The Martha Mitchell Effect (2022) User Reviews

A true life American Character who told us what was happening

[thejdrage · 8/10 · 20 June 2022]

Martha Mitchell was a very loud outspoken woman who told people what was really happening in American politics in the 70s when The Emperor Had No Clothes. Only she did it with a TON of hair spray!!

Had she been alive and doing the same thing today, she would be "Cancelled" - which is exactly what they did to her then, but with medications and the press.

I would have liked more about her children, but...

She was a brave old broad! More power to her for saying what she believed ..... no matter what the cost. If only more of us had that fortitude and strength.

Martha My Dear...

[Lejink · 7/10 · 17 November 2022]

This short Netflix documentary opened my eyes to the part that Martha Mitchell may have played in the downfall of Tricky Dick himself, U. S. President Richard Nixon. She was the wife of Nixon's Attorney General and later his 1972 re-election campaign manager, John Mitchell, considered to be the man who organised the Watergate break-in. For long enough she supported Nixon, but once she made public her distaste for the Vietnam War, she was seen thereafter by the White House as a loose cannon and a potential liability to the re-election campaign.

Once Watergate hit the headlines, she sought to deflect her husband's role in the plot by saying that the buck went all the way to the top, meaning the President himself. Sadly, after Nixon's resignation, her husband left her and is actually caught on camera after receiving his prison sentence, uttering words to the effect that he still preferred that prospect over spending any more time with his then estranged wife.

Lionised in her lifetime in the press, on TV and to the American public at large as a truth-teller until Nixon's dirty-tricks saw her discredited and branded as an alcoholic mental case, she later tried to relaunch herself as a talk-show host on TV before she was sadly stricken down with what proved to be a terminal illness and died aged only 57 in 1976.

We see Nixon in one of his famous interviews with David Frost (he also interviewed Martha, but we get only a tiny glimpse of that, unfortunately) say on record 'If it hadn't been for Martha Mitchell, there'd have been no Watergate." and this after she'd died.

To attract two such quotes from both these high-profile crooks John Mitchell and of course Nixon certainly leads one to believe the floral tribute at her funeral which bore the legend "Martha was right!".

I appreciated learning about her story, even if I don't share her politics. The problem with this documentary was it was just too short and seemed to treat every major event, once she found her voice, like they were bullet points.

It's like suddenly her husband has separated from her, then she's on TV doing chat shows, then she's dying and then she's dead. She may just have been a footnote in the downfall of a disgraced president, but he certainly was well aware of her and I think the film-maker here did her a disservice in not expanding on her story more than is done here.

That said, at least her story is out there and I for one am glad I caught this flawed but interesting documentary profile of this very interesting lady.

Definitely Not A Mountain Out Of A Molehill

[flynnfisher-55953 · 8/10 · 21 November 2022]

Nixon said it himself, if it hadn't been for Martha there wouldn't been a Watergate scandal.

She was not an alcoholic. She was not crazy. She simply told the truth.

This could have easily been a full length documentary. It should have been. Would have loved to have known about Martha's childhood. Also, her and her husband's relationship with their child. What was the Mitchell's life like before they went to Washington DC? How did they meet? I have so many questions that weren't addressed. This brief documentary is very well done and a perfectly adequate thumbnail sketch of this pivotal moment in history.

"Oh my God, was she on the phone again?"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 20 February 2023]

Ah yes, she was quite the character, Martha Mitchell was. This documentary makes it seem like she was the only person garnering headlines in the newspapers and tabloids of the Watergate era, and that she was a major factor in the downfall of President Richard Nixon. In fact, the Watergate conspiracy had a lot of moving parts and a whole host of guilty characters making the news on a daily basis. Richard Nixon himself made a bold claim that if it weren't for Martha, he would have survived the Watergate scandal, but his involvement would have been found out anyway between all the investigative reporting and Senate testimony given by the Watergate defendants. So in that respect, I think the documentary was somewhat one sided in its presentation of Mrs. Mitchell's importance in bringing down an administration. But no doubt about it, she was a colorful character and one that couldn't be suppressed, until of course, she was by her husband and forces bent on silencing her comments about the Vietnam War and the Watergate break-in. I didn't know that her name had been linked to a psychiatric condition described by the title of this documentary, that is, a diagnosis that says a person is delusional for their outspoken claims that later turn out to be true. It vaguely seems to describe a certain wife I'm familiar with.

