Frost/Nixon

[Sadken]

My film of the year if it were'nt for There Will Be Blood. There are great DVD copies of this film all over the net, I watched it last night and it is fucking brilliant.

I was concerned the Nixon actor would've been better played by Pres. Logan from 24 (really seeemed like his whole life was leading to the role) but they went for Frank Langhella and although the voice is a touch off, the acting is mesmerising. Michael Sheen is brilliant as Frost as well - the voice acting is absolutely SPOT ON and he really conveys the inner turmoil Frost was in over the whole thing very very well indeed.

Great film - watch it.

 

[lostexpectation]

seems like nixon decided to hang himself, frost did know tv, but then he only admitted to emotional mistakes not head mistakes(nixon).

 

[Kid_Eternity]

Even though it's directed by Ron Howard still want to see this!

 

[LindaR]

I honestly think Nixon thought he could outsmart any journalist, and didn't realise the difference between elite US universities and elite UK ones - they teach to jump through hoops, ours teach to think - plus, he'd lied and cheated his way through almost all his life and didn't realise he was up against someone who'd call him on it.

It's bloody depressing to acknowledge how anodyne Frosty became when one can remember how incisive he was in the old days...

 

[ymu]

I don't think Frost was that incisive really. I read the book recently and he really doesn't press him that hard a lot of the time. The breakthroughs were down to the evidence, the research and support from his fellow journalists, and a lot of negotiating behind the scenes. And perhaps a realisation on Nixon's part that he would have to offer something if he was ever going to be rehabilitated. The "confession", such as it was, came as part of a huge platform for his foreign, and to a lesser extent domestic, policy successes. Frost was really quite uncritical of his record, even supporting it in places.

By the way, it's the worst written and most egotistical book I've read for a long time. It's worth a read though, as much for the psychological insight into David Frost as Richard Nixon.

 

[Part 2]

Got this waiting to be watched. Thought I might try to find the original interview to watch first though, don't think I've ever seen it all.

 

[Mapped]

I really enjoyed this film. I was walking around grunting like Tricky Dicky for quite a while after i saw it. I wouldn't mind seeing the original interviews either.

In the film Frost seems totally out of his depth for the majority of the time

 

[Gingerman]

Gone from interviewing Richard Nixon to having Loyd Grossman ask him "who lives in a house like this,well David its over to you";-)

 

[Part 2]

Just watched this, already posted in the dvd thread.

Interesting film but left me a bit confused as to wether Frost was the great interviewer I'd always been led to believe.

I always thought the interviews were hyped on that rather than just Nixon wanting to get things straight and fess up as the film suggests.

 

[Orang Utan]

I was concerned the Nixon actor would've been better played by Pres. Logan from 24 (really seeemed like his whole life was leading to the role) but they went for Frank Langhella and although the voice is a touch off, the acting is mesmerising.

Both Langella and Sheen played the roles in the original stage play, so it was natural that they played them in the film too.

 

[dogmatique]

Now go and search out the original interviews - they were released again a couple of months ago, and concentrate on the final interview about Watergate. It's interesting to see the emphasis changes between what Ron Howard thought was dramatic, and the revelations that are quickly skimmed over in the actual interview.

In the original interview it's incredible to see a President denying criminal activity at such a microscopic level - it's plain to everyone else that he was a crook, just by the conversation they're having about specifics, but Nixon can't see it until the end.

Great stuff.