Though the outcome of this journalistic investigation is well known, its film version remains as riveting as 40 years ago. Alan J. Pakula, who also directed The Pelican Brief, really had an eye for D.C. locations. The Washington Post didn't allow filming in its newsroom, so it was meticulously recreated at Burbank Studios in California. At one point, Woodward (Robert Redford) and Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) go to the Library of Congress, 10 First Street SE for clues in their investigation. The filmmakers reportedly paid a lump sum for the permission to film inside the Reading Room.
Broadcast News (1987)
James L. Brooks' witty and entertaining satire revolves around three characters who work in the Washington D.C. office of a national television network. Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) and Tom Grunick (William Hurt) have a romantic outing by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, 701 E Basin Drive SW. The Jefferson Memorial also appeared in Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train and Emile Ardolino's Chances Are.
Chances Are (1989)
The Washington Post did allow cameras in its offices for this romantic fantasy about reincarnation. The screenwriters for that film happened to be childhood friends of Ben Bradlee's daughter. Corinne (Cybill Shepherd) works as an exhibition curator at the Smithsonian Institution, 1000 Jefferson Drive, SW.
The Exorcist (1973)
The steps from which Father Karras falls to death, were recognized as a D.C. landmark and official tourist attraction by Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser who unveiled a memorial plaque on the Halloween weekend in 2015. The McNeils house (pictured below), where all the mysterious and gruesome events happen, is at 3600 Prospect Street NW. The left wing was a false front constructed by the crew so the house would appear closer to the steps. The author William Peter Blatty, whose novel was the basis for the film, was a Georgetown University alumnus, and used to live just a few doors from the Exorcist house, at 3618 Prospect Street NW.
A Few Good Men (1992)
In Rob Reiner's acclaimed courtroom drama, two young military lawyers, Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) and Lt. Cmdr. JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) are assigned a murder case that could implicate high-ranking officials. Danny ponders his moral dilemma at the Watergate Steps by the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
In the Line of Fire (1993)
In Wolfgang Petersen's fast-paced action thriller, aging Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan (Clint Eastwood) chases a clever assassin (John Malkovich). Frank lives in Adams Morgan, works at the U.S. Treasury Building, and likes to chill out at Old Ebbitt Grill. Horrigan takes Ella Raines (Rene Russo) for an ice cream to the Lincoln Memorial, Lincoln Memorial Circle SW.
No Way Out (1987)
While doing the helicopter shots during the opening credits, the film crew flew dangerously low over the Pentagon, the National Mall and the White House. The air traffic controllers told the crew to get out of the area quickly, or they may well be shot down. This political thriller features an impressive array of DC, Maryland and Virginia locations, and even the real hallways of the Pentagon, though most of its interiors were recreated in the studio. Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) first meets the ill-fated Susan Atwell (Sean Young) at a party at the Omni Shoreham Hotel, 2500 Calvert Street NW.
The Pelican Brief (1993)
Alan J. Pakula revisits D.C. in another conspiracy thriller, based on the novel by John Grisham. For a change, reporter Gray Grantham (Denzel Washington) lives in the Northeast while most other D.C. characters usually reside in Georgetown. Pakula also takes the viewers to some unusual places like Ben's Chili Bowl, Indiana Plaza, and the Washington International School. Grantham and Darby Shaw (Julia Roberts) get the incriminating videotape from a safe deposit box at the Riggs National Bank (now Bank of America), 1501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW.
St. Elmo's Fire (1985)
The movie revolves around a group of former Georgetown classmates navigating post-graduation life. The Georgetown University didn't allow to film on the campus, and it was shot at the University of Maryland instead. While the Brat Pack's favorite hang-out spot, St. Elmo's Bar was fictional and was filmed on a studio set, until recently you could still visit another bar featured in the movie: Third Edition, 1218 Wisconsin Avenue NW. Though the name has changed to El Centro, the exterior is still recognizable.
State of Play (2009)
Though a flawed film, lacking the resonance of All the President's Men or the assured pacing of The Pelican Brief, it was probably the last major picture extensively filmed on location in the District of Columbia. Despite the usual difficulties, associated with filming in the nation's capital, director Kevin Macdonald insisted on shooting there. The filmmakers were looking for locations that showed the D.C. where people live and work, not just the famous landmarks. One of the key locations was the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, where reporter Cal McAffrey (Russell Crowe) visits his friend Congressman Stephen Collins (Ben Affleck).
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