Frost/Nixon

So how many of you know or have heard about the Watergate  scandal? The reason I'm writing about this scandal is because if you wish to watch the film 'Frost Nixon' then you need to have a slight idea about this particular scandal. If you think this sort of a movie isn't your cup of tea and it probably might not be for a lot of you since this movie has a lot do with politics, controversies, indictments. In that case don't watch the movie but read this blog anyway to know about the scandal because a little general knowledge has never really hurt anyone.
Now just basic facts, won't bore you'll with unnecessary details. The Watergate scandal took place in 1972-1974 during Richard M. Nixon's presidency. Richard Milhouse Nixon was the 37th president of the United States and is the only president to have ever resigned. Anyway, coming back to Watergate, this scandal has a very intriguing historical and political background arising out of many incidents but the foremost one being the break - ins at the Watergate Hotel which was the headquarters of the Democratic National Party, hence it has been called the "Watergate Scandal". Members of Nixon's re-election committee broke into the offices of the Democratic Party three times before finally getting caught. There are many theories as to why these break-ins took place. Essentially, they were an attempt to find out the Democratic National Party's campaign strategy and so they installed electronic listening devices in their offices which is against the law. They also wanted to know if the Democratic Party had any incriminating information about Donald Nixon (Richard Nixon's brother) which could be used against the Republican Party. This is just one of the surreptitious activities that was carried out under Richard Nixon's administration. Another incident that has been mentioned in the film is the Vietnam War and the Pentagon Papers. The Pentagon Papers were leaked by Daniel Ellsberg, a Defence Department employee. They revealed information about the administrative activities during the Vietnam War. I wish I could say right now that Richard Nixon was caught and impeached but sadly that isn't the case. He tried covering his tracks but did not do a good job of it. The cover up infuriated the people. Then when implicated, he went so far as to claim that if the President does it then it isn't illegal! The people who broke into Watergate were convicted and tried. As for Nixon; facing near-certain impeachment and a strong possibility of a conviction in the Senate; he resigned on August 9, 1974.
Now it's actually at this point that the movie "Frost Nixon" starts. Nixon resigns the presidency while the entire nation watched, waiting for him to apologize. After resigning, Gerald Ford who was Nixon's successor, issued him a pardon due to which all chances of a conviction went down the drain!
The movie is based on the play of the same name and tells us the story behind the Frost/Nixon interviews in 1977. The film was directed by Ron Howard. David Frost is a British comedian and a T.V. show host who decides to interview Richard Nixon after observing that over 400 million people watched Nixon's resignation on television. The two characters in the movie are both prisoners of their circumstances. David Frost conducts the interviews to get a whole lot of viewers and Nixon agrees to do the interviews because the money being offered to him for these interviews is too sweet a deal to turn down. David Frost is portrayed by Michael Sheen and Richard Nixon by Frank Langella. Amazing performances by both of them, particularly Frank Langella! It has been nominated for various Golden globes, Academy and BAFTA awards and won numerous awards including "Best Film" and "Best Actor (Frank Langella)" by the Vegas Film Society. 
This film was a real eye-opener for me because before watching it I didn't know a thing about Watergate nor did I know much about Nixon. America during the Nixon years and present-day America are really really different because after watching the movie, reading about it and now writing about it there is nothing that could make me say, "Oh the Nixon years weren't really that bad." The screenplay is impressive and the actors are fantastic. They don't just mimic their characters, they embody them and the way their characters play off of each other during the interviews is really interesting to watch. This movie keeps you on your toes and you hang on to their every word. This political/historical drama has a stinging wit, dark humour and is laced with tension. Definitely worth watching!