Daily Dialogue — October 23, 2016

Deep Throat: You let Haldeman slip away.
Bob Woodward: Yes.
Deep Throat: You’ve done worse than let Haldeman slip away: you’ve got people feeling sorry for him. I didn’t think that was possible. In a conspiracy like this, you build from the outer edges and go step by step. If you shoot too high and miss, everybody feels more secure. You’ve put the investigation back months.

— All the President’s Men (1976), screenplay by William Goldman,

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Cover Up, suggested by Will King.

Trivia: The two lead actors memorized each other’s lines so that they could both interrupt each other in character. This unsettled a lot of the actors they were playing opposite, leading to a greater sense of verisimilitude.

Dialogue On Dialogue: One of the best political movies ever, the Deep Throat character, a Mentor figure, provides a gripping take on the most notorious cover-up in American history.