Nixon (film)

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Nixon
film poster
Directed by	Oliver Stone
Produced by	Dan Halsted Eric Hamburg Oliver Stone
Written by	Stephen J. Rivele Christopher Wilkinson Oliver Stone
Starring	Anthony Hopkins Joan Allen Paul Sorvino Bob Hoskins Powers Boothe James Woods Ed Harris E.G. Marshall
Music by	John Williams
Cinematography	Robert Richardson
Editing by	Brian Berdan and Hank Corwin
Distributed by	Hollywood Pictures Cinergi Pictures
Release date(s)	December 22, 1995
Running time	192 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$44 million USD
IMDb profile

Nixon is a 1995 film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President Richard Nixon. It stars Anthony Hopkins as Nixon, Joan Allen (Pat Nixon), Powers Boothe (Alexander Haig), Ed Harris (E. Howard Hunt), Bob Hoskins (J. Edgar Hoover), E.G. Marshall (John N. Mitchell), David Paymer (Ron Ziegler), David Hyde Pierce (John Dean), Paul Sorvino (Henry Kissinger), Mary Steenburgen (Nixon's mother), J.T. Walsh (John Ehrlichman), James Woods (H. R. Haldeman), and lots of cameo appearances from many notable actors. The film portrays Nixon as a complex and (in many respects) an admirable person, though deeply flawed.

1 Film description
2 Filming
3 Reaction
4 Awards and release
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Film description

The film covers all aspects of Nixon's life as a pastiche and composite of actual events. It depicts his childhood in Whittier, California, as well as his growth as a young man, football fan and player, and suitor to his eventual wife, Pat Ryan. It fully explores most of the important events of his presidency, including his downfall due to abuse of executive power in the White House.

Nixon's alcohol dependence, as well as that of his wife, is fully implied in the film, as is the medication addiction he faced during his remaining years in office (Nixon's health problems, including his bout of phlebitis and pneumonia during the Watergate crisis, are also shown in the film, and his various medicaments are sometimes attributed to these health issues).

The film ends with Nixon's resignation and famous departure from the lawn of the White House on the helicopter, Army One. Real life footage of Nixon's state funeral in Yorba Linda, California, plays out over the extended end credits, and all living presidents at the time, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, are shown in attendance [1].

[edit] Filming

While shooting the scene where Nixon and Jones confront each other, the lights were tilted so as to point straight down at coffee tables in front of the fur-upholstered couch. The heat emitted from the lights was so powerful that the rug beneath one of the tables started smoking. In the middle of the first take, an extra noticed the increasing amount of smoke, and muttered "fire" quietly during a pause between lines of dialogue. James Woods heard this and stopped the scene before the rug caught fire.

When Nixon returns from China and goes to the press area aboard Air Force One, the reporter in the front row on the left side can be seen knocking his head on the overhead compartment. This was the first of three takes of this shot. After Oliver Stone noticed on playback that Jim (the reporter) had bumped his head, Stone called for another take, which was followed by a third, "just to make sure". Despite this, the take used in the final film was the first take with the head bump intact.

To gain the feel of Richard Nixon, Anthony Hopkins watched almost every speech Nixon ever made on tape several times. He also met some people who knew Nixon that could lend Hopkins some insight into his characteristics. Both Hopkins and Stone decided not to use prosthetic makeup in creating the iconographic figure of Richard Nixon (test makeup for Nixon actually appears in some quickly edited clips during the film). His characteristic sloped nose and heavy jowls are gone, but the stiff shoulders, slicked back hair, and tense, nervous grin are all portrayed.

[edit] Reaction

Roger Ebert, a film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the film for how it took "on the resonance of classic tragedy. Tragedy requires the fall of a hero, and one of the achievements of Nixon is to show that greatness was within his reach."^[1] Janet Maslin from The New York Times praised Anthony Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and stiff, hunched body language with amazing skill."^[2] However, Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, felt that "the problem here isn't accuracy. It's absurdity. Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal of Nixon is the linchpin of a film that in its conception and presentation consistently veers into camp."^[3]

Nixon holds a 74 percent "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.0 rating at the Internet Movie Database with 8,199 votes (2007-03-30).

The film grossed $14 million at the U.S. box office and was denounced by Richard Nixon's daughters.

[edit] Awards and release

Hopkins as Nixon

It was nominated for Academy Awards for 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.

In its opening weekend, the film grossed a total of $2,206,506 in 514 theaters. As of December 19, 2006, the film has grossed a total of $13,681,765 domestically.

A director's cut was released on DVD with 28 minutes of previously deleted scenes restored. Much of the added time consists of two scenes: one in which Nixon meets with CIA director Richard Helms (played by Sam Waterston) and another on Tricia Nixon's wedding day, where J. Edgar Hoover persuades Nixon to install the taping system in the Oval Office.