A very dry, but informational documentary

[lojitsu · 6/10 · 1 March 2023]

Here's The 4K Lowedown on "The Martha Mitchell Effect" (PG - 2022 - Netflix) Genre: Documentary/Biography

My Score: 6.3 Cast=6 Acting=6 Plot=7 Ending=6 Story=7 Interest=7 Cinema=4 Direct=6 History=10 Pace=4

The Cabinet wife who spoke out during Watergate and the Nixon administration's campaign to gaslight her into silence.

I knew about the Watergate scandal, but I didn't know about Martha Mitchell or her involvement. This intrigued me right off the bat and it did drop some knowledge on me that I didn't already have. The problem I had with this was the documentary was so dry that I had to wipe the dust off my TV twice in the 40 minutes it took to see it. If you are interested in Politics or Watergate specifically, I think this is worth a watch.

a standup woman

[ferguson-6 · 7/10 · 3 March 2023]

Greetings again from the darkness. Fifty years have passed, yet the Watergate scandal continues to provide us with stories. Co-directors Anne Alvergue and Debra McClutchy turn their attention to one of the fascinating figures of the era in this 40 minute short. Martha Mitchell was the wife of Richard Nixon's campaign manager and subsequent Attorney General, John Mitchell. Outspoken Martha was a colorful personality and characterized as "a menace" by Nixon himself.

The directors utilize archival footage and news reels to show how Martha became a media darling during one of the most closed-off administrations in recent history. Reporters such as Helen Thomas and Connie Chung bring a media perspective, as do the numerous newscast clips shown. However, things took a pretty dark turn for this charming lady, and her story provides a stark reminder of just how corrupt and extreme the Nixon administration became.

Once news of the Watergate break-in hit the news, Martha seemed to vanish from the public eye. Her story is that she was held captive, basically kidnapped, as the administration advanced a public character assassination on her. When the secret tapes were revealed, and Martha discovered her husband had conspired with Nixon on the break-in, she became a high-profile whistleblower, After Nixon's resignation, Martha became a celebrity, frequently seen on talk shows. Cast by many as a 'crazy' lady, the "Martha Mitchell effect" became the description for those whose 'delusions' turned out to be true. The recent TV miniseries "Gaslit" also focused on Martha Mitchell, who died in 1976 from a blood disease.

She told the truth about Nixon, and was kidnapped, drugged, and held prisoner

[spacechick-75-91100 · 9/10 · 22 June 2022]

Say what you will, but Martha Mitchell was a woman of her time. The 1970s were a completely different time in history for women. Most women were relegated to just being hostesses for their husbands political parties. Women were supposed to be seen but not heard. If any political conversations went on, the women were not involved they were relegated to another separate room. Martha Mitchell did not fit this type cast of a woman. She did not hold her tongue when it came to her opinions. She, along with her husband John Mitchell (later went to jail for organizing the Watergate break in) ran the campaign to reelect President Nixon in 1972.

Martha Mitchell broke the Watergate story. She was held prisoner in a hotel suite in California, drugged, made to appear mentally ill by her own husband and Richard Nixon and his crooks.

We owe a lot to this woman for her bravery to not be silenced. Yes, she drank a bit much, but that doesn't make her unusual for the women of the 70's. It certainly did not make her unpopular. The press loved her. Nixon avoided the Press like the Plague. He was a crook and he was laid open into the light by Martha Mitchell who suffered from financial, social and personal tragedy. In the end, from one woman to another I can say she hasn't gotten nearly enough credit for bringing down an entire corrupt President and All of His Men. Thank you Ms. Mitchell.

Can anyone explain to me what this documentary was about?

[mickeythechamp · 2/10 · 20 February 2023]

Road to the Oscars 2023. This documentary is nominated for 1 award and it´s documentary short. All I can think is, maybe you had to have been there. The Martha Mitchel effect seems like a doc you kind of have to be in on to really enjoy. It´s one of those docs where I think you at least have to be American or into foreign politics to really hit you. I had only heard about the watergate scandal briefly and I feel like I learned nothing about it from this doc. Furthermore, I feel like I learned nothing in general from this doc. It´s just an uninspired clipshow doc that is not just boring but also feels highly uninformative and unfocused.

We hear about Martha Mitchel a cabinet wife that the Nixon government tried to silence and gaslight her.

