The Presidents in Movies: Oliver Stone's Nixon
Happy April 1st, which is not only the beginning of a new month, but also April Fool's Day. I'll spare you any bogus stories of proverbial leg pulling.
Probably the most famous April Fool's joke for
potus_geeks occurred in 1992 on the National Public Radio (NPR) program "Talk of the Nation" when it reported that former-President Richard Nixon had declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 1992. Accompanying the announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech and declaring "I never did anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Harvard professor Laurence Tribe and Newsweek reporter Howard Fineman then came on the air to offer their analysis of Nixon's decision and its possible impact on the 1992 presidential race. A clip from Torrie Clarke, press secretary of the Bush-Quayle campaign, was also played in which she said, "We are stunned and think it's an obvious attempt by Nixon to upstage our foreign policy announcement today." Listeners reacted very emotionally to the announcement, flooding NPR with calls expressing shock and outrage. During the second half of the program host John Hockenberry revealed that the announcement had been an April Fool's Day joke and explained that Nixon's voice had been impersonated by comedian Rich Little.
This recollection of Nixon is a nice segue into ourpotus_geeks theme for April: movies about presidents. Let me begin this series with Oliver Stone's 1995 movie Nixon. The movie starred Sir Anthony Hopkins in the title role. Other stars included Joan Allen as Pat Nixon, Paul Sorvino as Henry Kissinger, Powers Boothe as General Alexander Haig and Mary Steenburgen as Nixon's mother Hannah. No movie about Nixon would be complete without Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean, played respectively by James Woods, J. T. Walsh, E. G. Marshall and David Hyde Pierce. Ed Harris was E. Howard Hunt and Bob Hoskins was a diabolical J. Edgar Hoover.
Nixon's story is presented in a non-linear format, with scenes of Nixon listening to his secret recordings towards the end of his presidency as the Watergate crisis intensifies. It covers all aspects of Nixon's life, usually in the form of memories triggered by the recordings, including his childhood in Whittier, California, and his wooing of his future wife, Pat Ryan. The film suggests that Nixon and his wife abused alcohol and prescription medication. Nixon's health problems, including his bout of phlebitis and pneumonia during the Watergate crisis, are also shown in the film. In typical Oliver Stone conspiratorial fashion, the movie suggests that Nixon had some kind of responsibility in the John F. Kennedy assassination. The film ends with Nixon's resignation and famous departure from the lawn of the White House in the helicopter, Army One. Real life footage of Nixon's state funeral in Yorba Linda, California, plays out over the end credits.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $2.2 million in 514 theaters. By December 19, 2006, the film had grossed a total of $13.6 million in the United States and Canada, well below its $44 million budget.
Two days before the film was released in theaters, the Richard Nixon Library and birthplace in Yorba Linda, California issued a statement on behalf of the Nixon family, calling parts of the film "reprehensible" and that it was designed to "defame and degrade President and Mrs. Nixon's memories in the mind of the American public". The statement also criticized Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of Fidel Castro. Stone responded that his "purpose in making the film, Nixon was neither malicious nor defamatory", and was an attempt to gain "a fuller understanding of the life and career of Richard Nixon — the good and the bad, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the legacy he left his nation and the world". Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic, though Stone says that was based on information from books by Stephen Ambrose, Fawn Brodie, and Tom Wicker.
Much of the critical commentary about the film centered on Hopkins portrayal of Nixon. For example, Janet Maslin from The New York Times praised Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and stiff, hunched body language with amazing skill". But Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, felt that "Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal of Nixon is the linchpin of a film that in its conception and presentation consistently veers into camp". Richard Corliss, in his review for Time, also had a problem with Hopkins' portrayal: "Hopkins, though, is a failure. He finds neither the timbre of Nixon's plummy baritone, with its wonderfully false attempts at intimacy, nor the stature of a career climber who, with raw hands, scaled the mountain and was still not high or big enough."
The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joan Allen), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Entertainment Weekly ranked Nixon #40 on their "50 Best Biopics Ever" list and one of the 25 "Powerful Political Thrillers".
Following is the original trailer from the movie:
I should add that while I loved the acting (especially the performances of Sir Anthonty Hopkins as Nixon and the marvellout Joan Allen as Pat), I hate how Oliver Stone distorts history, especially his unfounded allegation that Nixon was somehow involved in the Kennedy assassination. It seemed to me to be pure smear, lacking in any historical support or foundation.
