Posted on 12/12/2008 11:41:38 AM PST by Publius804
DHP Review: Frost/Nixon
by Dirty Harry
Friday, December 12th, 2008
Frost/Nixon is a full on respectable, accomplished and intelligent retelling of the now famous series of interviews English television personality David Frost conducted with disgraced former President Nixon in 1977, just a few years after Nixon’s resignation. No on can argue a successful stageplay has been transformed into a beautifully shot narrative with two memorable performances by Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost. The film holds your attention and reeks of competence from beginning to end.
All that’s missing is a point.
Since 1976’s All The President’s Men Nixon’s become a genre all his own. Take a look. So what exactly is the point of yet another Nixon Was An Evil Weird Cheap Racist picture? What our thirty-seventh president really needs is an artist with the artistry to Downfall the man. After all, you don’t win two presidential elections and force John F. Kennedy to steal his if all you are is a stooped-over gargoyle crippled with paranoia. Unfortunately, there’s nothing over Frost/Nixon’s 122 minute runtime that adds a thing to the bloated Nixon Genre.
Not that the story isn’t an interesting and sometimes fascinating one. Director Ron Howard, working from Peter Morgan’s, script based on his own play, sets the confrontation up as a boxing match between a wily champ whose experience has taught him all the tricks and a brash young contender who has no idea what a punch from the real deal feels like.
(Excerpt) Read more at dirtyharrysplace.com ...
Just like never seeing (D) in a news title when its a democrat scandal, you never see "disgraced" former President clinton.
I have nothing but contempt for Ron Howard these days, based on a number of recent comments that he has made.
He’s right up there with Cindy Sheehan and Michael Moore. He can go entertain himself.
I can’t wait to see it - especially the part where John Dean plans the break-in to steal the black book of DNC hookers that includes his girlfriend (future wife).
Trashing a Republican is always point enough in and of itself for Hollywood lefties and those suffering their disease.
This is a chance for media people to congratulate themselves vicariously for Frost having the “courage” to interview Nixon, as if he were climbing into the ring with Mohammed Ali.
So, what did he think, Nixon was going to get him in a neck hold and give him a Dutch Rub on national TV?
When in fact, the risk was completely on Nixon’s part. He went into the interview having to trust that he would get a fair hearing, and that Frost wouldn’t try to embarrass him on national TV. Not a lot to ask, you would think, but now every media person in the world is looking to make their bones humiliating Republicans, so getting a fair hearing is almost an impossibility.
So when are we going to see Frost grilling Obama about Rezko and Mansour? When are we going to see him corner a sweating trembling Bill Clinton demanding to know the truth about his myriad financial ghosts?
Do you think he was ever going to interrogate Lyndon Johnson about how he became a billionaire on a public salary?
It would never happen. Nixon wasn’t the prince of darkness, he was just a man looking for fair treatment in a TV interview. Thats it.
David frost is the relentless hero pursuing the corrupt president?? Please! And the “Nixon” part? The guy playing him sounds like a croaking frog.
As a young man I watched what happened during those years and just from the ads I can see it's propaganda from Oppie Dopie.
More revisionist history crap from a low IQ former child actor.
It will bomb bigtime.
“More revisionist history crap from a low IQ former child actor.”
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Leave Opie alone.
He got a little boner dragging Richard Nixon through the mud, yet again...
Some petty waste of good film stock. Of course the really important events of Nixon’s tenure don’t make for the “gripping drama” of some twit with a bad hair do “bringing down” a president.
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