Richard Nixon Watergate Scandal Analysis
Frost Nixon
President Nixon and the Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal is one which has had controversy surrounding it since it originated. The scandal revealed a connection between former president Richard Nixon and a break-in at his own political offices located in the Watergate Hotel, for the purpose of a cover-up. The investigation took years and was extensively covered by the press. Many pieces of media were made surrounding the scandal, and arguably the most important example would be The Nixon Interviews. The Nixon interviews were a series of interviews in which British entertainer David Frost asked Nixon a collection of questions regarding Nixon’s presidency and the issues surrounding Watergate. While staying true to …show more content…
the gist of the actual event, the film Frost/Nixon utilizes dramatic license to entice and appeal to the audience.
Frost/Nixon accurately captures the essence of the Nixon interviews. The film decides to use the same content as was displayed in the final interview, and focus the dramatic devices away from content and towards delivery. In the film, Frost gains the upper hand by questioning Nixon about his conversation with Charles Colson about stonewalling the Watergate investigation. The scene is in accordance to historical fact according to History Commons; The article says that, “Nixon’s damning conversation with Charles Colson about “stonewalling” the Watergate investigation”. This scene captures exactly what happened in history. Deviating from the original baseline of what occurred would weaken the film’s historical credibility, change the plot progression and unnecessarily remove blatant dramatic effect.
The main characters in Frost/Nixon were accurate representation of their counterparts in reality. Frost’s character was displayed quite accurately in the film when compared with the interviews. His questions in both the interview and the film were very generic, until the final interview session. Frost spurred good quality responses from Nixon in the final interview, encouraging him to answer controversial questions in regards to Watergate. In the film and specifically in the final interview scene, Nixon’s perceived emotions at the time become defensively hostile and full of offense. Nixon in the film was able to portray the true Nixon in a very accurate and precise style. Frost and Nixon in the film were great simulations of their true counterparts.
Frost/Nixon was able to achieve a high standard of entertainment due to their choice of costumes, props, setting, music and casting. The casting created an authenticity to the film because the main characters had many resemblances to their real life counterparts. The actors were not only physically similar to whom they portrayed, they were also able to act in the same manner as their respective character would. The setting of the film stayed true to the real events, while adding additional flair and authenticity by using era-appropriate props and costumes. If the costumes and props were out of place, the film would feel of lower quality and lose fragments of its integrity. The combination between the casting, props, setting and wardrobe contribute to the realism and immersive aspect of the film Frost/Nixon.
The plot of Frost/Nixon included the essential scenes it needed to for the sake of historical accuracy, and embellishes on real events for dramatic effect.
The main focus of the film was the interviews, and the production team included all the scenes that were pivotal for the film, while adding new scenes for dramatic effect. The interviews in the movie had the same ground for happening in real life. The movie included Frost’s “willingness to sign a contract paying Nixon $600,000 - around $8 million in today 's money - for 24 hours of taped interviews”. The movie could not have progressed accurately if the money was not included, as it was the initiating point for the interviews. The film’s embellishment lies in many small quotes that the characters say, such as when Nixon says, “I hope that isn’t coming out of your own pocket”. They capture the nature of how one acted and conducted themselves, and in this case wanted to display Nixon as polite and courteous to strangers. Many of the characters in Frost Nixon have more depth to them than other movies. Despite Nixon acting concerned about Frost’s financial situation, seeming polite in one scene, Nixon is shown to be greedy when it is found that he would have never taken the interview if the payment was not as hefty. Nixon’s greed is further shown when he is discussing with Irving Lazar, edging for a higher price for the interview then Frost offered. The film makes good use of an array of events to add depth to the
characters.
Nixon’s intoxicated phone call to Frost on the night prior to his final interview is said to have never happened. The scene’s lack of credibility is evidenced when Nixon’s biographer, Jonathan Aitken says, “This phone call did not happen. Nixon 's weird rant about his personal motivations and social resentments… is, from start to finish, an artistic invention by the scriptwriter” (Aitken). It is one of the most important scenes in the entire film because it exponentially progresses the plot and gives a reason for Frost’s change of heart in the final interview, unlike his conduct in the previous sessions. Nixon’s intoxicated phone call was fabricated and incorporated in Frost/Nixon in order to add more punch and dramatic substance to the plot.
