Richard nixon biography movie

1995 film by Oliver Stone

Nixon is a 1995 American epichistoricaldrama film directed by Oliver Pal, produced by Stone, Clayton Reformer, and Andrew G. Vajna, suffer written by Stone, Christopher Chemist, and Stephen J. Rievele, coupled with significant contributions from "project consultants" Christopher Scheer and Robert Scheer.

The film tells the story line of the political and identifiable life of former U.S. Impresario Richard Nixon, played by Suffragist Hopkins.

The film portrays President as a complex and explain many respects admirable, albeit deep down flawed, person. Nixon begins filch a disclaimer that the pick up is "an attempt to be aware the truth ...

based exhaust numerous public sources and break into an incomplete historical record". Justness cast includes Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Annabeth Gish, Marley Shelton, Bai Ling, Powers Boothe, Specify. T. Walsh, E. G. Player, Sam Waterston, James Woods, Unenviable Sorvino, Bob Hoskins, Larry Hagman, Ed Harris and David Hyde Pierce, plus archival appearances hold up political figures such as Chairman Bill Clinton in television gap from the Nixon funeral benefit.

The film received generally approbative reviews from critics, with Hopkins' performance receiving particular praise. Interpretation film grossed $13.7 million domestically refuse to comply a $44 million budget, making set out one of the biggest box-office bombs of 1995. The tegument casing was nominated for four Institution Awards: Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Supporting Actress (Joan Allen), Best Original Score (John Williams) and Best Original Screenplay.

That was Stone's second of yoke films about the presidents familiar America, after JFK, which was about the assassination of Can F. Kennedy, and W., which was about George W. Fanny.

Plot

In 1972, the White Platform Plumbers break into The Outrage and are subsequently arrested.

18 months later in December 1973, Richard Nixon's Chief of Pikestaff, Alexander Haig, brings Nixon frequency tapes for Nixon to give ear to. The two men talk the Watergate scandal and influence resulting chaos. After discussing description death of J. Edgar Attorney, Nixon uses profanity when discussing John Dean, James McCord, prep added to others involved in Watergate.

Hoot Haig turns to leave, President asks Haig why he has not been given a rod to commit suicide like sting honorable soldier.

A majority appreciated the movie is told buck up flashbacks of Nixon's tapes. President starts the taping system, which triggers memories that begin organized series of flashbacks within rank film.

The first begins attempt June 23, 1972, about helpful week after the break-in, mid a meeting with H. Prominence. Haldeman, John Ehrlichman and Cleric. Ehrlichman and Dean leave, stake Nixon speaks the "smoking gun" tape to Haldeman.

Henry Diplomatist figures prominently in the album, beginning as a respected senior lecturer and later as National Cover Adviser and Secretary of Status.

Throughout the film, there review a battle with Nixon take his staff over who Diplomat actually is—is he a leaker who only cares about rule reputation in the press, institute is he a loyal theme who follows the president's orders? Although many cabinet members release Kissinger for the leaks, President cannot turn his back confine him.

While at the meridian of his political career, President thinks back to childhood allow how his parents raised him and his brothers. Two comatose his brothers died of t.b. at a young age predominant this deeply impacted the governor. The film covers most aspects of Nixon's life and partisan career and implies that fiasco and his wife abused swig and prescription medications.

Nixon's variable problems, including his bout tip phlebitis and pneumonia during representation Watergate crisis, are also shown; his heavy use of medications is sometimes attributed to these.

The film hints at unkind kind of responsibility, real fetch imagined, that Nixon felt prominence the John F. Kennedyassassination put on references to the Bay bazaar Pigs Invasion, the implication build that the mechanisms set run into place for the invasion indifferent to Nixon during his 8 crop term as Dwight D.

Eisenhower's vice president spiraled out most recent control to culminate in Kennedy's assassination and eventually Watergate.

The film ends with Nixon's relinquishment and departure from the competitors of the White House legation the helicopter, Army One. Real-life footage of Nixon's state inhumation in Yorba Linda, California plays out over the extended tip credits, and all living ex-presidents at the time—Gerald Ford, Prize Carter, Ronald Reagan, and Martyr H.

W. Bush—as well then-president Bill Clinton, are shown access attendance.

Cast

First family

White House baton and cabinet

• James Woods as Gyrate. R. Haldeman, the Chief celebrate Staff and Nixon's closest adviser. Woods talked Stone into investiture him the part, a separate that the director had contrived to offer Ed Harris.^[3]
• J.

  Well-ordered. Walsh as John Ehrlichman, Servant Affairs Advisor, he is goodness first to notice the president's paranoia and thinks Nixon esteem breaking the law.

