Interesting article about the awards race, actually. Personally for me, I found Michael Sheen's performance more compelling of the two leads. Don't get me wrong - Langella was excellent and probably will be nominated, but Sheen had a much more... subtle job to do, and a lot more variance to what he had to portray. Langella has the added advantage of people going into a film knowing at least something about Nixon. Very few people know David Frost in comparison.
That said, I have a feeling Langella will get nominated somewhere for this, but I would hope that Sheen does too. But those who play more well known historical characters (Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, for example) tend to get the recognition over those supporting them or acting as the foils around the historial figures. Personally I think James McAvoy should have got FAR more credit for his role in The Last King of Scotland because it could have really been a detriment to the film if a less charismatic actor had been used in that role. But alas, not to be, and I don't say it in any way to undermine Forest Whittakers performance in that film either, which was excellent, but James totally should have had more props for that one!
That said, Frost/Nixon is pretty faultless. Granted, I wasn't born in Watergate era either, and nor did I grow up being taught about Nixon or have my parents inform me about their memories and opinions of him (I asked Mum - she said she barely remembers Watergate at all - apparently New Zealand didn't care, lol - they were pretty anti-American at home then still!), so I went in with probably far more of an open mind than an American would (not to say that you don't have the right to go in with preconceptions - after all, he was your president). Langella to me made Nixon less a monster, and more a shrewd tactician who made some very bad judgement calls that he didn't want to face up to. It would be very easy to demonise him, as that is how most people see or at least know of him as. It takes a good writer to write Nixon the way that he was portrayed in this film - somewhat a balance between politician and man. It is like trying to find the human side of someone who did terrible things. It is not an easy thing to do without making a film/story seem ridiculous or a piece of manipulation, but this managed to find a good balance, and resisted pointing big arrows saying "LOOK, NIXON IS A BAD BAD MAN!" and let the audience walk away with their own opinions still entact.
Either way, it's brilliant, and I'm glad you finally got to see it and enjoyed it!
I enjoyed Michael Sheen's performance more as well. Obviously Langella was absolutely amazing as Nixon and he did a fantastic job at embodying, not impersonating, Nixon. But so did Sheen and I just found that I was much more captivated by Sheen. He's going to get overlooked because it's already happening. Langella got a nomination in the Golden Globes but Sheen got absolutely nothing. Perhaps in the lesser known award shows but I think Sheen is going to get unfairly shut out this time around which is quite tragic because I thought his performance was phenomenal.
Oh my gosh, me too, and that is not just me saying that because I love James. I found him most compelling in The Last King of Scotland and I feel like that may have been his most demanding role yet. I found it far more challenging and captivating than Whitaker's take on Amin. Again, Whitaker did an excellent job but James blew me away. What his character goes through and suffers is not something that every actor can handle with such grace. I felt like James deserved much more credit than what he got out of it.
That's exactly why at the end of the film, especially after that last scene, I sat dumbfounded for several moments. Obviously this film didn't suddenly make my opinion of Nixon do a one-eighty where he's now my hero but I definitely have a new vision of him in my mind. I still don't necessarily respect but the portrayal of him, especially as he was about to confess and apologize before Brennan stopped the interview, really made him seem more human and less of the crook most view him as. I'm not afraid to criticize him or say that I dislike him but this film did an excellent and graceful job at lessening the fire of that view.
It really was phenomenal. I've decided to start doing a Movie Round-Up at the end of each year (this year's will probably come in a couple of days) and you'll definitely see this film on there. ;D
Yes I don't think the point of this film or the play itself was to release Nixon from what happened or make him a sympathetic character - but more to show that he is merely a man who made mistakes rather than some vindictive monster.
That said, I have a feeling Langella will get nominated somewhere for this, but I would hope that Sheen does too. But those who play more well known historical characters (Forest Whittaker as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, for example) tend to get the recognition over those supporting them or acting as the foils around the historial figures. Personally I think James McAvoy should have got FAR more credit for his role in The Last King of Scotland because it could have really been a detriment to the film if a less charismatic actor had been used in that role. But alas, not to be, and I don't say it in any way to undermine Forest Whittakers performance in that film either, which was excellent, but James totally should have had more props for that one!
That said, Frost/Nixon is pretty faultless. Granted, I wasn't born in Watergate era either, and nor did I grow up being taught about Nixon or have my parents inform me about their memories and opinions of him (I asked Mum - she said she barely remembers Watergate at all - apparently New Zealand didn't care, lol - they were pretty anti-American at home then still!), so I went in with probably far more of an open mind than an American would (not to say that you don't have the right to go in with preconceptions - after all, he was your president). Langella to me made Nixon less a monster, and more a shrewd tactician who made some very bad judgement calls that he didn't want to face up to. It would be very easy to demonise him, as that is how most people see or at least know of him as. It takes a good writer to write Nixon the way that he was portrayed in this film - somewhat a balance between politician and man. It is like trying to find the human side of someone who did terrible things. It is not an easy thing to do without making a film/story seem ridiculous or a piece of manipulation, but this managed to find a good balance, and resisted pointing big arrows saying "LOOK, NIXON IS A BAD BAD MAN!" and let the audience walk away with their own opinions still entact.
Either way, it's brilliant, and I'm glad you finally got to see it and enjoyed it!
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Oh my gosh, me too, and that is not just me saying that because I love James. I found him most compelling in The Last King of Scotland and I feel like that may have been his most demanding role yet. I found it far more challenging and captivating than Whitaker's take on Amin. Again, Whitaker did an excellent job but James blew me away. What his character goes through and suffers is not something that every actor can handle with such grace. I felt like James deserved much more credit than what he got out of it.
That's exactly why at the end of the film, especially after that last scene, I sat dumbfounded for several moments. Obviously this film didn't suddenly make my opinion of Nixon do a one-eighty where he's now my hero but I definitely have a new vision of him in my mind. I still don't necessarily respect but the portrayal of him, especially as he was about to confess and apologize before Brennan stopped the interview, really made him seem more human and less of the crook most view him as. I'm not afraid to criticize him or say that I dislike him but this film did an excellent and graceful job at lessening the fire of that view.
It really was phenomenal. I've decided to start doing a Movie Round-Up at the end of each year (this year's will probably come in a couple of days) and you'll definitely see this film on there. ;D
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I look forward to your Movie Round-Up!
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Eee, I'm excited to do it!
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