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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the best documentaries ever made, June 7, 2002
This is a demonstration of how a documentary should be made. It moves through the series of events that became known as Watergate that led to the fall of President Nixon with hardly a wasted moment or word. I was a young adult when the events took place and followed them with great interest. Watching this tape brought back many memories, but the most striking were the clips of the news commentators of that era reporting the news. You can hear the incredulous tone in their voices as they describe events such as the Saturday night massacre.
The tape was made while H. R. Haldeman was still alive and he speaks extensively, as do all the other principles, with the exception of Nixon himself. All footage of Nixon is either news film or excerpts of when he was interviewed by David Frost. It seems fitting that of all the primary characters, only Nixon and G. Gordon Liddy show little or no remorse. Neither seems to have learned anything from their disgrace.
To me, the most incredible aspect of Watergate was the utterly pointless reasons for it. Everyone knew that Nixon would be re-elected in a landslide no matter what Democrat opposed him. Nothing that they could have possibly learned from their bugs would have given the Nixon campaign any additional benefit that they did not already have. As the tape begins and the initial events are replayed, you cannot help but ask what they were really thinking. In my opinion, it really shows the depth of Nixon's paranoia, as well as what can happen when the aides to a person in power fail to restrain his wildest whims.
The most frightening thing about the Nixon presidency is not the man himself, but the incredibly low quality of his subordinates. When the burglars are being interviewed and they describe what they did, you cannot help but fear for the country if this is the quality of people who are hired by the chief executive. The head of the break-in team was Howard Hunt, who was a CIA point man in organizing the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba. He comes across as so pathetic that you wonder how he could ever have inspired men to go into combat. Even more amazing is that the bugging of the Democratic headquarters was not anywhere near the wildest scheme that they concocted.
Despite all he tried to do and get away with, Richard Nixon was ultimately taken down by the strength of the American political, social and judicial systems. Had it been almost any other country, he would have been a dictator rather than a disgrace. When watching the tape, I was both disgusted at the events and yet proud of how the system worked exactly as it was designed. Madison, Washington, Jefferson, Adams and all those who framed the constitution were no doubt smiling when Nixon boarded the presidential helicopter for the last time.
It has now been almost thirty years since the events known as Watergate took place. An entire generation has grown up with no personal knowledge of these events that strained the constitution. No one can be considered educated in American history without knowing about Watergate and this tape will solve that problem. No one should ever get a high school diploma in the United States without first seeing this tape.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wow! This is how you do a documentary!, March 24, 2000
Although almost 5 hours, the docu is fast-paced, informative and most importantly: puts all the loose story threads into an easy-to-follow and chronological context.The producers were able to interview everyone involved, and I mean EVERYONE (except Nixon, who said the David Frost interviews spoke for themselves, he was alive at the time of filming. John Mitchell who had died in 1988 and Kissinger, who most experts agree had little to do with Watergate.) Most impressive are the interview snippets with H.R. Haldeman, dying of cancer at the time and clearly one of the last things he ever did. His notes are a godsend to history junkies. He died shortly after completing this series. However, as tragic as the story was, it's amazing how not one of the guys interviewed (except Fred LaRue) shows the slightest remorse for what happened. The research, narration, and score are perfect... some of the interviews are hilarious: Private Eye Tony Ulasewicz, Gordon Liddy (in a sick way) and even John Dean who recounts some pretty funny moments during the planning stages of how to sabatoge the Democrats. Not just the best documentary ever about Watergate, it may be one of the best documentaries ever...period.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Outstanding, April 21, 2005
Like most of the other reviewers, I found this to be an outstanding documentary. The set is divided into 5 parts: Break-In, Cover-Up, Scapegoat, Massacre, and Impeachment. I found the entire set compelling. You actually get to see the German Shepherds (Haldeman & Erlichman), along with the likes of Charles Colson, Jeb Stuart MaGruder, and Fred LaRue admit to what was going on in the White House. Haldeman was particularly forthright just months before he died.
I would also recommend the companion book to this set by Fred Emery. The book goes into even more depth than the video, which is again very interesting during the interview segments with some of Nixon's men. A lot has been written about Watergate, and some of it begs the question of authenticity. It is hard to argue, however; when Haldeman's beloved wife tells Emery that her husband deserved to go to jail.
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