Frost\Nixon Page #7

Synopsis: Writer Peter Morgan's legendary battle between Richard Nixon, the disgraced president with a legacy to save, and David Frost, a jet-setting television personality with a name to make, in the story of the historic encounter that changed both their lives. For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans (as well as a $600,000 fee). Likewise, Frost's team harbored doubts about their boss' ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted.
Director(s): Ron Howard
Production: Universal Pictures
  Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 21 wins & 71 nominations.
 
IMDB:
7.7
Metacritic:
80
Rotten Tomatoes:
92%
R
Year:
2008
122 min
$18,600,000
Website
958 Views


It's kind of a sickening

moment, when he realizes that

all those months of

pep talks and the hype,

the psyching yourself up,

had been delusional all along.

You could see it in Frost's face.

If he didn't know the caliber of the man

that he was up against

before the interview started,

he certainly knew it halfway

through the President's first answer.

You see, since the best advice is

almost always of the

confidential variety,

now the tapes have been made public,

people are unlikely

ever to feel comfortable

speaking in confidence

at the White House.

They're less likely to offer

that advice. So in the end,

it's the whole political system and,

by implication, it's

the country that suffers.

So much for our "ballsy" opening.

So when did you actually decide...

At what moment did you know

you were going to resign?

That's good. That's good.

I remember exactly. It was July 23.

After it was clear

the Southern Democrats

that were still against impeachment had

had the screws put on them

by the Speaker of the House.

That night I said to Al Haig, "Well,

that's it. There goes the presidency."

And, of course, you know, being Al,

he tried to talk me out of it.

And Vice President Ford,

I mean, let's not forget

he had the most to gain

personally from my stepping down,

he was still absolutely convinced that

we were gonna win the impeachment vote,

and comfortably. John,

we have to do something.

We have to move this along.

This is desperate, John. Do something.

Twenty-three minutes on one question?

Okay, let's take a break.

Let's change the tapes. Come on, man.

Stop tape.

I'm sorry, gentlemen.

We have to take a break. Tape change.

Oh. Okay, how's that?

You getting what you need?

It's fantastic.

Good. Good. Thank you.

Excuse me. One moment, sir.

Yeah, sure. Take your time.

What are you doing, David?

You've got to stop him rambling.

It's all right. These are

just introductory exchanges.

But this session only lasts two hours.

Nearly half of it's gone, and we're

wasting valuable material, okay?

The moment that he made

the decision to resign,

we should be scoring

points with that stuff.

Want me to switch to Vietnam?

No. No. We've got to get something

out of that resignation

night. All right?

That was Nixon at his lowest

point, a total wreck. On his knees?

Praying with Kissinger? Come on,

you can nail him with that stuff.

Listen, was that okay?

Perfect, sir.

It didn't sound too

arrogant or self-serving?

Not at all. You sounded controlled,

even-handed, statesmanlike.

Good.

Now continue exactly the same way.

Long answers. Control the space.

Don't let him in.

Okay, got you.

Set. And roll.

We're coming back on camera

three in four, three, two and...

Reading the account of those

extraordinary final days,

it seems your most emotional moment came

in that heart-to-heart you

had with Henry Kissinger.

Was that perhaps the most

emotional moment of your career?

Good, good. Yes.

I would say it was about as

emotional a moment as I've ever had.

Except, well, you know, it's hard to say

what is the most emotional moment,

because each is different.

I remember the day Eisenhower died.

For God's sake.

And the day I walked my eldest

daughter Tricia down the aisle.

And the day during the

impeachment hearings

when Julie, that's my youngest,

she came into my office,

she threw her arms around me, she

kissed me. She cried, you know?

And she so seldom cries.

She said, "Daddy, you're

the finest man I know. "

"Daddy, you're the finest man I know"?

"And whatever you do,

I will support you.

"You just gotta go through the

fire, you know, a little longer."

This is beautiful.

So Kissinger and I were in

the Lincoln Sitting Room,

and together we began to reminisce

about some of the great decisions

that we'd participated in.

There was China, the Soviet Union,

the peace settlement in Vietnam.

Now, let me tell you something

that I never told anybody.

Whenever I have had a really

tough decision to make...

Now, we were in the Lincoln

Sitting Room at that time.

I have come into this room

for the purpose of praying.

"Now, Henry, I'm a Quaker. You're a Jew.

"Neither of us is particularly orthodox,

"but I'd like to think that

each of us in our own way

"has a deep religious sensitivity.

"So if you don't mind, could we

just have a moment of silent prayer?"

So we knelt down. Now, this

was in front of that table where

Lincoln signed the

Emancipation Proclamation.

And then after a few moments, we

both got up again, and Henry says...

Is there... I'm sorry.

Is there a problem?

That's time.

We're over two hours.

Really? So soon?

Well, Mr. President, I

gather our time is up.

Gee, now, that's a pity.

You know, I was beginning to enjoy that.

That was terrific, both of you.

We're getting some great material.

You know, it's so funny, too,

because I was expecting

questions on Vietnam.

And we prepared for

that, hadn't we, Jack?

Yes, so did I.

I guess we just got caught

up, you know, reminiscing.

Indeed.

So, day after tomorrow, 10:00, right?

Yes, indeed.

I look forward to it. Bye-bye.

There's no need to say anything.

Mr. President! Mr. President!

Mr. President!

Mr. President, please!

What are you gonna tell him?

I'm gonna tell him

he's gotta get involved.

He's gotta be able to shut him up. Shh.

David, we have some fundamental

problems in our approach that I think...

Don't worry, Bob. I'm on it.

We can use some of the Kissinger stuff.

Yeah, but we need to discuss

it sooner rather than later...

Look, I'm disappointed, too.

But I wonder, could we possibly

spare the post-mortem for now?

I don't mean to minimize it. It's

just I've got to get back to LA

to meet some people from Weed Eater.

Thanks, everyone! Great work!

Marv, Lloyd, great day. Bye, David.

I'll see you soon. God bless!

What the hell is Weed Eater?

It's a horticultural mechanism.

One of our sponsors.

What happened to Xerox?

What about General Motors or IBM?

I gather that not all of the

blue-chip accounts came through.

We do have Alpo.

Dog food?

Wait, John. We're already taping.

So we're close, right? We're very close?

That's probably a question

you should ask David.

Are we close, John?

I believe we're at 30%.

To go? Or 30% sold?

Again, that's probably

a question you should...

Sold, 30% sold.

Jesus...

I thought we were

practically fully financed.

We were. But the financing was always

conditional on advertising sales,

and no one predicted that

they'd fall apart like this.

Well, why have they fallen

apart? Based on what?

Credibility of the project. What

else are advertising sales based on?

Listen, I understand your concern.

But could I ask you to go a little easier

on David over the next couple of days,

bearing in mind the extraordinary

pressure that he's under?

'Cause at the moment, he's effectively

paying for all this himself.

So he's in it for a lot more

than just his reputation.

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Peter Morgan

Peter Julian Robin Morgan CBE (born 10 April 1963) is a British film writer and playwright. Morgan is best known for writing the historical films and plays The Queen, Frost/Nixon, The Damned United and Rush. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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