Frost/Nixon’s use of subtle details enables dramatic intensity in the film. The minute details in the presentation of the film added dramatic emphasis in many points, especially during the Watergate Interview session. In the true version of the interview and the film both share an important line, but the film changes the presentation. Evidence for this is when Nixon said, “When the president does it, it is not illegal”. In the real interview, the statement is captured in a very anti-dramatic fashion. On the other hand, the film makes use music (or lack of it in the scene, as opposed to the rest of the film), tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. These features were able to emphasize and simulate the dramatic vibe that was associated with the situation, and these feature also contributed to captivating the audience of the film. This scene in particular is suspenseful in nature, and dramatic effects helped to reinforce the climactic nature of the scene. The film also shows the shocked reaction that those behind the scenes of the interview were experiencing. The glimpse of the characters behind the scene allowed a more immersive story, as showing their expressions emphasized the emotions everyone was thinking at the time. Without its use of dramatic license to build on the historical events, Frost/Nixon would not be as successful in the entertainment category.
Frost/Nixon was a film that achieved both a high standard of historical accuracy and dramatic entertainment. The film was based upon the real occurrence of the Nixon Interviews. Frost/Nixon’s use of embellishment to increase the entertainment value of the film did not significantly discredit its historical accuracy. Frost/Nixon would be a documentary if it excluded the inclusion of creative license, and only included pieces of information for the sake of historical authenticity. The combination of the Frost/Nixon’s historically accurate elements with the creative and imaginative implementations allow for a both entertaining, yet factual film.
Works Cited
Aitken, J. (2009). Mail Online. Nixon v Frost: The true story of what really happened when a British journalist bullied a TV confession out of a disgraced ex-President, N/A. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1127039/Nixon-v-Frost-The-true-story-really-happened-British-journalist-bullied-TV-confession-disgraced-ex-President.html
Hirschfield, R. S. (1982). The Contemporary Presidency. In R. S. Hirschfield, The Power of the Presidency: Concepts and Controversy (p. 179). Piscataway: AldineTransaction.
History Commons. (1999). April 13, 1977: Frost Demonstrates Nixon’s Early Complicity in Watergate Conspiracy. Context of 'April 13, 1977: Frost Demonstrates Nixon’s Early Complicity in Watergate Conspiracy ', N/A. Retrieved from http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a041377frostconspiracy#a041377frostconspiracy
Howard, R. (Director). (2008). Frost Nixon [Motion Picture].
Nixon, R. (1977, May 4). The Nixon Interviews. (D. Frost, Interviewer)
President Nixon and the Watergate Scandal
The Watergate scandal is one which has had controversy surrounding it since it originated. The scandal revealed a connection between former president Richard Nixon and a break-in at his own political offices located in the Watergate Hotel, for the purpose of a cover-up. The investigation took years and was extensively covered by the press. Many pieces of media were made surrounding the scandal, and arguably the most important example would be The Nixon Interviews. The Nixon interviews were a series of interviews in which British entertainer David Frost asked Nixon a collection of questions regarding Nixon’s presidency and the issues surrounding Watergate. While staying true to …show more content…
the gist of the actual event, the film Frost/Nixon utilizes dramatic license to entice and appeal to the audience.
Frost/Nixon accurately captures the essence of the Nixon interviews. The film decides to use the same content as was displayed in the final interview, and focus the dramatic devices away from content and towards delivery. In the film, Frost gains the upper hand by questioning Nixon about his conversation with Charles Colson about stonewalling the Watergate investigation. The scene is in accordance to historical fact according to History Commons; The article says that, “Nixon’s damning conversation with Charles Colson about “stonewalling” the Watergate investigation”. This scene captures exactly what happened in history. Deviating from the original baseline of what occurred would weaken the film’s historical credibility, change the plot progression and unnecessarily remove blatant dramatic effect.
The main characters in Frost/Nixon were accurate representation of their counterparts in reality. Frost’s character was displayed quite accurately in the film when compared with the interviews. His questions in both the interview and the film were very generic, until the final interview session. Frost spurred good quality responses from Nixon in the final interview, encouraging him to answer controversial questions in regards to Watergate. In the film and specifically in the final interview scene, Nixon’s perceived emotions at the time become defensively hostile and full of offense. Nixon in the film was able to portray the true Nixon in a very accurate and precise style. Frost and Nixon in the film were great simulations of their true counterparts.
Frost/Nixon was able to achieve a high standard of entertainment due to their choice of costumes, props, setting, music and casting. The casting created an authenticity to the film because the main characters had many resemblances to their real life counterparts. The actors were not only physically similar to whom they portrayed, they were also able to act in the same manner as their respective character would. The setting of the film stayed true to the real events, while adding additional flair and authenticity by using era-appropriate props and costumes. If the costumes and props were out of place, the film would feel of lower quality and lose fragments of its integrity. The combination between the casting, props, setting and wardrobe contribute to the realism and immersive aspect of the film Frost/Nixon.
