The last time I shared a list of my favorite films about the Fourth Estate in 2009, I heard from a lot of people.
Even my esteemed colleague Roger Ebert joined the conversation, questioning me for leaving out two contemporary newspaper movies, Zodiac (2007) and State of Play (2009).
Other readers were just as passionate about favorites of theirs missing from my list, including The Paper (1994), Absence of Malice (1981), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Public Eye (1992), Foreign Correspondent (1940) and two versions of The Front Page (1931 and 1974).
Other readers were just as passionate about favorites of theirs missing from my list, including The Paper (1994), Absence of Malice (1981), Nothing Sacred (1937), The Public Eye (1992), Foreign Correspondent (1940) and two versions of The Front Page (1931 and 1974).
But all lists are conversation starters, as Chicago Tribune columnist Phil Rosenthal pointed out at the time with his own provocative list, adding: “What’s the point, if you can’t have some fun discussing it.” In that spirit, here are my top 10 favorite newspaper movies.
Click on the arrows to advance the photos:
1. Citizen Kane (1941) Orson Welles’ tour de force, inspired by the life of William Randolph Hearst, is the grandest of all newspaper movies. Buy or rent the DVD with Roger Ebert’s splendid audio commentary.
2. Sweet Smell of Success (1957) Burt Lancaster is so evil and sadistic as powerful New York gossip columnist J.J. Hunsecker that it makes you believe every sordid tale ever told about Walter Winchell.
3. All the President’s Men (1976) The Robert Redford/Dustin Hoffman movie about Watergate made investigative reporting sexy and made superstar heroes out of Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein.
4. Ace in the Hole (1951) Billy Wilder at his most cynical and Kirk Douglas at his most ferocious. Every media circus surrounding a person in peril was foreshadowed here.
5. Deadline USA (1952) Humphrey Bogart plays the screen’s greatest crusading newspaper editor, fighting the mob and keeping The Day from being liquidated. Ought to be mandatory viewing for every journalism class.
