In the meantime

The Cinderella Man

"In all the history of the boxing game, you'll find no human interest story to compare with the life narrative of James J. Braddock."                       --Damon Runyon

    

In Cinderella Man, Russell Crowe portrays 1930's heavyweight champion James J. Braddock, who defied all odds and beat reigning champ Max Baer, who had already killed two men in the ring when Braddock fought him in 1934.  Joe Louis, who later defeated Braddock and claimed the heavyweight title in 1937 called Braddock "The most courageous man I have ever fought."

You often hear the term "must see" attached to a movie.  For my money, if ever a movie deserved that phrase to be attached to it, this is it.  The story is compelling, the acting is superb, the cinematography and editing are masterful.  The fight sequences are gripping while never sinking to the level of the "Rocky" movies.  You cannot help but be drawn into the story and immediately admire the basic goodness of this remarkable man.

Crowe and Zellweger deliver convincing and moving portrayals of Braddock and his beloved wife Mae.  The depiction of life in America during the Great Depression will give you a new appreciation for why that event forever changed the way those who lived through it lead their lives.  In one scene, Braddock's daughter is shown having one slice of fried bologna for her dinner, and then asking for more.  "I'm sorry, honey, that's all there is," her mother sadly tells her.  Braddock hands his slice of bologna to his daughter, telling her he is still full because he dreamed the night before that he ate at the Ritz-Carlton.

The most moving scene in the movie for me comes when Braddock goes to his old friends at Madison Square Garden and begs for money to turn their heat back on and buy food for his children.  You feel his shame as he swallows every ounce of his pride for the sake of his family.

James J. Braddock was a man of great integrity who loved his family more than life itself.  He died in 1974 still desperately in love with Mae and still living in the home that he bought for them with the winnings from the Baer fight.  His story is one that needed to be told.  This movie tells it powerfully without ever being sappy or sinking to the level of a morality play.

Go see this movie!  It is "a must see."

The mystery is solved...sort of

The bombshell was announced in advance of a Vanity Fair article: After over 30 years of speculation, "Deep Throat", the shadowy Watergate informant to Woodward and Bernstein who helped bring about Richard Nixon's downfall was revealed to be Mark Felt, who at the time was the number two man at the FBI.

Most of us who came of age with Watergate as a backdrop have often wondered who "Deep Throat" was.  My personal theory was that it was Alexander Haig, and that he was driven by principle.  I was wrong on both counts.  It was Mark Felt, and apparently his motivation was revenge.  Felt had been passed over by Nixon to run the FBI.  His motivation for coming forward now is equally non-altruistic: His daughter convinced him that if he went to his grave without revealing he was "Deep Throat" all the credit for bringing Nixon down would go to Woodward and Bernstein, not to mention millions in potential profit for a book deal.

Former Nixon aides have stated that Nixon would not be surprised at this week's revelation.  The facts argue otherwise, though.  In one of the infamous White House tapes, Chief of Staff H. R. "Bob" Haldeman remarks that Mark Felt over at the FBI would, in his opinion, assist with the cover-up because he was "ambitious."

Now that the secret is out, it will be very interesting to see how Woodward and Bernstein's "facts" from All the President's Men hold up to the light of day.  Remember, this is the same Bob Woodward who somehow was able to record in his book The Brethren word-for-word conversations that took place between Supreme Court justices without ever talking to anyone who was present.  The same Bob Woodward who in The Veil recorded a deathbed confessional conversation from CIA chief William Casey that logistically could not have taken place.  Bob Woodward is a great reporter and a gifted writer, but sometimes his narratives blur the line between fiction and non-fiction.  That may also still be the case with "Deep Throat." 

Many folks have maintained for years that "Deep Throat" was not one person but was a composite of several of Woodward's Watergate sources.  There has been speculation for 30 years now that much of the cloak and dagger intrigue recorded in the number one bestseller and later dramatized even more in the Dustin Hoffman/Robert Redford movie was at the very least embellished.

With a million dollar book deal hanging in the balance, I doubt Mark Felt will say anything to lessen the drama and intrigue surrounding "Deep Throat."  But now that he has revealed who he is, the whole story will be scrutinized anew in great detail.  Already last night on Brit Hume's Special Report, analysts were poking gaping holes in details of the story: The balcony where the flag was supposedly placed in the flower pot was inaccessible, details that "Deep Throat" revealed would have been unknown to Felt, etc.

When all is said and done, I think we will realize that Mark Felt is around 75% of "Deep Throat."  The other 25% plus much of the mystique surrounding him, will be chalked up to Woodward taking, um, shall we say, "creative license" in telling a story that all agree he got at least 90% right, even if he filled in some of the blanks himself.