Hello Mr.President, Good Evening & Welcome!

Rating: 10/10 (17 November 2009)

In 1977, David Frost's interviews with disgraced ex-President Richard Nixon attracted the highest ratings ever for an American news programme. They are regarded now as a highpoint in current affairs broadcasting.
It is easy to forget how ubiquitous old Frosty was then; forever jetting back and forth across the Atlantic on Concorde, hosting chat-shows here and in America. As the '70's arrived, he focused less on satirical comedy of the sort he'd made his name with ( such as 'T.W.3 ) and concentrated on 'big star' interviews. But by '77, the perception was that his career had nosedived. He then got the idea of interviewing 'Tricky Dicky', and getting him to apologise for Watergate. Frost was no stranger to slippery customers, having famously torn insurance swindler Dr.Emil Savundra to pieces back in 1967. Nixon represented the ultimate challenge. When no network agreed to pay the ex-President, Frost was forced to approach big business interests, cap in hand. The programmes went ahead.
From the onset, it looked as though Frost had his work cut out for him. His very first question - "Why didn't you burn the tapes?" - was met by a long, rambling answer that told no-one nothing. Other questions were met with similar unhelpful responses. It must have looked as though Frost was wasting his time ( and other people's money ). But then a remarkable thing happened. Frost's research uncovered new facts about Watergate; these enabled him to ask searing, probing questions which wore Nixon down and got him to speak from the heart, something no-one had previously managed to do. It was a personal triumph for Frost.
You would think that a film about a television interview might turn out boring, but 'Frost/Nixon' is far from that. Peter Morgan's script ( based on his play ) is literate and absorbing. Frost's verbal battles with Nixon are riveting, a meeting of powerful minds. Tremendous performances from Michael Sheen and Frank Langella. Sheen gets 'Frost' to a tee, while Langella's 'Nixon' comes over as remarkably sympathetic, outshining even Anthony Hopkins' performance in Oliver Stone's 'Nixon'. I am not a big fan of the films of Ron Howard, but was impressed greatly by this. Another amazing thing is that it makes John Birt ( the man who sacked Stanley Baxter from London Weekend Television and then crucified the B.B.C. ) seem likable!