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Directed By: Ron Howard
Starring:
Frank Langella as Richard Nixon
Michael Sheen as David Frost
Kevin Bacon as Jack Brennan
Frank Langella and Michael Sheen are two formidable, yet underappreciated talents. Here, they are entangled in a poetic, yet brutal battle of wits playing Richard Nixon and David Frost respectively. Reprising the roles they played in the beloved stage play of the same name written by Peter Morgan, they fit warmly back into them. Morgan also returns to translate the play to the screen, without sacrificing its sincerity and power. His last writing credit was the underwhelming The Other Boleyn Girl, a contrived film that unnecessarily manipulated history in order to deliver more drama and entertainment. Here, there are minor changes to the actual story to make the film feel more cinematic, but the facts are still presented with almost perfect accuracy. Its good news for those familiar with the actual interviews and the events that preceded them; sometimes, the true story is just too fascinating to change and this is one of those stories.
Everyone knows who Richard Milhous Nixon (played brilliantly by Langella) was: the thirty-seventh President of the United States who resigned from the office after being publicly disgraced and discredited by the Watergate scandal. You may recall that his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him in what is often considered to be the most unjust and damaging pardon in the history of the country. Ford claimed he was trying to save America from the embarrassment and turmoil of having their previous Commander-in-Chief put on trial; the American people called for his blood. During this time, great skepticism of political leaders, government, and even the democratic process arose in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Frost/Nixon begins three years after Nixon’s resignation; Nixon still remains in hiding, doing harmless public speeches and skirting around the topic of Watergate whenever possible. That is until he receives word that David Frost (Sheen) would like to interview him.
Frost, a struggling television journalist from England, has seen his career fail in America once before and is determined not to let that happen again. He figures that an interview with Nixon would be the perfect thing to ignite America’s interest in him and is willing to do anything to make the project come to fruition…even pay Nixon more than a half-million dollars and broadcast the interview independently of all of the major networks. Nixon sees this as a great opportunity as well, to answer questions about Watergate and come off looking presidential and guiltless. His confidence comes from his belief that Frost is nothing more than a lightweight, unable to handle himself against Nixon’s well-honed debate skills. The interview begins badly for Frost who is muddled by Nixon’s witty remarks and endless monologues, but when the direction turns towards Watergate, Frost sees his opportunity to strike, leading to one of the most explosive climaxes of the year.
The final scenes of the interview in Frost/Nixon are of upmost importance to the film. Filmed like poetry depicting a war, the dialog is graceful and elegant, the style is suspenseful, and the outcome is both enraging and enthralling. As Nixon leaves the interview for the last time, defeated, he is not doing the customary waving and greeting. Instead, he is silent. Haphazardly, he pets a small Dachshund, reaching out to something for comfort. His hands move awkwardly, as though they had never been gentle or compassionate before. For all we knew, Nixon never had been; he was always the gruff tyrant depicted by the media. Frost/Nixon, so perfectly made, never excuses Nixon’s behavior; quite contrarily, it acts as his trial, verdict, and execution. But, it delves into his humanity, effectively painting him as an imperfect human, but still a human. In the end, it is the film’s heart that makes it so flawless and not its politics.
Everyone knows who Richard Milhous Nixon (played brilliantly by Langella) was: the thirty-seventh President of the United States who resigned from the office after being publicly disgraced and discredited by the Watergate scandal. You may recall that his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned him in what is often considered to be the most unjust and damaging pardon in the history of the country. Ford claimed he was trying to save America from the embarrassment and turmoil of having their previous Commander-in-Chief put on trial; the American people called for his blood. During this time, great skepticism of political leaders, government, and even the democratic process arose in the hearts and minds of many Americans. Frost/Nixon begins three years after Nixon’s resignation; Nixon still remains in hiding, doing harmless public speeches and skirting around the topic of Watergate whenever possible. That is until he receives word that David Frost (Sheen) would like to interview him.
Frost, a struggling television journalist from England, has seen his career fail in America once before and is determined not to let that happen again. He figures that an interview with Nixon would be the perfect thing to ignite America’s interest in him and is willing to do anything to make the project come to fruition…even pay Nixon more than a half-million dollars and broadcast the interview independently of all of the major networks. Nixon sees this as a great opportunity as well, to answer questions about Watergate and come off looking presidential and guiltless. His confidence comes from his belief that Frost is nothing more than a lightweight, unable to handle himself against Nixon’s well-honed debate skills. The interview begins badly for Frost who is muddled by Nixon’s witty remarks and endless monologues, but when the direction turns towards Watergate, Frost sees his opportunity to strike, leading to one of the most explosive climaxes of the year.
The final scenes of the interview in Frost/Nixon are of upmost importance to the film. Filmed like poetry depicting a war, the dialog is graceful and elegant, the style is suspenseful, and the outcome is both enraging and enthralling. As Nixon leaves the interview for the last time, defeated, he is not doing the customary waving and greeting. Instead, he is silent. Haphazardly, he pets a small Dachshund, reaching out to something for comfort. His hands move awkwardly, as though they had never been gentle or compassionate before. For all we knew, Nixon never had been; he was always the gruff tyrant depicted by the media. Frost/Nixon, so perfectly made, never excuses Nixon’s behavior; quite contrarily, it acts as his trial, verdict, and execution. But, it delves into his humanity, effectively painting him as an imperfect human, but still a human. In the end, it is the film’s heart that makes it so flawless and not its politics.
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