Movies...Frost/Nixon

Frost/Nixon: Stg. Michael Sheen, Frank Langhella. Dir. Ron Howard
Richard Nixon, arguably America''s most controversial President, chose David Frost, a comic talk-show host with a breezy, light-hearted presence, for his first televised presence after resigning. Presumably, Nixon (and his advisers) thought Frost, not a hard-nosed journalist would do a soft, human-interest story that would bring back into focus Nixon's presidency and the good he had done to America rather than the last 6 months of Watergate.

Frost's interest in doing a Nixon story surprised many people including his closest friend and eventual producer John Birt. What they hadn't accounted for was his compulsive need to be in the spotlight, to be considered "successful". He had been to the US, had tasted sweet success, had used Sardi's as his "canteen", was part of the glamourous social circuit of New York. To have that taken away, and more importantly to contemplate never having it back was too much for Frost. So he gambles his entire savings, and borrows a lot more, to tempt Nixon.

The research team on the other hand, are committed to giving Nixon "the trial he never had". Played by Sam Rockwell and Richard Platt, this team puts their reputations and careers on hold to dig out every possible conversation Nixon might have had, every change in tone, every move his associates have made, so that Nixon can be ensnared.

Frost/Nixon is an adaptation of a successful Broadway play featuring the same cast. The transition from stage to film has been very well done, with Peter Morgan (The Queen, Last King...) doing the screenplay. The movie moves from the gloomily languorous pace of a deposed President's life to the frenetic commitment of Frost's research team. Frost, doing it for the eyeballs and the fame, he thinks it will bring him, is toyed with, by a crafty President determined to "head back East". Nixon, enjoys the game, a chance to be back in the spotlight, be vindicated. The lead up to the Watergate showdown, the sobering up of Frost with a prod from unexpected quarters to the climactic close-up of a president uncovered for the world to see, form this gripping tale.

Frank Langhella as Nixon is superb! Not very many actors can stand up to very close scrutiny on film. But Mr Langhella's face twitches, his eyes dart, his upper lip sweats (like Nixon) and he ages through the interview. Every inch the haughty president, when he says "if the president does it, it is not illegal"...you almost want to beleive it. In his eyes, you see the desperation and hunger of a deposed President. In his gait, you see confidence, a security in his place in the world, which is quickly demolished on TV. Micheal Sheen is good as well, as a Frost, who may have outreached himself with this interview. Used to adulation, he is thrown by Nixon's condescention, unnerved by the Prez's rambling. Mr Sheen is believably awkward, when Nixon casually insults him and downright afraid when he realises he "has to get to work".

Frost/Nixon is at a decent pace, with much of the action happening indoors. We don't feel claustrophobic, thanks to the screenplay and the acting. The supporting cast, including Kevin Bacon as a devoted Nixon CoS, are uniformly competent and provide some much needed moments of levity. Its a masterful piece of story-telling that shows the world the power of television anew...of all the more relevance in an age of reality shows and instant gratification.