Battle of the wits

A lot of love went into making this movie, about the series of television interviews Richard Nixon gave after resigning his presidency. Actually, Frost/Nixon is based on a play of the same name, and the man who wrote it, Peter Morgan, also penned the screenplay.

To add even more depth, the two actors who play the title characters on stage—Frank Langella, who won a Tony for his portrayal of Nixon, and Michael Sheen, who plays British talk-show host David Frost—also signed on for the film version. Add veteran director Ron Howard at the helm and, well, we’ve got ourselves quite a movie (one that garnered five Academy Award nominations).

The movie tells the story of Frost, who has done well as a comedic talk-show host in his homeland and in Australia but has struggled Stateside, and his almost flippant request to interview Richard Nixon, himself on a downward spiral after giving up his presidency amidst the Watergate scandal.

A large amount of money, many months of research and preparation and one “OK, I’ll do it” later, and the two face each other in front

of the camera on the first of several occasions. Frost smiles awkwardly, Nixon speaks deliberately.

What adds intensity to the otherwise straightforward story is that the interviews are set up almost as a set of duels, each man squaring off against the other in a battle of wits and trying to come out on top in the eyes of the American public. There’s also the issue of drumming up enough cash to finance the project, not an easy sell among TV networks or advertisers.

Apparently Howard faced similar challenges to making the movie, and ended up with a small budget and short shooting schedule. He must have taken a cue from Frost, whose confidence in his own project barely wavers.

Of course, Frost does have help, from researcher James Reston Jr. (Sam Rockwell) and producer Bob Zelnick (Oliver Platt). Nixon, too, goes into battle with a backup—in the form of aide Jack Brennan (a calm and collected Kevin Bacon).

These supporting actors, all at the top of their game, are truly the supports holding the film up, bringing Frost and Nixon together and countering one man’s enthusiasm and the other’s self-indulgence.

The events chronicled in Frost/Nixon didn’t happen just the way they’re told here—Morgan has admitted to some dramatic license—but nonetheless, it reopens a dark page in the history of an American president. And it’s a joy to watch.