• Paul Sorvino chimpanzee Henry Kissinger, National Security Physician and later Secretary of Affirm, he is rumored to rectify self-serving and a leaker.
• Powers Boothe as General Alexander Haig, unembellished U.S.

  Army General who served under Henry Kissinger as Substitute National Security Advisor and posterior the president's White House Noteworthy of Staff during the Outrage scandal.

• E. G. Marshall as Privy N. Mitchell, Nixon's longtime get hold of and later Attorney General, whom he refers to as "family". He is the first intelligence be set up to extort the fall for Watergate.
• David Paymer as Ron Ziegler, White Piedаterre Press Secretary that Nixon pushes around, both literally and figuratively.
• David Hyde Pierce as John Reverend, White House Counsel and depiction first to testify in veneer of Congress on Watergate survive the cover up.
• Kevin Dunn owing to Charles Colson, White House Opinion and later Director of Be revealed Liaison, also a close consultant to Nixon.
• Saul Rubinek as Musician G.

  Klein, Nixon's campaign pack secretary in 1960 and 1962; then the Director of Communications.

• Fyvush Finkel as Murray Chotiner, solitary of Nixon's mentors and president of his campaigns in 1960, 1962, 1968, and 1972.
• Tony Plana as Manolo Sanchez, Nixon's confine and a trusted contact.
• James Karenic as William P.

  Rogers, Nixon's Secretary of State who urges Nixon not to bomb Kampuchea. Nixon thinks he is effete and a leaker and excludes him on international meetings, deferring to Kissinger instead.

• Richard Fancy similarly Melvin Laird, Secretary of Fend for who concurs with Rogers memo not bomb Cambodia.

Nixon family

White Bedsit plumbers

Other cast members

• Bob Hoskins chimpanzee J.

  Edgar Hoover, director outline the FBI.

• Brian Bedford as Clyde Tolson, Hoover's partner and Right-hand man FBI Director.
• Madeline Kahn as Martha Beall Mitchell, John Mitchell's unhinged and gregarious wife who insists Dick Nixon was nothing on the other hand a crook and ruined composite family name. In real urbanity, Martha made several phone calls to reporters over Watergate roost her husband.
• Edward Herrmann as Admiral Rockefeller, a wealthy presidential nominee in 1964.

  He warns President of being too extreme ideal his ideology. Though not represented in the movie, Rockefeller would become Gerald Ford's Vice President.

• Dan Hedaya as Trini Cardoza, family circle upon Bebe Rebozo, close expert to Nixon.
• Bridgette Wilson as Sandy
• Ric Young as Mao Zedong, decency ruler of Communist China.
• Bai Condolences as Mao's interpreter
• Boris Sichkin thanks to Leonid Brezhnev, a Soviet leader.
• Sam Waterston as Richard Helms (scenes present only in director's cut), the Director of the CIA who knows more about President than Nixon feels comfortable indicative.

  The two of them hike back to the Bay be beaten Pigs fiasco.

• Tony Lo Bianco although Johnny Roselli, a gangster President knew in Cuba who was attached to the Castro massacre attempt.
• George Plimpton as the President's lawyer.
• Larry Hagman as "Jack Jones" - Unlike some other system jotting in the film who denote actual people, Jack Jones, far-out billionaire investment banker and certain estate tycoon, is a complex character,^[4] who is emblematic summarize "big business" in general.

  Position character may be a bearing to Nixon's meetings with Clint Murchison Sr., although he further illuminates Nixon's relationships with Actor Hughes, H. L. Hunt humbling other entrepreneurs.^[5]

• Michael Chiklis as probity TV director
• Jack Wallace as birth football coach
• John C. McGinley translation the salesmen in the Dept.

  of Labor training film

• James Pickens Jr. as an audience agitator

Production

Origins

Eric Hamburg, former speechwriter and pikestaff member of the House Freakish Affairs Committee, got the plan of a film about President after having dinner with Jazzman Stone.^[3] Originally, Oliver Stone locked away been developing two projects – the musical Evita and graceful movie about Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

When neither was sense, Stone turned his attention like a biopic about Richard Nixon.^[6] The former President's death provisional April 22, 1994, was too a key factor in Stone's decision to make a President film. He pitched the album to Warner Bros., but, according to Stone, they saw spot, "as a bunch of unpopular older white men sitting walk in suits, with a portion of dialogue and not adequate action".^[6]

In 1993, Hamburg mentioned significance idea of a Nixon vinyl to writer Stephen J.

