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Frost/Nixon
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Universal Pictures Review written by and copyright: Noor Razzak (9th June 2009). |
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The Film
 After Oliver Stone's "Nixon" (1995) I found it hard to accept any one else in the role of the fallen President other than Anthony Hopkins. His portrayal was an incredible embodiment of the man and earned him a well deserved Oscar nomination. The plus side of this was that I never really had to, as Nixon wasn't exactly a feature character in many films... and those that he did appear in where done in a manner that pokes fun of the man or era; a recent example is the caricature featured in Zack Snyder's adaptation of "Watchmen" (2009) which exaggerated his features and mannerisms. Even the more serious portrayal of the character by Philip Baker Hall's in Robert Altman's "Secret Honor" (1984) didn't really cut for it after seeing "Nixon" but Frank Langella's turn is incredible, I nearly forgot about Hopkins' performance entirely. Langella himself would be deservedly nominated for an Oscar as well. This film is based on the stage play by Peter Morgan (who also wrote the screenplay) which adapts and dramatizes the Frost/Nixon interviews conducted in 1977. The interviews were a interesting cat and mouse tug of war between journalist and ex-President, Frost entered the melee with one goal in mind, to get Nixon to confess to conspiracy that led to his downfall, that he was complicit in the bugging of the Democratic National Committee headquarters. The interviews were tightly formatted into the dramatic play which also featured the two leads from this film adaptation. Both Langella and Michael Sheen as Frost play well off each other and bring a sense of tension and edge-of-your seat tone to what is essentially a film that plays heavily on dialogue and doesn't distract with any show-off Hollywood cliches. Those that are familiar with the play will immediately notice difference here in the film version, director Ron Howard virtually changes the structure, tone and of course pacing in order to make it "work" for film including the use of documentary style talking heads dispersed throughout the film. You couldn't simply shoot the play and Howard manages to create a well structured game of two halves into a compelling narrative. Like many adaptations some artistic license has been taken to add drama to the mix (while a considerable amount of the film is very accurate), but if you're looking for a 100% re-enactment then don't bother you may as well just watch the original interviews. While the film depicts an actual event... one my fears despite this was that the film would waver and potentially bore me, the genius behind the film is that it manages to capture you from the start and with the combination of its pacing and performances you're eyes will be glued to the screen until the credit roll, it's almost an hour before the interview actually begins but by this point you're involved deeply with Frost's endeavors to actually make the interview happen. Kudos to Howard for delivering an engaging and entertaining film that also sneaks in a history lesson for the uninitiated. The two leads are so strong in this film that the film's support cast is easily forgotten, and that cast includes the likes of Sam Rockwell, Kevin Bacon, Matthew Macfadyen, Oliver Platt and Toby Jones... this feat alone is worth more than any accolades that could be handed over... "Frost/Nixon" is not for everyone, but if you're looking for a real tight nail biter of film, with great writing, directing and performances then it's a damn good choice.
Video
Presented in the film's original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 in high-definition 1080p 24/fps and mastered in VC-1 compression. The film takes a very 70's approach to it's look and looks good alongside the archival footage integrated into the film. The majority of the film is sharp and clear, the color palette is muted and a bit drab which looks accurate here on this disc. Detail looks good, as does texture and contrast. Skin tones appear accurate and black levels are nice and deep, light grain adds further weigh to this film's aesthetic and the print is clean. On paper it's not the type of film that would stand out on HD but this image is solid and certainly does look impressive, the archival footage does suffer but that's expected.
Audio
Three audio tracks are included in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mixed at 48kHz/24-bit as well as French DTS 5.1 and Spanish DTS 5.1 surround tracks. For the purpose of this review I chose to view the film with its DTS-HD audio track. The film is predominantly dialogue based so there isn't too much active surrounds in play other than score and ambient sounds that place you within the environment. The majority of the audio is front heavy and is clear and distortion free. Overall it's a suitable mix that presents the film well without any surprises. Optional subtitles are included in English for the hearing impaired, French and Spanish.
