Robert Spottiswoode’s Under Fire, three such reporters go to Nicaragua, where Sandinista guerrillas are plotting to overthrow dictator Somoza. Nick Nolte is a photojournalist, Joanna Cassidy, a radio reporter more involved in the revolution, and secondarily, Gene Hackman and Ed Harris. The 1980s were a decade of many films about journalists in conflict zones. For example, the deplorable Con pasporte al infierno (1983) and the much better Salvador (1986) by Oliver Stone were made with subjects similar to this one (reporters in Central America). Available in Movies.
“Good night and good luck” (2005). George Clooney is portrayed in a film set in 1953 when CBS anchorman and anchorman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and his producer Fred Friendly (Clooney) face off against Senator Joseph McCarthy, a battle that ends the “witch hunt.” McCarthyism. To get the film off the ground, Clooney mortgaged his Los Angeles home, charging a dollar for the script, another for directing, and a third for his performance. Available on HBO Max.
“Blackmail on Broadway” (1957). Culture and entertainment directories have their film too, this gem by Alexander Mackendrick. Burt Lancaster plays a Broadway columnist, the most powerful journalist in New York show business, whose only apparent flaw is his passion for his sister. When she hooks up with a jazz musician, the journalist forces a ruthless publicist (Tony Curtis) to blow up the relationship. A power struggle with the whole law. Available in Movies.
“The Great Carnival” (1951). Rogue journalist is synonymous with top-notch drama in the hands of Billy Wilder. And even more so with the charisma of Kirk Douglas, who brings to life this reporter who understands that the misfortune of a miner trapped in a cave will serve as a springboard back to old glory. In his zeal he delays the rescue and the media circus rages. Decades later, real events like the murder of the Alcàsser girls confirmed that nothing changes. Available in Movies.
“The Scandal (Bombshell)” (2019). The scandal speaks of a toxic environment and sexual abuse, but also of television egos and the struggle for power in a media empire. In this case, Fox News, like director Jay Roach, describes how several female journalists managed to bring down the news network boss, Roger Ailes. The engine of the film was one of its actresses, Charlize Theron, who bought the project, began production and received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Available on HBO Max.
“The 42nd Street Reporter” (1987). How many times has Christopher Reeve worked as a journalist? At least here, in Interferences and of course in Superman (which is still the saga of a journalist caught in hundreds of messes). In this drama directed by Jerry Schatzberg, he plays a journalist who lies to his boss and assures him he knows a pimp he can interview. Not really, a story is made up and police believe the report is based on a murder suspect. Morgan Freeman was nominated for an Academy Award for Supporting Actor for his role as the ruthless but charming street king. Available in Movies.
“The Correspondent” (2018). The life of war correspondent Marie Colvin, in the hands of director Matthew Heineman and especially in the interpretation of Rosemund Pike, becomes an attractive drama that reflects the need to tell what happens to civilians in wartime conflicts. Colvin was hit by a grenade in Sri Lanka, which is why he wore an eye patch. The Middle East expert died in Holms, Syria, in 2012 while covering the war in that country. While it works in spirit, the film is riddled with historical inaccuracies and eliminates key figures in Colvin’s life, such as her second husband, EL PAÍS journalist Juan Carlos Gumucio. Available on Apple TV.
Harrison’s Flowers (2000). One of the films that best brought the drama of the Balkan war to the general public in the cinemas. A Newsweek reporter disappears when a building collapses in Croatia and his wife traverses the entire Balkans battlefield in search of her, leading to the portrayal of the work of the press in the region. Directed by Frenchman Élie Chouraqui, the cast included Andie MacDowell, David Strathairn, Brendan Gleeson, Adrien Brody and Elias Koteas. Available on Apple TV.
“The Pentagon Files” (2017). Angered by the wave Donald Trump brought to the US presidency, Steven Spielberg made this film about a journalistic battle that took place during the Nixon presidency. In June 1971, the New York Times and Washington Post reported on Pentagon documents and the government’s massive cover-up of secrets spanning four U.S. presidencies, delving into the Vietnam War. Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks bring two legends to life: Post editor Kay Graham and newspaper editor Ben Bradlee. Available on HBO Max.
“Harder Will Be the Case” (1956). Boxing has never had a reputation less for the punches in the ring than for the fixation of the fights. Humphrey Bogart is a sportswriter turned press agent for an Argentine boxer who was led to believe he will be the champion after several rigged bouts. Behind it is a promoter (Rod Steiger, creepy as always) who goes ruthlessly on a money hunt. Cleanly staged by Mark Robson. Available on Apple TV.
“Network, an unforgiving world” (1976). Sidney Lumet throws herself into the TV tarpaulin. Howard Beale, a veteran late-night news anchor, is fired after his show’s ratings plummet. Although before leaving he assures that he will commit suicide by shooting in front of the cameras. And of course the chain rubs its hands. Both Lumet and screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky stressed that it was not satire, but a reflection of events. Available in Movies.
“Night Crawler” (2014). If Network made your hair stand on end, Dan Gilroy’s Nightcrawler raises the bar. Jake Gyllenhaal plays a camera-wielding reporter on his mission to be the first to commit horrific accidents and crimes in Los Angeles. Now he soon crosses the line from spectator to protagonist. Available in Movies.
‘Limelight” (2015). Tom McCarthy vividly illustrates The Boston Globe’s real-life investigation into child sex abuse by priests in America’s most Catholic city. This is the film he wants, as a reflection of the trade, and doesn’t look like She Said. A true reflection of journalistic work, it contains an unforgettable sequence: when a journalist discovers that one of the pedophiles lives a few blocks from his house. Available on HBO Max.
“The Paper (Behind the News)” (1994). Ron Howard plays with the mystique of journalism, as the promo said at its premiere: “Anything can happen in 24 hours at The New York Sun,” a ramshackle tabloid where sales are all that matters. Michael Keaton is the editor, and he has to navigate the whirlwind of living through a completely insane day. By the way, a picture for the story, that of “Stop the machine”, while the presses are stopped with a button to change the newspaper. In internet times, that sounds like something from the past. Available in Movies.
“All the President’s Men” (1976). Alan J. Pakula was well aware of the material used in this film, which shaped the mythical image of the two Washington Post journalists who exposed the Watergate scandal that ended the presidencies of Richard Nixon, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. And with that, it marks an entire profession that is trying to reach its own lock, the Eldorado of journalism. Available on Apple TV.
A great report (1931), New Moon (1940), Front page (1974) and Interference (1988). Why are these four films linked? The quartet, staged in chronological order by Lewis Milestone, Howard Hawks, Billy Wilder and Teo Kotcheff, adapts the same play: Front Page, by Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht, one of the greats of 20th-century theater and film writing. A sitcom always fun in every version, which begins when a star journalist (depending on the version, he changes gender) decides to quit his job, to the annoyance of his boss, who entrusts him with one last big job of reporting. Available in Movies.
Veronica Guerin (2003). Joel Schumacher gets serious to tell the story of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin (on screen Cate Blanchett), the voice who rose up against drug dealer rule in Dublin in the 1990s and who ended her July 1996 reporting with her life paid. His murder multiplied the echo of his work. Available on Disney+.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VMPOJFOahqw
Zodiac (2007). David Fincher is making a great film about the Zodiac Killer, a guy who killed scores of people in San Francisco between 1966 and 1978 while sending clue letters to the media. The police began an unsuccessful hunt. First a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle and later a crime reporter for that newspaper will search for him until the 1980s. Available on HBO Max.
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