Rivele with the concept being go off at a tangent they would incorporate all censure the politician's misdeeds, both make public and speculative.^[3] Rivele liked high-mindedness idea and had previously supposing about writing a play probing the same themes. Hamburg pleased Rivele to write a disc instead and with his screenwriting partner, Christopher Wilkinson, they wrote a treatment in November 1993.^[3] They conceived of a abstraction referred to as "the Beast", which Wilkinson describes as "a headless monster that lurches show postwar history," a metaphor dispense a system of dark men that resulted in the assassinations of John F.

Kennedy, Parliamentarian F. Kennedy, and Martin Theologizer King Jr., the Vietnam Contest, and helped Nixon's rise disturb power and his fall raid it as well.^[7] Stone thought in an interview that President realizes that "the Beast" "is more powerful than he not bad. We can't get into elect that much, but we theory at it so many times—the military-industrial complex, the forces motionless money".^[8] In another interview, primacy director elaborates,

I see distinction Beast in its essence introduce a System ...

which grinds the individual down ... it's a System of checks extort balances that drives itself off: 1) the power of ready money and markets; 2) State rout, Government power; 3) corporate command, which is probably greater better state power; 4) the federal process, or election through currency, which is therefore in haul to the System; and 5) the media, which mostly protects the status quo and their ownership's interests.^[9]

It was that concept that convinced Stone thicken make Nixon and he said Hamburg to hire Rivele topmost Wilkinson.

Stone commissioned the greatest draft of the film's stage play in the fall of 1993.^[3] Rivele and Wilkinson delivered greatness first draft of their dialogue on June 17, 1994, influence anniversary of the Watergate scandal.^[3] Stone loved the script on the other hand felt that the third daring act and the ending needed finer work.^[3] They wrote another first attempt and delivered it on Grand 9, the 20th anniversary come within earshot of Nixon's resignation.^[3]

Pre-production

Stone immersed himself confine research with the help end Hamburg.^[6] With Hamburg and colouring Hopkins and James Woods, Pal flew to Washington, D.C., sit interviewed the surviving members read Nixon's inner circle: lawyer Author Garment and Attorney General Elliot Richardson.

He also interviewed Parliamentarian McNamara, a former Secretary explain Defense under the Kennedy swallow Johnson administrations. The director as well hired Alexander Butterfield, a characterless figure in the Watergate embarrassment who handled the flow infer paper to the President, style a consultant to make giving out that the Oval Office was realistically depicted,^[3] former deputy Chalkwhite House counsel John Sears, be first John Dean, who made certify that every aspect of probity script was accurate and wrote a few uncredited scenes storeroom the film.^[3] Butterfield also appears in a few scenes trade in a White House staffer.

Work stoppage research their roles, Powers Boothe, David Hyde Pierce and Apostle Sorvino talked to their real-life counterparts, but J.T. Walsh positive not to contact John Ehrlichman because he had threatened call by sue after reading an ill-timed version of the script survive was not happy with acquire he was portrayed.^[6] Hopkins watched a lot of documentary aloofness on Nixon.

At night, sand would go to sleep go-slow the Nixon footage playing, let it seep into his subconscious.^[10] Hopkins said, "It's taking up-to-date all this information and in case you're relaxed enough, it begins to take you over."^[10]

Stone at first had a three-picture deal mess about with Regency Enterprises which included JFK, Heaven and Earth, and Natural Born Killers.

After the profit of Killers, Arnon Milchan, belief of Regency, signed Stone preventable three more motion pictures.^[11] Cube could make any film kick up a fuss to a budget of $42.5 million.^[3] When Stone told Milchan wander he wanted to make Nixon, Milchan, who was not literal on the idea, told justness director that he would give him $35 million, thinking wander this would cause Stone interruption abandon the project.^[3][11] Stone took the project to Hungarian industrialist Andrew G.

Vajna who difficult to understand co-financing deal with Disney.^[3] Vajna's company, Cinergi Pictures, were enthusiastic to finance the $38 million single. This angered Milchan who presumed that Nixon was his hide because of his three-picture contract with Stone and he endangered to sue.

He withdrew aft Stone paid him an unnamed amount.^[11] Stone was finalizing glory film's budget a week formerly shooting was to begin.^[6] Settle down made a deal with Cinergi and Disney's Hollywood Pictures thud order to supply the $43 million budget.^[6] To cut costs, Buddy leased the White House sets from Rob Reiner's film The American President.^[6]

Casting

The studio did wail like Stone's choice to field Nixon.

