FROST
/ NIXON
With
Frank
Langella,
Michael
Sheen,
Sam
Rockwell,
Kevin
Bacon,
Oliver
Platt,
Matthew
Macfadyen,
Rebecca
Hall,
Toby
Jones
Written
by Peter
Morgan
(based
on his
play)
Directed
by Ron
Howard
Nixon
was
such
a grotesque
personality,
it is
amazing
how
he reached
the
highest
office
in the
world
–
oh hang
on,
he was
a politician
after
all!
This
dramatization
of the
interviews
conducted
with
the
fallen
US president
and
the
sharp
British
TV personality
David
Frost
is based
on Peter
Morgan’s
acclaimed
stage
play.
It focuses
on David
Frost’s
adamant
drive
to get
these
interviews
taped
and
broadcast
(coming
at a
very
high
financial
cost
and
possible
career
suicide).
With
Frost
and
his
dedicated
team
the
viewer
is taken
through
the
preparation
and
execution
of these
meetings
for
the
series
of post-presidency
interviews
where
they
were
attempting
to give
the
impeached
(but
pardoned)
Nixon
the
trial
he never
had.
But,
constructed
like
a boxing
match,
the
man
who
was
brought
down
by the
Watergate
scandal
was
a crafty
and
formidable
opponent
which
serves
for
some
exciting,
engrossing
and
dramatic
scenes,
as he
keeps
sidestepping
the
more
timid
Frost,
the
allocated
time
running
out
with
still
many
unanswered
questions
hanging.
Nixon
agreed
to the
interviews
hoping
to save
his
credibility
(but
also
pocketing
a substantial
fee).
I do
however
feel
that
Langella
(regardless
of his
Oscar
nomination
for
the
role)
hammed
it up
a bit,
exaggerating
Nixon
to a
great
extent.
Oscar-winning
director
Ron
Howard
(responsible
for
Splash,
Apollo
13 and
The
Da Vinci
Code)
also
got
a nomination,
together
with
writer
Morgan,
Best
Picture
and
Editing
categories,
but
winning
none
(knocked
out
by Slumdog
Millionaire).
I’m
very
glad
that
in addition
to the
commentary
track,
informative
‘making-of’
material
and
a piece
on the
Nixon
library
and
museum,
the
real
interview
is also
looked
at with
some
of the
actual
footage.
Unfortunately
the
original
four
90-minute
sessions
would
not
fit
onto
the
disc(!),
but
would’ve
been
perfect.
4
/ B
- Paul
Blom
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A
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- C
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