The documentary really didn't do a good job engaging me in the conflict. It feels more like a sequel or follow-up to a larger work where all the information was presented. I found the doc all over the place and really unfocused in general. I´m not sure what was being presented half the time and the mixing of stories and ideas never blended into a larger meaning. It´s a "then this happened" doc that never engages you.

The unforcedness isn't helped by the length of the doc either. The doc moves so fast, never really delving into any of it´s aspects. It never takes it´s time to explain anything and present anything so it´s understandable what's going on to someone who knows nothing of the subject matter.

I feel like I learned nothing from the doc. I still feel like I know nothing of Martha Mitchel other than she seemed kind of cool. I know nothing of watergate, know nothing of Nixon, know nothing of the gaslighting. It just seems like nothing and a fast clipshow that went by like I was in a coma.

The footage and sound seemed very impersonal to me. I never really engaged with the footage shown and while the doc clearly has a message and POV it seems so anonymous. The people interviewed are not presented in a way so that I engaged with the doc and I never really knew who was talking and why.

The music used was also overdramatic.

I don't know what to say to a doc like this. It seems like a huge waste of time and potential. It might be interesting what it´s about but it never takes it time to tell me why it´s important. It never takes it time to include people who aren't in the know and it leaves you as one big question mark wanting to know what exactly you just watched. It just ended up being a boring doc with no real outcome. Again, not saying the subject matter isn't important o interesting but I think it was communicated in such a poor way.

Oscar predictions: Short documentary is really not great this year. So far I have not been blown away and I don't see why this would win compared to some of the other nominees. While it has some political integrity, it might be too divisive for the academy and other docs nominated in the category sends a political statement too without it being aimed at American politics. If this wins I would be surprised and feel like other docs nominated deserved it far more, and that says a lot when none of them has blown me away yet.

Great documentary

[simonapopa-51533 · 10/10 · 22 June 2022]

Depicts the political life in Washington DC during Nixon era from the perspective of a wife of a prominent political figure close to Nixon. As expected for that time she was not taken seriously when she told everyone including the press about the political maneuvers made during the Watergate by the president any the ones close to him and that includes her husband. After Nixon's resignation the press recognizes her as person who spoke the truth to power and later from the Watergate tapes we can find that Nixon feared her and tried to silence her multiple times.

Mountain out of a molehill

[dierregi · 2/10 · 21 June 2022]

Being European and of a younger generation I had never heard of Mrs. Mitchell but I thought the documentary may be interesting because of the Watergate connection. Turns out it was rather exploitative of the current fashion of putting a woman center stage, even if her part in the story was at best marginal.

What I learned from this is that Mrs. Mitchell was a loudmouth who craved attention and who managed to turn a national scandal into personal drama. She was described as an alcoholic and, with due respect, she looked and sounded slightly intoxicated in a couple of interviews. The fact that her enemy was the despicable Nixon doesn't make her a heroine or a particularly palatable character... and what was that "My husband abandoned me in California!" Couldn't she organize her own transport instead of whining on the phone?

Finally, apart from her generic blabbering about her husband and Nixon doing "horrible things", these things always remained unspecified and I doubt she knew much about the real goings on, even if the biased narrative wants to make it look like Mrs. Mitchell was the direct responsibility of Nixon's downfall.

The Early 70s Were Incredible History

[Sarah423 · 9/10 · 7 December 2022]

Sometimes Hollywood incorrectly stereotypes the 1970's as a "fun" or "easy" period of time.

Those who lived it or truly study it, however, know that the fun was always mixed with an undercurrent of change and the fight of honor versus dishonor.

It was a very political time.

---

Martha Mitchell Effect is the term when a psychiatrist misdiagnoses someone as delusional when the story they tell--though improbable--is true. And so it was with Martha herself.

She was the first Cassandra voice of corruption at the top. The first to question the impact Nixon would have historically.

People who dismiss the time period lightly would do well to respect that many of the roots of political division we have now began in 1972.

Hillary Clinton did far worse

[The_Boxing_Cat · 3/10 · 19 March 2023]

Watergate is NOTHING compared to the Russia collusion. Hillary Clinton paid for The steel dossier in efforts to stop Donald Trump from becoming president. What's even worse is her campaign continued to spy on him AFTER he became president!

The FBI, the CIA, the Democrat Party along with Hillary Clinton colluded together to stop Trump. They did everything to get rid of him, but even after two phony impeachments and the January 6th committee, he's still extremely popular and will probably win a second term.

