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Friday, December 5, 2008

Film Nixon Everywhere

Posted by Paul Constant on Fri, Dec 5, 2008 at 5:17 PM

In response to the upcoming Frost/Nixon movie, The Vulture has a list of the top ten movie Nixons. Their top choice—Lane Smith, in 1989's The Final Days, which I'm fairly certain is not available on DVD—is suitably obscure. And a couple of them—the awesome Dan Hedaya made a wretched Dick in Dick, and Bob Gunton in Elvis Meet Nixon was terrible—shouldn't be on a list with the word "best" in the title.

But there are a couple of great performances on here. One of my favorites is Philip Baker Hall, in Secret Honor, which was adapted from a one man play and directed by Robert Altman. The YouTube they've embedded here is actually the end of the movie, so I wouldn't recommend you watch it unless you've already seen the glory that is Secret Honor and you want to relive it.

I was disappointed to see Anthony Hopkins at way down at 7, though. I really thought Nixon was one of the best movies about a president ever made, and it does as good a job as can be done at finding his humanity. Here is a clip, which, weirdly, includes Dan Hedaya:

Without having seen Final Days, I have to say that I think that's a number one-level performance, in spite of all the Oliver Stone camera-buggering.

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Constant, how about an obit for Forrest J. Ackerman?

Posted by r.i.p. forrie on December 5, 2008 at 5:21 PM

"Secret Honor" is brilliant.

Posted by Tiktok on December 5, 2008 at 5:58 PM

Billy West's Nixon on "Futurama" is clearly better than all of these.

Posted by Michael H on December 5, 2008 at 6:45 PM

i'm surprised you would praise stone's "nixon" so highly! much as i love anthony hopkins, he was totally miscast as nixon, and the characterization of pat nixon rang false the whole way through, much as i love joan allen. the movie just dragged, didn't work, was tiresome, imo. i actually fell asleep before it was over.

Posted by ellarosa on December 5, 2008 at 7:27 PM

I saw some footage of the real Nixon recently and I was like, "Who the hell is that guy?" After watching Dan Hedaya in Dick,, Langella in the Frost/Nixon trailers and Stacy Keach in Frost/Nixon onstage at the Kennedy Center, all in the last month, the real dude looks totally un-Nixon-like.

Posted by Propaniac on December 5, 2008 at 7:38 PM

I saw the CBS broadcast of "The Final Days" and it was brilliant - far better than Stone's tepid and maudlin biopic. Stone lacks the self-restraint to film scenes as surreal Nixon asks Kissinger to pray with him in Oval Office as he breaks into tears or the humor to capture the moment when Nixon mistakenly agrees to take a drive with Brezhnev around Camp David in the Lincoln Continental he has given him. Then there is David Ogden Stiers as Al Haig, shedding a tear as Nixon gives his bizarre farewell address to the White House staff. The cinematography is a little reminiscent of the Godfather, which is perfect for the situation and the period.

Posted by Jim Demetre on December 5, 2008 at 9:04 PM

Nixon is our MacBeth. The villian we love to hate because we recognize so much of ourselves in him.
A part of us roots for him. The part the wants to get away with it. Another side roots for under dog and loves to see the mighty fall.
And I'll go further and say Tricky Dick never minded the bullocks way before the Sex Pistols even formed.

Posted by Zander on December 5, 2008 at 9:20 PM