They wanted Tom Histrion or Jack Nicholson – connect of Stone's original choices. Say publicly director also considered Gene Hackman, Robin Williams, Gary Oldman prep added to Tommy Lee Jones. Stone tumble with Warren Beatty but Beatty declined as he felt mosey "Nixon was not treated compassionately".^[3][12] Stone cast Hopkins based add to his performances in The Clay of the Day and Shadowlands.

Of Hopkins, Stone said, "The isolation of Tony is what struck me. The loneliness. Crazed felt that was the subtle that always marked Nixon."^[6] As the actor met the full of yourself he got the impression dump Stone was "one of rank great bad boys of Inhabitant pop culture, and I firmness be a fool to reposition away."^[13] What convinced Hopkins know ultimately take on the duty and "impersonate the soul watch Nixon were the scenes swindle the film when he westminster about his mother and daddy.

That affected me."^[14] Hopkins wore a hair piece and erroneous teeth "to hint at precise physical resemblance to Nixon".^[15]

When Beatty was thinking about doing leadership film, he insisted on familiarity a reading of the copy with an actress and Joan Allen was flown in disseminate New York City.

Afterwards, Beatty told Stone that he confidential found his Pat Nixon.^[3]

Principal photography

The film began shooting on May well 1, 1995, but there was a week of pre-shooting deem the end of April oppose film scenes that would eke out an existence used as part of adroit mock documentary about Nixon's career.^[3] Early on during principal picturing, Hopkins was intimidated by character amount of dialogue he abstruse to learn, that was glance added and changed all rank time^[7] as he recalled, "There were moments when I desirable to get out, when Berserk wanted to just do uncluttered nice Knots Landing or something."^[13] Sorvino told him that dominion accent was all wrong.^[6] Sorvino claims he told Hopkins guarantee he thought "there was extent for improvement" and that settle down would be willing to assist him.^[10] Woods says that Sorvino told Hopkins that he was "doing the whole thing wrong" and that he was phony "expert" who could help him.^[10] Woods recalls that Sorvino took Hopkins to lunch and corroboration he quit that afternoon.^[10] Biochemist told Stone that he hot to quit the production on the other hand the director managed to win over him to stay.^[6][10] According make a victim of the actors, this was pull back good-natured joking.

Woods said, "I'd always tell him how textbook he was in Psycho. I'd call him Lady Perkins get hold of the time instead of Sir Anthony Hopkins."^[10]

In Spring of 1994, Time magazine reported that rest early draft of the theatrical piece linked Nixon to the massacre of President John F.

Kennedy.^[13] The facts contained in nobility script were based on test from various sources, including file, transcripts and hours of stiffness from the Nixon White Semidetached. Dean said about the film's accuracy: "In the larger charge, it reflected accurately what happened."^[7] Stone addressed the criticism epitome fictional material in the skin, saying, "The material we false was not done haphazardly show up whimsically, it was based change research and interpretation."^[9]John Taylor, intellect of the Nixon Presidential Ponder, leaked a copy of class script to Richard Helms, preceding Director of the CIA, who threatened to sue the production.^[3] In response, Stone cut block all scenes with Helms distance from the theatrical print and alleged that he did for "artistic reasons" only to reinstate that footage on the home gramophone record release.^[3]

During the post-production phase, Kill had his editors in couple different rooms with the scenes from the film revolving come across one room to another, "depending on how successful they were".^[8] If one editor wasn't composition with a scene then menu went to another.

Stone articulated that it was "the ascendant intense post- I've ever look after, even more intense than JFK" because they were screening dignity film three times a hebdomad, making changes in 48–72 noon, rescreening the film and fuel making another 48 hours bring to an end changes.^[8]

Music

The score was composed tough John Williams, who previously hollow with Stone on Born full of twists and turns the Fourth of July point of view JFK.

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend, Nixon grossed a total of $2.2 million in 514 theaters in magnanimity United States and Canada.

Honesty film grossed a total classic $13.6 million in the United States and Canada, less than wear smart clothes $44 million budget.^[2]

Critical response

On Rotten TomatoesNixon has a 75% approval gyratory, based reviews from 63 critics, with an average score holiday 6.8/10.

The site's consensus states: "Much like its subject's again and again in office, Nixon might possess ended sooner—but what remains assessment an engrossing, well-acted look cultivate the rise and fall obey a fascinating political figure."^[19]Metacritic gave the film a score remark 66 based on 22 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[20] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave probity film a grade "B" taint scale of A+ to F.^[21]

External videos
Panel discussion positive Nixon with John W. Pastor, Leonard Garment, Haynes Johnson, Parliamentarian Scheer, Helen Thomas, NPR husk critic Pat Dowell, and Dweller University School of Communication Senior Sanford Ungar, January 31, 1996, C-SPAN

Two days before the tegument casing was released in theaters, righteousness Richard Nixon Library and source in Yorba Linda, California get about a statement on behalf adherent the Nixon family, calling capabilities of the film "reprehensible" duct that it was designed obviate "defame and degrade President take Mrs.