I didn't believe anything Trump said until the Pandemic. Locked at home I started watching the Covid press coverage from the White House. I would watch David Muir every single night- that's when I learned they lied about Trump. I was shocked! I dug into everything and found out Trump was right- just like Martha Mitchell!

I've been a registered Democrat my entire life and cannot believe how far they have fallen. My folks, back as far as I can remember were Blue Dog Democrats. I am so ashamed of my party. Now we have an Alzheimers patient running the country off a cliff! History will not judge us well - we all stood by & watched him barely able to speak. HOW FAR AMERICA has fallen under Biden & his corrupt family.

A gem of a historical doc -- more like this, please!

[eveegan-67950 · 9/10 · 2 November 2022]

Wow -- what a surprise and a delight!

I knew the basic history of Watergate -- or rather, I thought I knew. "The Martha Mitchell Effect" reintroduced me to that past and made me question the relative simplicity of the story I'd learned previously.

With efficient storytelling that nevertheless dynamically develops its main character, the film presents a memorable story suggestive of contemporary connections without putting a fine point on them -- that is, it's faithful to its history, as a work of history should be, yet pushes the viewer to reexamine the present (again, as a work of history should!).

The restrained yet stylized use of motion and motion graphics with the archival images deserves special mention. It managed to elevate the work and give it a contemporary feel without once taking the viewer out of the era at the heart of the film. It's thoroughly historical, yet impressively fresh.

The Mouth Of The South Would Not Be Silenced . . . .

[sundayatdusk-97859 · 9/10 · 28 January 2023]

It's a shame this documentary wasn't a full-length one that looked at Martha Mitchell's entire life. Instead, it was a very short look at her life in Washington and Watergate. Richard Nixon is seen in an interview saying if not for Martha Mitchell, there would have been no Watergate. The crimes would have not been exposed.

Martha Mitchell was the Mouth of the South. She was not like any of the other Republican wives. She did not censor her comments about anything, but still was much the Republican, except where the Vietnam War was concerned. It wasn't the war, however, that made the Nixon administration try to silence her. It was Watergate.

Not only did they try to silence her, they tried to make her out to be mentally ill. Her own husband, who she had always ferociously protected and supported, is heard on White House tapes saying she needed to be seen by the media as unstable. This wasn't gaslighting, because Martha Mitchell was way too smart to be gaslighted.

It was a campaign to discredit her in the eyes of the world. How it all ends is sad. Sad for everyone, including Martha Mitchell, the one person who would not be silenced. Too bad Martha Mitchell wasn't around to take on Donald Trump. She would not have supported his crimes, stupidity and incompetence for a second.

I love this subject!

[UniqueParticle · 9/10 · 17 February 2023]

The focus ofJohn Mitchel's wife Martha Mitchell and archive footage which is all incredible! This Oscar nominated short has mixed reviews I guess that's fair I think it's spectacular all around, interesting, informative, and brilliant at times. I love the quote of "Opening up a can worms and that it'd take longer than they have and the interviewer responds ok then 30 minutes" which is perfect length. Not sure why this had complaints this is an incredible short probably could've been longer but its good enough. Martha seemed like a very likable woman's despite any issues with her and potential of her being a cause of the infamous watergate dilemma.

Great Documentary

[661jda · 8/10 · 23 February 2023]

What a great documentary about one of the more colorful historical figures of our time. I grew up during this era and heard of MM on the news all the time. I heard what the news was fed to report. Seeing interviews with this woman is very refreshing to see just how colorful she really was. She called it from the hip and didn't mince words. She was one of the first if not "the first" to put the Watergate blame where it belonged. The film deals directly with the Watergate incident rather than go into the historicals of MM life.

The documentary is a lot of things: fun, controversial, at times, confounding. One thing it is not: boring. This is a fast 40 minute watch. Make time for it on your schedule.

Spectacular Documentary.

[fortbragg · 10/10 · 12 March 2023]

Having lived through the mess that was Watergate, I can only say bravo to the filmmakers. Martha Mitchell was a great American patriot, dressed up like a Republican. Watergate is a seminal moment in the politics of the United States of America. Prior to Watergate, the people believed what politicians, and especially the President, said. Watergate changed the basic relation between the citizenry and the government in profound ways. We learned that most politicians are just plain liars, and we simply can not and must not trust them. We have Martha Mitchell to thank for that. She spoke truth and bore real psychic wounds because of that. My only problem with this documentary is that it is far too short. Other that that, it does precisely what documentaries should do: present the facts and let them speak for themselves. Wonderful movie!

