I am one of the remaining handful of White House correspondents who covered the final year of the presidency of Richard Nixon.
In the absolutely superb film, “Frost/Nixon,” I knew from vivid recollection what was coming. But in one of the most masterful and memorable portrayals in movie history, Frank Langella was a reincarnation of our nation’s only resigned chief executive.
Not that Langella is close to being a Nixon double, or that he attempted exact mimicry. Not that – but rather one of the greatest of all our actors making this historic figure come absolutely alive.
And that, along with absolutely flawless writing and direction, not only exposes the full degree of Nixon villainy, it also quite marvelously moved me, and I suspect the rest of the audience, to compassion.
The only casting with less than 4-star significance was Mrs. Nixon – who I particularly remember from one of those church-services-in-the-White-House. When we came through the post-service receiving line, she remarked, with no sign of rebuke, but with curiosity: “I noticed that you were writing something during the sermon.” To which I explained that as a religion columnist as well as White House correspondent, I was covering the sermon – at which, she chuckled and so did he.
Otherwise, this cast was perfection – especially Michael Sheen as TV talk show host David Frost, of whom Nixon’s chief of staff, Jack Brennan, declared, “Frost is not in your intellectual class, sir.”
That, as the finale of the four interviews demonstrates was a Titanic-like disregard of a master-interviewer iceberg.
Sheen/Frost held off a gang of Nixon-hating aides long enough to make the finale an absolute masterpiece of exposé.
One of this gang in particular – Sam Rockwell as James Reston Jr. – is furiously eager to go for the resigned president’s throat. He becomes so detestably eager as to suggest a venom amounting to bloodlust. (And while I was appalled, Rockwell’s acting was monumental.)
Nixon was paid $500,000 for this four-part interview by Frost’s investors. While he had lots less political knowledge, Frost really knew how to use that blinding power of the TV camera. He had a relentless desire in probing through the reductive power of the close-up.
Among the most memorable quotes:
NIXON: Kennedy (fornicated) everything that moved.
NIXON: Of course it’s a duel – and I like that!
FROST: 400 million watched his farewell speech – the public was 2 to 1 against the Ford pardon.
FROST: Why didn’t you burn the tapes?
NIXON: (During his phone call to Frost – while intoxicated) It was a pleasant night last night. Do any fornicating?
NIXON: When the President does it, it’s not illegal! … Those sons of whores! I would have said b—–s but – You were a worthy opponent.
NIXON: (In the final taping) I let down our system of government. I let the American people down. And I’m gonna have to carry that with me for the rest of my life.
