FROST/NIXON
US, 2008, 122 minutes, Colour.
Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, Matthew Mc Fadyen, Rebecca Hall, Clint Howard.
Directed by Ron Howard.
Frost/Nixon was a significant play on the London West End, Broadway and around the world. Its author, Peter Morgan, had made an impact on television with his screenplay for the alleged bargain between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown about the tenure of the British Prime Ministership, The Deal, as well as for Longford, his fine telemovie on Lord Longford and his contact with Moors Murderers, Myra Hindley and Ian Brady. For the big screen, he wrote The Last King of Scotland, The Other Boleyn Girl and the award-winning, The Queen. With Frost/Nixon, he extended his political interest to the United States and the history of the 1960s and 1970s, with a serious look at the Nixon heritage.
Many people were surprised that the task of bringing Morgan's adaptation of his play to the screen fell to Ron Howard, especially since Howard's previous film was The Da Vinci Code. However, Howard has proven himself with Frost/Nixon and reminded audiences that he is skilled at a wide range of genre films from his Oscar-winning, A Beautiful Mind to Apollo 13, The Missing and Parenthood.
Both in London and in New York, the central roles were taken by Frank Langella and Michael Sheen. Both are award-winning theatre actors. Over a long career, Langella has appeared in many films but, even though he does not look like Richard Nixon, we eventually accept the actor as the president and are both fascinated and repelled by this flawed American leader. Michael Sheen has been Mozart on stage in Amadeus, Kenneth Williams in Fantabulosa on television and Tony Blair both in The Deal and The Queen. Because David Frost has been around for so long now, audiences have forgotten, or never knew, the style and manner(isms) of Frost and his deadpan and emphatic voice – which Sheen does mimic well at times.
For those for whom the 1970s is a distant past, the opening credits recap the period, the American involvement in Vietnam, the heritage of John F Kennedy (against whom Nixon ran for president in 1960) and L.B. Johnson, the protest and demonstrations with their campus violence and deaths, the bombing of Cambodia. After the credits we are introduced to Frost, down on his luck in British and US TV but Down Under on his luck in hosting an odd reality program. He is in Australia when he sees Nixon's resignation speech on August 8th 1974. And he has an idea...
With the backing of British television producer, John Birt (Matthew Mc Fadyen), he starts negotiations for an interview with the disgraced president. What is interesting to watch is the eagerness exhibited by Nixon to reach the American public to justify himself, something backed by his principal adviser (Kevin Bacon). Nixon also has a rather mercenary approach to the interview, reflecting one of the key elements of the Watergate break-in concerning election year campaigning funds.
In the hindsight of the long career that Frost had in interviewing political personalities, it is something of a surprise to be reminded of his youth and inexperience, his presumption and his self-confidence, as well as his digging into his own pockets to pay for the interviews when he was scorned by political journalists and knocked back by the networks. While we know that, ultimately, the interviews were seen extensively in 1977, Frost's inept dealing with Nixon, allowing him to ramble and sermonise in the first three interviews, is also something of a shock.
Frost is seen as a celebrity (with famous parties), a talk show host and a performer. But, the film's drama builds up to the fourth interview where Frost had done more homework for a change, had consulted his researcher, James Reston (Sam Rockwell persuasive in a more mainstream role), and clicked with the President's need to admit mistakes and communicate with the American public.
The supporting cast is strong, including Rebecca Hall, Oliver Platt and Toby Jones.
Frost/Nixon reminds us of the key role that television plays in reaching a wide audience, with close-ups of face, body language and emotions, that do reveal a personality – while, on the other hand, presenting a carefully media-crafted image and persona.
So, in terms of politics, in terms of the impact of media and a glimpse back at a controversial and turbulent time in US history (just prior to the celebration of the Bicentenary of American independence in 1976 where one of the top films was All the President's Men), Frost/Nixon provides its audience with intelligent and thought-provoking cinema.
1.Acclaim for the play, the film, awards? Transferral to the screen?