A Real Bra Burning Woman

[PalmBeachG · 8/10 · 2 April 2023]

You have to remember the times/era to really appreciate this Martha Mitchell Documentary. In 1968 when Tricky Dick first became President and Martha Mitchell first came on the scene college campuses were rebelling the Vietnam War and women were finally speaking out. At SIU I can remember Nixon landing at the campus airport and all the rebellious students threw tomatoes at him getting off the plane. Same weekend hundreds of girls rallied and took off their bras and burned them in support of women speaking out. So at the time for a woman to speak out like she did was shocking. A very sad ending that her former husband didn't see her in the end when she was sick and wanted to see him.

interesting piece of american history

[ksf-2 · 8/10 · 9 September 2023]

A forty minute mini doc. John mitchell was nixon's attorney general, and his most trusted advisor. But mitchell's wife martha was loud and outspoken, to both her own husband, as well as to nixon's policies. She actually was a nixon supporter, but also believed in a strong, free press and transparency. Unfortunately, those were not nixon's strong suits. Discussion of how martha was detained and beaten, by "someone" in nixon's camp, because of her public, vocal opinions. A well done production. Lots of recordings presented, even by nixon himself. As a student of history, I was aware of the watergate hearings, but had not been aware of martha's role in having it exposed. Interesting stuff. Directed by anne alvergue, debra mcclutchy. Martha died of myeloma at age 57. Just two years after nixon resigned. More details at wikipedia dot org. This was nominated for best short documentary.

The Cassandra of Watergate - an excellent must see film

[Sasha_Lauren · 10/10 · 10 March 2023]

Martha Mitchell, a bright, perceptive, vivacious, and bold woman would not keep her mouth shut -- for good reason. She picked up the phone and talked to reporters in attempts to get the truth out about corrupt President Nixon and his cronies. Sadly, Martha was gaslit, sedated, and slandered by these narcissist, power hungry crooks including Richard Nixon and her husband, U. S. Attorney General John Mitchell, a former bond lawyer and Tricky Dick law partner who became Nixon's campaign manager in 1968. I don't know what Martha ever saw in John who seems like such a nasty turncoat. She deserved better. I'm glad the filmmakers told her story and gave her back her agency.

The Martha Mitchell Effect is when a medical profession labels a person's accurate perceptions of events as delusional, resulting in misdiagnosis -- and mistreatment. Much like or the same as the reaction of perpetrators of assaults known as DARVO -- Deny and Reverse Victim and Offender. As a patient safety activist for over a decade, I witness these rampant slander and blame the victim and whistleblower tactics every day. We all see this go on all the time, so why does the public keep believing crminals and punishing truthtellers? Oh yeah, money and power.

I highly recommend this skillfully made academy award nominated documentary about a brave woman, important subject, and pervasive and destructive social construct. Easily 10 out of 10.

beware those who scorn "conspiracy theories"

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 26 December 2023]

While Watergate remains famous as the scandal that brought down Nixon, a lesser known figure in it was Martha Mitchell. The wife of attorney-general John Mitchell, she tried to expose the coverup but got scorned as delusional. Sure enough, she turned out to be right.

The Academy Award-nominated documentary "The Martha Mitchell Effect" tells this story. One of the things that we should take from it is to be careful about casually scorning anything that we disagree with as fake news. It's one thing if a statement has no connection to reality - i.e., Jewish space lasers - but investigations into wrongdoing at the hands of the powerful should get taken seriously. To be certain, we see how Nixon tried to gaslight Martha Mitchell (never mind that Tricky Dick was also having the FBI spy on John Lennon during this time).

Anyway, worth seeing.

Short but sweet, then again so was Martha.

[zappboot · 8/10 · 16 March 2023]

At only about 40 minutes running time this was a well done documentary which really told everything you need to know about the heroic loose cannon known as Martha Mitchell.

Lots of quality archival footage, interview segments and photos. If you've seen the film "All The Presidents Men" The Martha Mitchell Effect is a perfect dessert.

There are no spoilers to give since this is more of an historical documentary and we all know what happened with The Watergate scandal. At the time this was all going down, Martha became somewhat of a celebrity and too hot a pistol for Nixon or even her own husband, Attorney General and campaign manager John Mitchell. With Martha making the rounds on the talk show circuit and spilling whatever she had, Martha couldn't shut up and it was great!