Probably the most famous April Fool's joke for
potus_geeks occurred in 1992 on the National Public Radio (NPR) program "Talk of the Nation" when it reported that former-President Richard Nixon had declared his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in 1992. Accompanying the announcement were audio clips of Nixon delivering his candidacy speech and declaring "I never did anything wrong, and I won't do it again." Harvard professor Laurence Tribe and Newsweek reporter Howard Fineman then came on the air to offer their analysis of Nixon's decision and its possible impact on the 1992 presidential race. A clip from Torrie Clarke, press secretary of the Bush-Quayle campaign, was also played in which she said, "We are stunned and think it's an obvious attempt by Nixon to upstage our foreign policy announcement today." Listeners reacted very emotionally to the announcement, flooding NPR with calls expressing shock and outrage. During the second half of the program host John Hockenberry revealed that the announcement had been an April Fool's Day joke and explained that Nixon's voice had been impersonated by comedian Rich Little. This recollection of Nixon is a nice segue into our
potus_geeks theme for April: movies about presidents. Let me begin this series with Oliver Stone's 1995 movie Nixon. The movie starred Sir Anthony Hopkins in the title role. Other stars included Joan Allen as Pat Nixon, Paul Sorvino as Henry Kissinger, Powers Boothe as General Alexander Haig and Mary Steenburgen as Nixon's mother Hannah. No movie about Nixon would be complete without Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Mitchell and Dean, played respectively by James Woods, J. T. Walsh, E. G. Marshall and David Hyde Pierce. Ed Harris was E. Howard Hunt and Bob Hoskins was a diabolical J. Edgar Hoover.Nixon's story is presented in a non-linear format, with scenes of Nixon listening to his secret recordings towards the end of his presidency as the Watergate crisis intensifies. It covers all aspects of Nixon's life, usually in the form of memories triggered by the recordings, including his childhood in Whittier, California, and his wooing of his future wife, Pat Ryan. The film suggests that Nixon and his wife abused alcohol and prescription medication. Nixon's health problems, including his bout of phlebitis and pneumonia during the Watergate crisis, are also shown in the film. In typical Oliver Stone conspiratorial fashion, the movie suggests that Nixon had some kind of responsibility in the John F. Kennedy assassination. The film ends with Nixon's resignation and famous departure from the lawn of the White House in the helicopter, Army One. Real life footage of Nixon's state funeral in Yorba Linda, California, plays out over the end credits.
In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $2.2 million in 514 theaters. By December 19, 2006, the film had grossed a total of $13.6 million in the United States and Canada, well below its $44 million budget.
Two days before the film was released in theaters, the Richard Nixon Library and birthplace in Yorba Linda, California issued a statement on behalf of the Nixon family, calling parts of the film "reprehensible" and that it was designed to "defame and degrade President and Mrs. Nixon's memories in the mind of the American public". The statement also criticized Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of Fidel Castro. Stone responded that his "purpose in making the film, Nixon was neither malicious nor defamatory", and was an attempt to gain "a fuller understanding of the life and career of Richard Nixon — the good and the bad, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the legacy he left his nation and the world". Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic, though Stone says that was based on information from books by Stephen Ambrose, Fawn Brodie, and Tom Wicker.
Much of the critical commentary about the film centered on Hopkins portrayal of Nixon. For example, Janet Maslin from The New York Times praised Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and stiff, hunched body language with amazing skill". But Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, felt that "Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal of Nixon is the linchpin of a film that in its conception and presentation consistently veers into camp". Richard Corliss, in his review for Time, also had a problem with Hopkins' portrayal: "Hopkins, though, is a failure. He finds neither the timbre of Nixon's plummy baritone, with its wonderfully false attempts at intimacy, nor the stature of a career climber who, with raw hands, scaled the mountain and was still not high or big enough."
The movie was nominated for four Academy Awards: Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joan Allen), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen. Entertainment Weekly ranked Nixon #40 on their "50 Best Biopics Ever" list and one of the 25 "Powerful Political Thrillers".
Following is the original trailer from the movie:
I should add that while I loved the acting (especially the performances of Sir Anthonty Hopkins as Nixon and the marvellout Joan Allen as Pat), I hate how Oliver Stone distorts history, especially his unfounded allegation that Nixon was somehow involved in the Kennedy assassination. It seemed to me to be pure smear, lacking in any historical support or foundation.