Frost/Nixon

                  Today, I kind of want to step away from writing about a specific actor, and mainly talk about one of my favorite movies that I’d willing to bet you’ve never seen.

“Frost/Nixon”

                  This movie is based on the series of interviews Richard Nixon took part in, conducted by David Frost, after he left office. The movie outlines how Frost aims to produce the interviews, and make them interesting to the American audience. The interviews end in Nixon admitting that had in fact been unethical while in office.

source

                  The plots extremely basic, but the acting is particularly incredible. The movie stars Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as David Frost. I particularly captured by Langella’s work as Nixon. He seemed to capture how utterly repulsive Nixon could be on camera, while maintaining the President’s political wit.  I found myself amazed by how endearing I would find Nixon, and almost feeling bad that he was nearly hated by most of the nation. Langella was able to create the sort “humanness” around Nixon, that few would consider to be possible.

                  Naturally, all I’ve ever really known about Nixon is what we’ve learned in school, so mainly the Watergate Scandal… and only Watergate. We don’t really understand him to be anymore than that guy that “wasn’t a crook”. If you’re like me, you likely wrote him off as some republican president that was just a slime ball.

source

                  Perhaps my preconceived notion made Langella’s Nixon all the more surprising and fascinating, but I think most would agree that, regardless, it was a very interesting way to paint him. Of course, when the interviews became serious and Nixon admitted that he had lied, Langella shows a particularly nasty, self-absorbed shade of the President that likely existed right along with his more endearing side.

                  The most brilliant part of this movie and Langella’s performance is certainly the mixture of kindness and ugliness in Nixon’s character. He was no simply the villain, but he was also the victim of his own devices. By the end of the movie, your heart really goes out to Nixon, as much of a bastard as he seemed, because he is broken. He’s broken, and he’s entirely conscious of his downfall.