Authenticity was key for the production of 1976's biographical drama All the President's Men, although it wasn't easy. On the acting side, co-stars Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford visited The Washington Post's offices for months, sitting in on news conferences and conducting research for their roles. However, in terms of production design, the Post denied the production permission to shoot in its newsroom, so the set designers took measurements of the newspaper's offices and photographed everything. Sets recreating the newsroom were put together on two soundstages in Hollywood's Burbank Studios at a cost of $200,000. Nearly 200 desks were purchased at $500 a piece from the same firm that sold desks to the Post in 1971 and those desks were painted the same color as those of the newsroom. Set designers were even supplied with a brick from the main lobby of the Post so that it could be duplicated in fiberglass for the set. The filmmakers went to such great lengths for accuracy and authenticity that they even made replicas of outdated phone books to match the period. Stay tuned!
movie that hasn't aged well...and it's quite repetitive once you pass the first act.