Extras
Universal has released this film with a healthy collection of extras that include an audio commentary, a series of deleted scenes, four featurettes and a series of U-Control features such as a picture-in-picture commentary, trivia track, bookmarks and BD-Live features. Below is a closer look at these supplements. First up is a feature-length audio commentary by the film's director Ron Howard. I actually expected this track to be boring and dry, another reason not to judge a book by its cover, or in this case a director... Howard provides a delightful and insightful track that covers a wide range of topics and manages to keep the attention of the viewer throughout. The tone is very perky, the filmmaker is clearly passionate about the film, its contents and also the cast. He takes us through the development, the casting and keeping the original leads from the play, the artistic license uses, the choice of camera shots and pacing among other things. It's very much worth checking out. Next up are a series of 12 deleted scenes, these scenes play in a reel and seem to have been cut for time, it would have been welcomed had the director provided a commentary about his thoughts on these scenes, these scenes include: - "More Details Prior to Resignation Speech" which runs for 2 minutes 15 seconds. This is an extended scene as we get more of Nixon at his oval office desk prior to going live on TV. - "Resignation Speech" which runs for 2 minutes 29 seconds. Another extended clip of Nixon delivering his speech. - "Frost Over Australia!" which runs for 1 minute 28 seconds. Yet another extended scene of David hosting his Australian show as he introduces his first guest. - "Nixon Farewell" which runs for 3 minutes 50 seconds. More of Frost on the set of his Australian show as he watches Nixon's farewell on TV, then cuts to the press conference. - "Nixon Farewell – Video Version" which runs for 3 minutes 50 seconds. This is the televised press conference shot on video in its entirety. - "Frost/Bentley Car Phone" which runs for 2 minutes 38 seconds. Frost calls his producer John from his car phone to arrange lunch. Later Frost tells his producer about interviewing Nixon in this extended scene. - "Swifty Wants His 10%" which runs for 57 seconds. Swifty argues with Nixon about his agent's commission and who the check is being made out to. - "Extended 1st Cut – Research Montage" which runs for 4 minutes 14 seconds. The montage sequence in its first incarnation before it was cut down. - "Mr. and Mrs. Nixon" which runs for 1 minute 7 seconds. Nixon's wife Pat makes sure he has a handkerchief before he departs for the first round of interviews. - "David Schmoozes the Press" which runs for 1 minute 25 seconds. Frost calls around to rally additional money for the interviews. - "Nixon Pummels Frost" which runs for 2 minutes 32 seconds. As Nixon leaves the second round of interviews Frost's colleagues think it went badly and criticize Frost's performance in this extended clip. - "Nixon Piano Solo" which runs for 1 minute 29 seconds. The final scene is another extended scene where Nixon plays piano for his friends and family at his home. "Discovering Secrets: The People and Places Behind the Story" is an exclusive featurette which runs for 13 minutes 19 seconds and takes a look at the real people featured in this film, their backgrounds and importance to the story. The director talks about the political elements of the film, interviewing those involved and the research conducted for the film. The clip features an interview with the real David Frost and a look at the real location the interviews were conducted in and the co-operation with the Nixon Library and Museum, shooting at Nixon actual West Coast house, the Beverly Hilton among other things including a brief look at adding real elements about Nixon's life in the film. "The Making of Frost/Nixon" is the next featurette which runs for 22 minutes 59 seconds. This is the EPK clip that covers the making-of production from the play to adaptation into film, casting and most importantly retaining the original leads from the play and covers production information with a decent amount of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the key participants. There's a bit more substance here than in your usual EPK clips. "The Real Interview" featurette runs for 7 minutes 29 seconds and is a fascinating look at the actual interviews originally conducted in 1977 and includes footage from those interviews. The key participants comment on the impact of the interviews. While it would have great to include the interviews in their entirety this clip warrants further exploration of the interviews. "The Nixon Library" is the final featurette on this disc and runs for 6 minutes 22 seconds. This takes a look at the Library and museum and features artifacts from his Presidency, the White House records and on the history of the Library being built next to the hose he was born in and also features interviews with some of Nixon's staff primarily his secretary. There are some "U-Control: features that include: - Picture-in-Picture video commentary which are for profile 1.1 players or greater. And provides a series of interviews and behind-the-scenes footage that plays as you watch the film. - "The Nixon Chronicles" pop-up trivia track, is a neat track that feature information about the man, his political and Presidential career and about the interviews among other things. - "MyScenes" allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes from the film. Finally there's BD-Live access for profile 2.0 players with a Ethernet connection and allows you to connect to the Universal portal.
Overall
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