The plot of Frost/Nixon included the essential scenes it needed to for the sake of historical accuracy, and embellishes on real events for dramatic effect.
The main focus of the film was the interviews, and the production team included all the scenes that were pivotal for the film, while adding new scenes for dramatic effect. The interviews in the movie had the same ground for happening in real life. The movie included Frost’s “willingness to sign a contract paying Nixon $600,000 - around $8 million in today 's money - for 24 hours of taped interviews”. The movie could not have progressed accurately if the money was not included, as it was the initiating point for the interviews. The film’s embellishment lies in many small quotes that the characters say, such as when Nixon says, “I hope that isn’t coming out of your own pocket”. They capture the nature of how one acted and conducted themselves, and in this case wanted to display Nixon as polite and courteous to strangers. Many of the characters in Frost Nixon have more depth to them than other movies. Despite Nixon acting concerned about Frost’s financial situation, seeming polite in one scene, Nixon is shown to be greedy when it is found that he would have never taken the interview if the payment was not as hefty. Nixon’s greed is further shown when he is discussing with Irving Lazar, edging for a higher price for the interview then Frost offered. The film makes good use of an array of events to add depth to the
characters.
Nixon’s intoxicated phone call to Frost on the night prior to his final interview is said to have never happened. The scene’s lack of credibility is evidenced when Nixon’s biographer, Jonathan Aitken says, “This phone call did not happen. Nixon 's weird rant about his personal motivations and social resentments… is, from start to finish, an artistic invention by the scriptwriter” (Aitken). It is one of the most important scenes in the entire film because it exponentially progresses the plot and gives a reason for Frost’s change of heart in the final interview, unlike his conduct in the previous sessions. Nixon’s intoxicated phone call was fabricated and incorporated in Frost/Nixon in order to add more punch and dramatic substance to the plot.
Frost/Nixon’s use of subtle details enables dramatic intensity in the film. The minute details in the presentation of the film added dramatic emphasis in many points, especially during the Watergate Interview session. In the true version of the interview and the film both share an important line, but the film changes the presentation. Evidence for this is when Nixon said, “When the president does it, it is not illegal”. In the real interview, the statement is captured in a very anti-dramatic fashion. On the other hand, the film makes use music (or lack of it in the scene, as opposed to the rest of the film), tone of voice, facial expression, and body language. These features were able to emphasize and simulate the dramatic vibe that was associated with the situation, and these feature also contributed to captivating the audience of the film. This scene in particular is suspenseful in nature, and dramatic effects helped to reinforce the climactic nature of the scene. The film also shows the shocked reaction that those behind the scenes of the interview were experiencing. The glimpse of the characters behind the scene allowed a more immersive story, as showing their expressions emphasized the emotions everyone was thinking at the time. Without its use of dramatic license to build on the historical events, Frost/Nixon would not be as successful in the entertainment category.
Frost/Nixon was a film that achieved both a high standard of historical accuracy and dramatic entertainment. The film was based upon the real occurrence of the Nixon Interviews. Frost/Nixon’s use of embellishment to increase the entertainment value of the film did not significantly discredit its historical accuracy. Frost/Nixon would be a documentary if it excluded the inclusion of creative license, and only included pieces of information for the sake of historical authenticity. The combination of the Frost/Nixon’s historically accurate elements with the creative and imaginative implementations allow for a both entertaining, yet factual film.
Works Cited
Aitken, J. (2009). Mail Online. Nixon v Frost: The true story of what really happened when a British journalist bullied a TV confession out of a disgraced ex-President, N/A. Retrieved from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1127039/Nixon-v-Frost-The-true-story-really-happened-British-journalist-bullied-TV-confession-disgraced-ex-President.html
Hirschfield, R. S. (1982). The Contemporary Presidency. In R. S. Hirschfield, The Power of the Presidency: Concepts and Controversy (p. 179). Piscataway: AldineTransaction.
History Commons. (1999). April 13, 1977: Frost Demonstrates Nixon’s Early Complicity in Watergate Conspiracy. Context of 'April 13, 1977: Frost Demonstrates Nixon’s Early Complicity in Watergate Conspiracy ', N/A. Retrieved from http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=a041377frostconspiracy#a041377frostconspiracy
Howard, R. (Director). (2008). Frost Nixon [Motion Picture].
Nixon, R. (1977, May 4). The Nixon Interviews. (D. Frost, Interviewer)