Presidential Movie Quote/Trivia of the Day Richard Nixon - No matter how many awards or column inches are written about you, or how high the elected office is, its still not enough. We still feel like the little man. The loser. They told us we were a hundred times, the smart asses in college, the high ups. The well-born. The people whos respect we really wanted. Really craved. And isnt that why we work so hard now, why we fight for every inch? Scrambling our way up in undignified fashion. If were honest for a minute, if we reflect privately, just for a moment, if we allow ourselves a glimpse into that shadowy place we call our soul, isnt that why were here? Now? The two of us. Looking for a way back into the sun. Into the limelight. Back onto the winners podium. Because we can feel it slipping away. We were headed, both of us, for the dirt. The place the snobs always told us that wed end up. Face in the dust, humiliated all the more for having tried. So pitifully hard. Well, to hell with that! Were not going to let that happen, either of us. Were going to show those bums, were going to make em choke on our continued success. Our continued headlines! Our continued awards! And power! And glory! -Richard Nixon (Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon) For those of you who have never seen this movie, its a dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon. Did you know? Even while off-camera, all of the actors would remain in character and continue the Frost/Nixon rivalry by bickering and making fun of each other. The phone conversation at midnight between Frost and Nixon never actually happened. Screenwriter Peter Morgan got the inspiration from well-known phone calls at midnight that Nixon did to some government members during Watergate. Frank Langella admits that he usually enjoys playing cards and joking around on movie sets, but felt it would compromise his character if he didnt remain presidential on this set. While working on this movie other cast and crew referred to him as Mr. President. Langella suggests almost none of the crew ever met Frank Langella. Before Ron Howard was selected to direct this film, there was strong competition from other filmmakers, including Martin Scorsese, Mike Nichols, George Clooney, Sam Mendes, and Bennett Miller. Both Frank Langella and Michael Sheen repeat the roles they created on stage. Ron Howard would only agree to direct if the studio would allow both actors to appear in the film version. In 1977, the year of the actual David Frost and Richard Nixon interviews, Ron Howard was directing his first feature film, Grand Theft Auto. The Broadway production of Frost/Nixon by Peter Morgan opened at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater in New York on April 22, 2007, ran for 137 performances and was nominated for the 2007 Tony Award for Best Play. Both the film and the play take dramatic license with the on-air and behind-the-scene details of The Nixon Interviews. Jonathan Aitken, one of Nixons official biographers who spent much time with the former president at La Casa Pacifica, rebukes the film for its portrayal of a drunken Nixon making a late-night phone call as never having happened and says it is from start to finish, an artistic invention by the scriptwriter Peter Morgan. The actual interviews were conducted at a home in Dana Point, California. This was because Nixons house in San Clemente was too near a Coast Guard facility that caused interference to the TV equipment. Other figures and personalities depicted in the film include Diane Sawyer, Tricia Nixon Cox, Michael York, Hugh Hefner, helicopter pilot Gene Boyer (as himself), Raymond Price, Ken Khachigian, Sue Mengers and Neil Diamond. To prepare for his role as Richard Nixon, Frank Langella visited the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California, and interviewed many people who had known the former president.
Posted on: Wed, 12 Feb 2014 00:00:46 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015