In-Class Write

1) I think the first thing a person can learn from watching my film is about the concerns of the American people regarding Nixon's presidency and the Watergate scandal. Though the actual scandal isn't the primary focus of the movie, the reaction to it and the questions of the American people are directly addressed. This is primarily done through Frost's interview questions. Frost's team started their interview research by dividing it into 3 sections: Vietnam, foreign and domestic policy, and Watergate and abuses of power. These 3 topics encompassed most of the American peoples questions about Nixon's presidency as a whole. By the director choosing to focus on these things, he is showing the concerns of the American people at that time, while also still addressing Nixon's involvement with Watergate. This is a good way to do this, because the people on Frost's team are for the most part somewhat average guys who share the same questions and concerns as the people who had been affected by Nixon's actions.

The second thing a person can learn from watching this film is about the power of the press. All throughout history the press has been possibly one of the biggest influencer of the public's opinion. Frost completely understands this. By choosing to slightly abandon his tv show host career and focus on these interviews to give the American people the closure they deserve, he is taking advantage of the opportunity he has to use this power for good. Frost addresses Nixon by saying that there are 3 things he thinks the American people should know. Firstly, that there was more than mistakes, there was wrong-doing. Secondly, Nixon should admit that he abused the power he had as president. Thirdly, Nixon should admit that he put the American people through 2 years of needless agony and that he apologizes for that. Frost finally gets a confession out of Nixon for his wrong-doings and this finally gives the people the closure they've been looking for. This interview was such a huge success because for once, someone had been able to get into Nixon's head and show why he did what he did and his true feelings behind it. By understanding the power of the press, people can understand how it has in so many instances been used to shape our history and our opinions.

2) I think one thing that a person will not learn about through my movie is the actual details involved with Watergate. While it is a large "focus" of the movie, the details regarding it are slightly brushed over. In the movie they are more so addressing Nixon's involvement, but not actually addressing the scandal as a whole. I don't think this movie is the correct movie to watch to gain more information about the scandal directly, but more so Nixon's presidency and uncovering his wrong-doings.

Another thing that a person might not learn about through my movie is the true character of both David Frost, and Richard Nixon. In the movie David Frost is very played up to be a typical, somewhat shallow tv star. They really up his "playboy" character, while neglecting his true success and impressive education. Frost graduated from Cambridge and had an extremely impressive resume as a tv sensation. They often portray him as somewhat lacking until the last minute when him doing a good job really matters. I also think this is similar with Richard Nixon's character. He is played up to be very unsettling and seemingly malicious at all times. While this may be the case during certain aspects of his presidency, they also gloss over the fact that really had to work his way up in the world and make a name for himself. He grew up poor, suffered many tragedies during his early childhood, received a full scholarship to Duke University Law School, ran for congress, he served in the navy, and he was a family man. So despite the fact that he did commit wrongdoings during his presidency, it isn't fair to classify him as solely those mistakes. I think the movie does a nice job of creating likeable characters, but they might not be entirely true/correct.

3) I think if the director had an extra 20 minutes, it would be beneficial to include more about Richard Nixon's life before the presidency. This would be beneficial because I think it is important for the director to show why people liked Nixon in the first place, and why some people still continued to appreciate him after his resignation. Though this may seem slightly counter-intuitive to the movie's primary plot line, exposing Nixon's wrongdoings, I still think it is important because there is more than one side to every story. It isn't fair for people to form an opinion on Nixon based solely off the bad things that are exemplified through the movie. While Nixon's involvement with Watergate, and other affairs is completely wrong, it is still important to remember that he too is a normal human. Another reason this is important is because in the movie when good things about Nixon are mentioned, they are included in a way that makes Nixon seem as if he's either braggings, or attempting to save his reputation, which isn't necessarily fair.  Similarly this could be said for Frost as well because he is very much played up to be somewhat ditzy and uneducated, until the very last day of interviews. This lack of complexity in the characters almost takes away the truly human aspect of it. Portraying Nixon as a monster who has never had good intentions, and portraying Frost as a ditzy uneducated interviewer, takes away part of what makes the actual story so interesting, the fact that they are both normal humans who have their strengths and their weaknesses.