2.Historical presuppositions about the United States, about Nixon, Watergate, Vietnam, the bombing of Cambodia, Nixon’s resignation? Presuppositions about Frost, as a TV personality, the interviews, his role?
3.How well did the film work as drama? The credits and the information about Nixon, his presidency, the Watergate scandal, the cover-up? Information about Frost? The idea for the interviews, the plan, the contacts, motivations? The preparations? The taping? The climax? Nixon’s confession?
4.The use of TV footage, the interviewees throughout the film, their retrospect views, the inserts into the drama? The studios, the United Kingdom, California?
5.Nixon and his career, his personality, his not being liked, his estimation of himself, his preference for intellectual debate, his decisions in the presidency? His history in court cases in the 40s and 50s, anticommunist, his vice-presidency, his confrontation with J.F. Kennedy? Inheriting the war from Lyndon Johnson? His patriotism, the politics of the war? Contacts with Mao Tse Tung, Brezhnev? His family and the background? The glimpses of Pat Nixon, her support, her health? The 1972 campaign? The money, the Watergate break-in, the cover-up, his various associates and the information given about them? The tapes, his resignation, his living in retirement, his TV interviews, his subsequent history as a private citizen?
6.Frank Langella’s impersonation of Nixon? His personality, Jack and the advice, his various associates? His attention to detail, his concern about money, the prurient touch about his questions, the shoes, Frost’s activity with women? Seeing him at home, his attitude towards the American public, the negotiations for the interviews, his working with David Frost? The interactions at the interviews, his chat, personalising, controlling Frost? His talk, the homilies in the interviews? The significance of his drinking, the night phone call, the duel with Frost? The final tape, the confession, the interruption, Jack and his appreciation of the gesture? His final admitting his faults? The aftermath, playing golf, the gift of the shoes, asking about the phone call?
7.Michael Sheen as David Frost, his career, the programs in London cancelled, in the US? His show in Australia, the variety show and the glimpses of the acts? August 8th, 1974, his watching the resignation speech, his idea, contacting John Birt, persuading him to be the producer? The negotiations, the discussions with Swifty Lazar, with Nixon, the visit to Nixon? Meeting Caroline on the plane, their talk, the revelation about himself, his inviting her, the meeting with Nixon? The importance of the money, his own money, the sponsors? Bob Reznik, James Reston, their backgrounds, television and research, publications? The preparation, his casual approach, going to parties? The relationship with Caroline, her advice? The exasperation of Reznik and Reston? John Birt having to support him? Going to the premiere of The Slipper and the Rose, his interviews on television? The first interview, his ineptness, Nixon taking over and talking? The reaction of those around? The further talks, foreign policy? The attempts at hard-hitting questions? The significance of the midnight phone call, Nixon surprised that Frost was at home, his drinking, their talking, the hard questions, the issues of the duel? Frost and his noticing a detail, listening to Nixon, the investigation, getting Reston to get the documents about Charles Coulson, the details, the interview, Frost sitting forward, asking stronger questions? Nixon and his more offhand reaction at opening the discussion, the questions and his responses, the interruption, the confession, the success of the interviews, the worldwide syndication, the sponsors, the apologies from the political commentators? Frost’s later visit to Nixon with Caroline, the gift of the shoes, telling Nixon they talked only about cheeseburgers on the phone?
8.The three interviews, Nixon’s response, control, explanation of himself, justifying? The last interview and the drama for the film?
9.The characters of Reznik and Reston, their backgrounds, ideology, Reznik and television, Reston and research, Reston not wanting to shake hands with Nixon, their aggravation with Frost, their joy in getting Nixon to confess?
10.John Birt, the English background, producer, caution, seeing Frost as a performer, his rushing naked into the sea in jubilation at the end?
11.Nixon’s entourage, the advice, Jack, steely-eyed, watching everything, the advice, his praise of the president, the gesture for him not to confess? His comments in retrospect?
12.The technicians, their work on the interviews?
13.The nature of television, the discussion at the end about close-ups, Nixon’s face, the confession, the need for the American public to hear Nixon admitting his guilt?
14.The film as contributing to an understanding of American history in the 1970s?
