The 1970s "Paranoia Trilogy" Is More Relevant Than Ever 50 Years Later

Klute. The Parallax View. All the President's Men. Collectively, these movies are known as the "Paranoia Trilogy." Together, they offer a remarkable look into the American psyche half a century ago...and alarmingly highlight how the country's penchant for conspiratorial thinking has only been turbo-charged in the ensuing five decades.

The "Paranoia Trilogy" of films were directed by Alan J. Pakula, who went on to direct equally lauded movies like Sophie's Choice, Presumed Innocent, and The Pelican Brief.

Pakula's signature themes are recognizable in all these films, but his '70s output was the peak of his career as the undisputed master of paranoia and political alienation.

"Klute" Is An Intimate Conspiracy Thriller On The Cutting Edge Of The Modern Surveillance Era

Klute: Starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, & More; Released In 1971

At a glance, Klute could be mistaken for a conventional early '70s neo-noir private eye story. And those are certainly the bones of film. Yet from the opening shot of a tape recorder clicking on, the film's obsession with the burgeoning art of video and audio surveillance makes it both perfectly of its time, and distinctly prescient.

Within just a few years, surreptitious surveillance and secret recordings would be central to the Watergate scandal that brought down the Nixon administration, and provided the material for the "Paranoia Trilogy's" final film. Fifty years hence, Americans take the surveillance state for granted. When Klute came out, the idea was a looming fear, while today it is an inescapable reality.

Klute isn't directly about politics, or government, but it lays the foundation for the subsequent films in the "Paranoia Trilogy" with its character-based look at how power and conspiracy go hand-in-hand. Further, it establishes director Alan J. Pakula's ongoing fascination with how technology encourages conspiracies, but also thwarts them, which is essential to both The Parallax View and All the President's Men.

"The Parallax View" Is A Full-Blown Conspiracy Thriller With A Lasting Influence On American Culture

The Parallax View: Starring Warren Beatty, Paull Prentiss, & More; Released In 1974

Klute was released in 1971. Alan J. Pakula followed it up with The Parallax View, the more overtly political, and more unrepentantly paranoid second installment in the "Paranoia Trilogy." The movie starts and ends with the assassinations of potential presidential candidates; in between, Warren Beaty's character Joe Frady gets wrapped up in a diabolical conspiracy involving the Parallax corporation.

The Parallax View captured the belief about shadowy cabals and political conspiracies rampant in American culture in the '70s, following a decade of disillusionment which saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Kennedy brothers, among many more tumultuous and destabilizing world events. At the same time, it also inspired the next generation of conspiracy theorists.

Meaning, conspiracy fiction and conspiracy culture are a two-way mirror. Parallax View distilled decades of conspiratorial ideas into a digestible form, which then helped new waves of conspiracy-minded individuals refine their own beliefs. This makes The Parallax View even more important as an artifact of its time, which was also ahead of its time.

"President's Men" Is One Of The Most Important Movies Of The 20th Century, And The Final "Paranoia Trilogy" Film

All The President's Men: Starring Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, & More; Released In 1976

The third "Paranoia Trilogy,' installment is Alan J. Pakula's masterpiece: All the President's Men. The 1976 film, an adaptation of Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward's 1974 book, is widely regarded as one of the best movies ever. Notably, it is based on a non-fiction account of Watergate, yet it contains every one of the vital themes present in Klute and Parallax View.

Each "Paranoia Trilogy" movie has a very different vibe, but All the President's Men reflects both of its predecessors in critical ways. It has the patience of Klute, and the urgency of Parallax View. Unlike Pakula's prior two films, President's Men's grounding in real events, real people, and real journalistic procedures shows a very different side of conspiracy and paranoia.

And this is precisely what makes it the most timely and timeless of the trio. It showcases the increasingly degraded role of the press in American democracy at arguably its height. In an odd way, it also reminds viewers that even government conspiracies used to be carried out with a touch more class fifty years ago.

Each Installment Of The "Paranoia Trilogy" Holds Up As A Masterpiece In Its Own Way

Klute, Parallax View, And President's Men Hold Up As Entertainment & More

Alan J. Pakula's "Paranoia Trilogy" came at a pivotal point in American conspiracy culture. You could say that it marked the end of its adolescence, when conspiracy culture entered the wild and unpredictable age of puberty, before hitting full maturity in the '90s. Klute, Parallax View, and President's Men all marked that change, and helped feed into it.

So, for anyone seeking to understand modern conspiracy culture, or modern American culture, Pakula's '70s films are essential viewing. They are a snapshot of their era, a blueprint for the future, and a prescient commentary about where we are today. They are the ultimate "the more things change, the more they stay the same" trilogy.

And they remain highly regarded as films, not just for what they represent. Klute boasts a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score, as does All the President's Men. The Parallax View isn't far behind at 87% RT. Each movie has something distinct to offer viewers as a movie, while also being thought-provoking and historically noteworthy.