With the Democratic and Republican conventions now behind us and the election just ahead of us, I thought I'd highlight the trailer for Frost/Nixon , the film adaptation of Peter Morgan's award-winning play. The film, as with the play, dramatizes the post-Watergate television interviews conducted by British talk-show host David Frost with former president Richard Nixon. The good news is that the acclaimed cast of Frank Langella as Nixon and Michael Sheen as Frost are reprising their roles on the big screen. The only thing that worries me is that Ron Howard is at the helm. I'm not sure he's the right director to bring this stage play to life on the screen. A presidential election year sets a good backdrop for the film. The trailer is courtesy of Imagine Entertainment.
John D from San Diego, CA
September 09, 2008 at 08:50 PM
Nice to hear someone raise skepticism, for once, about Ron Howard. Not only is he not a great director to reprise a stage play onto the big screen, I'm skeptical of his films at any time. He is far from an elite director, but usually treated like one. It is too bad that he is at the helm of this film because, with the subject matter, and with Frank Langella involved, it could be great. I'll be intrigued about this movie, but with Ron Howard's involvement, I won't be hoping to see this immediately.
Harry Medved from venice, california
September 09, 2008 at 09:34 PM
good point, Beth - but look at Ron Howard's "A Beautiful Mind" and 'Apollo 13" - for which he had compelling scripts and great actors to work with (as is the case with "Frost/Nixon") - I'd compare Ron Howard to those studio craftsmen of the 1950s & 1960s like Henry Hathaway or John Sturges - their films did not have a particular style or voice and embraced many genres, but they created solid male-driven dramas that stand the test of time...
Beth Accomando
September 10, 2008 at 01:18 AM
Thanks John for being one of the skeptics about Ron Howard. He seems like a nice guy but I have not been impressed with any of his films. He's done decent work but nothing that has ever floored me. I'm not sure who might have been a better choice.
And Harry, yes maybe "studio craftsman" is a good evaluation but even that may be higher praise than I'm willing to give him.
Thanks for the comments. I'm very curious how this one will turn out.
