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Frost/Nixon (2008)
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This dialogue-heavy but utterly compelling history lesson restages David Frost's exclusive 1977 interviews with former US President Richard Nixon, three years after he left office in disgrace over the Watergate scandal. Opening up the theatrical battle of wits with measured restraint to show the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring, director Ron Howard (Hollywood's definitive “safe pair of hands”) invests everything in the strength of his practised leads, Michael Sheen and Frank Langella. And, having honed their roles in Peter Morgan's original play, the pair are quietly electrifying. A transcription of the interviews themselves would be fascinating enough, but Morgan's script gets right under the skin of the financially strapped, vanity-driven inquisitor and the morally beleaguered but in no way feckless politician. Oliver Platt, Sam Rockwell and Matthew Macfadyen (playing producer John Birt) make the most of supporting roles, and it's impossible not to get caught up in the the momentum of events, which evoke a more principled time before news-media saturation. AC
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| Contains swearing. |
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Tell us what you think
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Running time
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116min
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Country of origin
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US / UK / Fr
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Genre
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Historical Drama
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Original language
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English
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Screenplay
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Peter Morgan (1), from his play
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Theatrical distributor
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Universal Pictures Int (UK)
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UK cinema certificate
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15
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UK cinema release date
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January 2009
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| awards information |
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Award |
Category |
Name |
Nominee/Winner |
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| Academy 2008 |
Actor in a Leading Role |
Frank Langella |
Nominee |
| Academy 2008 |
Best Picture |
Eric Fellner |
Nominee |
| Academy 2008 |
Best Picture |
Brian Grazer |
Nominee |
| Academy 2008 |
Best Picture |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| Academy 2008 |
Directing |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| Academy 2008 |
Writing (Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published) |
Peter Morgan (1) |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Film |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Film |
Tim Bevan |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Film |
Eric Fellner |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Film |
Brian Grazer |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role |
Frank Langella |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
Best Screenplay (Adapted) |
Peter Morgan (1) |
Nominee |
| British Academy Film Awards 2008 |
The David Lean Award for the Best Achievement in Direction |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Director Motion Picture |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
Tim Bevan |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
Eric Fellner |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
Brian Grazer |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Motion Picture Drama |
Ron Howard |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Drama |
Frank Langella |
Nominee |
| Golden Globe 2008 |
Best Screenplay Motion Picture |
Peter Morgan (1) |
Nominee |
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Film certification logos reproduced by kind permission of BBFC |
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