Sydney Pollack month: Absence of Malice

A retrospective by Brooks Rich

I think the two best films about journalism ever made are All the President's Men and Spotlight. They are stunning explorations about the fight for the truth journalists go through and the exposure of the truth no matter what. The journalists are seen as heroes, making sure we the public know the truth no matter what. Syndey Pollack's 1981 Absence of Malice shows a different side of the journalism business.

Sally Field is a reporter for the Miami Herald who publishes a story saying that a local liquor wholesaler with a shady past named Michael Gallagher, played by the immortal Paul Newman, is being investigated for the disappearance and suspected murder of a local union official after she sees a report about it left on the desk of a federal prosecutor, played by a shifty Bob Balaban. Gallagher's life is turned upside down and people around him are affected by the unsubstantiated story.

Right off the bat, I want to say that I think right journalism is more important than ever, especially due to our current political climate. There is an ongoing attack against journalism and the truth, an attack cultivated by a dangerous wannabe dictator who calls them fake news and says anything bad about him is made up. Just had to get that out here. We are pro journalism here at Cinema Basement. OK. Now back to the film.

There are two things going on in this film. First, it is exploring how publishing a story can be a slippery slope for a journalist, especially if they don't check their sources first. The title is a legal term about the requirements for proof against libel defamation. It refers to the contrast between personal information and the public's right to know and the film explores the balancing act between posting a story and protecting people's personal lives that the journalism industry must deal with it. The film is also dealing with how the legal system and people in power can use journalism as a means to an end, jump-starting an investigation based on a well-timed story.

A recurring theme this month will be how Pollack is a brilliant filmmaker but in a different way than some of his peers. Pollack is not the most cinematic director but he has a good eye and knows that a more subtle approach to cinematography will service the story better. His shots are not intrusive and let the story play out, which is important in a film about journalism. Pollack always knows what's most important for a scene, or a shot, or the whole movie and he doesn't let the camera moves get too cute or too complicated just for the sake of doing a pretty shot.

This is a powerful film and one that I think has sadly been forgotten. It is not the happiest film in the world but it's an important one. It is an interesting alternative to the usual films about journalism. Check it out.

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