Debra McClutchy – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT – Review by Jennifer Merin

June 28, 2022June 29, 2022 Jennifer Merin Anne Alvergue, Cinema Citizen, Debra McClutchy, gaslit, john mitchell, julia roberts, martha mitchell, netflix, Richard Nixon, sean penn, STARZ, The Martha Mitchell Effect, watergate

This June marks the 50th anniversary of the Watergate break-in and the political scandal that led to President Richard Nixon’s eventual resignation from office on August 8, 1974. It was a turning point in US history, one in which Martha Mitchell played a role, Martha was the whistleblower wife of former US Attorney General John Mitchell, a close Nixon advisor and ally who was jailed for his complicity in the Watergate case. Two films currently in release commemorate the Watergate events and era by taking another look at Martha’s perspective on Watergate, how it happened and its impact on our nation.

Interviews

Debra McClutchy and Anne Alvergue on THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT – Nell Minow interviews

June 28, 2022June 29, 2022 Nell Minow Anne Alvergue, Debra McClutchy, documentary, netflix, The Martha Mitchell Effect

On Netflix, a new documentary from directors Debra McClutchy and Anne Alvergue is called The Martha Mitchell Effect, named for a psychiatric term inspired by Martha Mitchell’s story. It means someone whose comments are dismissed as mental illness but turned out to have been telling the truth. In an interview, the directors talked about doing research at the Nixon Library, what Martha liked about talking to the press, and why they see her as a hero.