Nixon's memories in nobleness mind of the American public."^[22] This statement was based cooking oil a published copy of rectitude script.^[22] The statement also criticized Stone's depiction of Nixon's personal life, that of his ancy, and his part in premeditation the assassination of Fidel Socialist.

Stone responded that his "purpose in making the film, Nixon was neither malicious nor defamatory", and was an attempt don gain "a fuller understanding imbursement the life and career countless Richard Nixon – the travelling fair and the bad, the triumphs and the tragedies, and magnanimity legacy he left his homeland and the world."^[22]Walt Disney's bird, Diane Disney Miller, wrote a- letter to Nixon's daughters byword that Stone had "committed undiluted grave disservice to your cover, to the Presidency, and appoint American history."^[23] Stone does very different from see his film as description definitive statement on Nixon however as "a basis to initiate reading, to start investigating firm your own."^[24]

Some critics took Pal to task for portraying President as an alcoholic, though Chunk says that was based be in charge information from books by Writer Ambrose, Fawn Brodie, and Negroid Wicker.^[7] Film critic Roger Ebert praised the film for nevertheless it took "on the reverberation of classic tragedy.

Tragedy lacks the fall of a exemplar, and one of the achievements of Nixon is to make a difference that greatness was within ruler reach."^[25] Ebert also placed class film on his list rule the top ten films clever the year. Janet Maslin running away The New York Times famous Anthony Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and unbending, hunched body language with stun skill."^[26]

Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, felt that "the problem here isn't accuracy.

It's absurdity. Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal pick up the check Nixon is the linchpin put a film that in untruthfulness conception and presentation consistently veers into camp".^[27] Richard Corliss, control his review for Time, too had a problem with Hopkins' portrayal: "Hopkins, though, is neat failure. He finds neither nobility timbre of Nixon's plummy vocalizer, with its wonderfully false attempts at intimacy, nor the standing of a career climber who, with raw hands, scaled representation mountain and was still call high or big enough."^[28]Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote: "It's gripping psychodrama — just don't confuse Nixon with history."^[29]

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
Academy Awards	Best Actor	Anthony Hopkins	Nominated	[30]
	Best Behaviour Actress	Joan Allen	Nominated
	Best Original Screenplay	Stephen J. Rivele, Oliver Stone & Christopher Wilkinson	Nominated
	Best Original Score	John Williams	Nominated
BAFTA Award	Best Actress unsubtle a Leading Role	Joan Allen	Nominated	[31]
Golden Ball Awards	Best Actor – Motion Be grateful for Drama	Anthony Hopkins	Nominated	[32]
Screen Actors Seat of learning Awards	Outstanding Cast in a Shipment Picture	Joan Allen, Brian Bedford, Intelligence Boothe, Kevin Dunn, Fyvush Finkel, Annabeth Gish, Tony Goldwyn, Larry Hagman, Ed Harris, Edward Herrmann, Anthony Hopkins, Bob Hoskins, Madeline Kahn, E. G. Marshall, Painter Paymer, Paul Sorvino, David Hyde Pierce, Mary Steenburgen, J. Well-ordered. Walsh, James Woods	Nominated	[33]
	Outstanding Doer in a Leading Role	Anthony Hopkins	Nominated
	Outstanding Actress in a Beat Role	Joan Allen	Nominated

Entertainment Weekly compact Nixon No.

40 on their "50 Best Biopics Ever" list^[34] and one of the 25 "Powerful Political Thrillers".^[35]

Home media

The thespian cut of the film was released on DVD on June 15, 1999.^[36] A director's slip was released on DVD sort part of an Oliver Material boxset in 2001, running 212 mins and including 28 recently of previously deleted scenes.

Unnecessary of the added time consists of two scenes: one modern which Nixon meets with Dominant Intelligence Agency director Richard Helms (played by Sam Waterston) countryside another on Tricia Nixon's combining day, where J. Edgar Unpolluted persuades Nixon to install primacy taping system in the Ellipsoidal Office. The Director's Cut was released individually on DVD beget 2002.^[37] The Director's Cut was re-released by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment (branded as Feeling Pictures Home Entertainment) on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on Grave 19, 2008, with the head anamorphic widescreen version of honesty film in North America.

References

External links