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Itching my belly whilst sat slumped across the couch, looking mournfully at the Heinz Chicken Soup I’d eaten and the crumbs of toast that remained. A day off school did have its perks though, aside from comfort food and the lack of homework (I’d later learn that would be undone the following day) daytime television was at my disposal. And it was through such a pox-covered time that I first encountered David Frost, host of Through The Keyhole.
Sat in his black swivel chair, armed with a clipboard and dressed in a double-breasted blazer, pocket scarf and loafers, Frost was the picture of the RAC Gentleman’s Club: casual yet ordered. In contrast, the show itself was sheer frivolity fit for the occult of sick children, the unemployed and the aged who tuned in. In short, following a tour of a ‘famous’ person’s house a panel had to guess the resident. Not quite a journalistic endeavour as much as an entertainer’s later years. This however, was not always the case for David Frost, or was it?
Frost/Nixon reinforces initial perceptions of David Frost (played by Michael Sheen) as the successful, happy-go-lucky presenter who requests an interview with the disgraced former president, Richard Nixon (Frank Langella). Filmed as a latter day documentary, the picture tracks the televised duel between both parties as each looks to seek redemption. Contextualised with recorded news coverage that summarises the Watergate scandal; the story is depicted as a David and Goliath bout of equally epic proportions.
For a pretty penny, that’s to say a $600,000 fee, Frost was allowed ‘no holes barred’ access to Nixon for 30 hours which would be televised as four 90 minute shows. In May 1977, three years after Nixon’s resignation, Frost embarked upon his journey with producer John Birt with intent to find sufficient funds to pay for the interview that he believed would re-launch his career in the USA. The television stations and Nixon alike had a very different idea.
Ron Howard has created an impressive film, but credit should be directed towards screenwriter Peter Morgan. There are strong similarities between this script and that of The Queen, a film he wrote that also starred Michael Sheen as Tony Blair. Morgan’s material is informed but remains true to each character and their humour. The discussion between the two men about Frost’s loafers serves as a perfect metaphor for each man’s personality; the playboy presenter in Italian loafers complete with chain, the resolutely fractious American in his restricting, conformist lace-up brogues.
The use of the close-up is also a perennial part of the filming, and a weapon of choice for Frost. Cinematographer Salvatore Totino commits to this device, often to the extent that the focus of the screen is framed by a series of obfuscated objects. This does however compel the viewer’s complicity, and heighten the importance of the interviews.
Michael Sheen and Frank Langella together lead a strong cast that comfortably marries British actors with their American counterparts. Toby Jones and Matthew Macfadyen are two strong players that parry comfortably with Hollywood heavyweights Sam Rockwell (Choke, Matchstick Men) and Oliver Platt (The West Wing, Huff) – the latter three forming the team that pitch up against Nixon. Sheen’s performance is complete and affable, whereas Langella’s furrowed brow alone draws you into his mesmeric performance as the hunched, sweating former president.
Armed with the knowledge that Morgan wrote the West End play that starred the majority of the cast, it is evident that the film’s success lies in the actors understanding of their characters and each other. The ensemble cast alone demands that you see this film and discover the moment where popular culture and history collided.
Credits
Director: Ron Howard
Screenplay: Peter Morgon
Director of Photography: Salvatore Totino
Cast: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Toby Jones, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell
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