A Tomb for Boris Davidovich and Nixon (film): Difference between pages

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{{Infobox_Film
{{notability|Books|date=October 2008}}
| name = Nixon
'''''A Tomb for Boris Davidovich''''' is a collection of seven short stories by [[Danilo Kiš]] written in [[1976 in literature|1976]] (translated by Duska Mikic-Mitchell in 1978). The stories are based on historical events and deal with themes of political deception, betrayal, and murder in [[Eastern Europe]] during the first half of the 20th century. Several of the stories are written as fictional biographies wherein the main characters interact with historical figures.
| image = Nixonmovieposter.jpg
| caption = Theatrical poster
| director = [[Oliver Stone]]
| producer = [[Dan Halsted]]<br />[[Eric Hamburg]]<br />[[Oliver Stone]]
| writer = [[Stephen J. Rivele]]<br />[[Christopher Wilkinson]]<br />[[Oliver Stone]]
| starring = [[Anthony Hopkins]]<br>[[Joan Allen]]<br>[[Paul Sorvino]]<br>[[Bob Hoskins]]<br>[[Powers Boothe]]<br>[[James Woods]]<br>[[Ed Harris]]<br>[[E. G. Marshall]]
| music = [[John Williams]]
| cinematography = [[Robert Richardson (cinematographer)|Robert Richardson]]
| editing = [[Brian Berdan]]<br>[[Hank Corwin]]
| distributor = [[Hollywood Pictures]]<br>[[Cinergi Pictures]]
| released = [[December 22]], [[1995]]
| runtime = 192 minutes<br>212 minutes ([[director's cut]])
| country = {{USA}}
| language = [[English language|English]]
| budget = [[United States dollar|$]]44,000,000
| gross = [[United States dollar|$]]13,560,960 (USA)
| preceded_by =
| followed_by =
| website =
| amg_id = 1:135504
| imdb_id = 0113987
}}
'''''Nixon''''' is a [[1995 in film|1995]] [[biographical film]] directed by [[Oliver Stone]] for [[Cinergi Pictures]] that tells the story of the political and personal life of former [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard Nixon]], played by [[Anthony Hopkins]]. The film portrays Nixon as a complex and, in many respects, an admirable person, though deeply flawed. Unlike Stone's earlier film ''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]'', ''Nixon'' begins with a disclaimer that the film is "an attempt to understand the truth [...] based on numerous public sources and on an incomplete historical record." The studio did not like Stone's choice to play Nixon &mdash; Hopkins. They wanted [[Tom Hanks]] or [[Jack Nicholson]] &mdash; two of Stone's original choices. The director briefly considered [[Gene Hackman]], [[Robin Williams]] and [[Tommy Lee Jones]]. Stone met with [[Warren Beatty]] but the actor wanted to make too many changes to the script.<ref name= "hamburg">{{cite news
| last = Hamburg
| first = Eric
| coauthors =
| title = JFK, Nixon, Oliver Stone & Me
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Public Affairs
| date = 2002
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> Stone cast Hopkins based on his performances in ''[[The Remains of the Day (film)|The Remains of the Day]]'' and ''[[Shadowlands (film)|Shadowlands]]''.


Two days before the film was released in theaters, the Nixon family issued a statement criticizing Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of [[Fidel Castro]]. Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic but this information came from books by [[Stephen Ambrose]], [[Fawn Brodie]] and [[Tom Wicker]]. [[Roger Ebert]], a film critic of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' praised the film and placed it on his list of the top ten films of the year. The film grossed a total of $13 million in [[North America]], well below its $44 million budget.
==The Stories==

* "The Knife with the Rosewood Handle"
==Plot==
Miksha is a Jewish tailor's apprentice turned revolutionary whose commitment and cruelty lead him to commit a sordid murder and die in prison.
The film covers all aspects of Nixon's life as a composite of actual events. It depicts his childhood in [[Whittier, California]], as well as his growth as a young man, football fan and player, and suitor to his eventual wife, [[Pat Nixon|Pat Ryan]]. It fully explores most of the important events of his presidency, including his downfall due to abuse of executive power in the [[White House]].
* "The Sow that Eats her Farrow"

Verschoyle, a Republican volunteer in the [[Spanish Civil War]], is punished for criticizing the Soviet takeover.
Nixon's [[alcohol dependence]], as well as that of his wife, is fully implied in the film, as is the medication addiction he faced during his remaining years in office (Nixon's health problems, including his bout of [[phlebitis]] and [[pneumonia]] during the Watergate crisis, are also shown in the film, and his various medicaments are sometimes attributed to these health issues).
* "The Mechanical Lions"

Chelyustnikov organises a fake religious service for a Western dignitary visiting [[Kiev]].
The film ends with Nixon's [[resignation]] and famous departure from the lawn of the White House on the helicopter, [[Army One]]. Real life footage of Nixon's state funeral in [[Yorba Linda]], California, plays out over the extended end credits, and all living presidents at the time, [[Gerald Ford]], [[Jimmy Carter]], [[Ronald Reagan]], [[George H. W. Bush]] and [[Bill Clinton]], are shown in attendance [http://www.nixonlibrary.org/Nixons/rnfuneral.shtml].
* "The Magic Card Dealing"

The seemingly unmotivated murder of Dr. Kaul Taube is revealed to have been decided by a card game between two criminals.
==Cast==
* "A Tomb for Boris Davidovich"
*'''[[Anthony Hopkins]]''' stars as '''[[Richard Nixon]]'''. Stone on [[Anthony Hopkins]] : "the isolation of Tony is what struck me. The loneliness. I felt that was the quality that always marked Nixon."<ref name= "mcguire"/> When the actor met the director he got the impression that Stone was "one of the great bad boys of American pop culture, and I might be a fool to walk away."<ref name= "wilner">{{cite news
Boris Davidovich Novsky, a noted revolutionary, is arrested with the intent to extract a confession from him in a show-trial. During his interrogation Novsky duels with his interrogator Fedukin over how he will be remembered in the future, fighting over the conclusion to his biography.
| last = Wilner
* "Dogs and Books"
| first = Norman
Set up as a parallel to "Boris Davidovich", the story deals with Baruch David Neumann, a Jew forced to convert to christianity during a [[pogrom]].
| coauthors =
* "The Short Biography of A. A. Darmolatov"
| title = Richard Nixon Gets Stoned
Darmolatov, a minor revolutionary poet, is ruined by disease rather than terror.
| work =
==External links==
| pages =
* [http://www.dalkeyarchive.com/catalog/show/121 A Tomb for Boris Davidovich] - [[Dalkey Archive Press]] information page and excerpt.
| language =
{{stub}}
| publisher = [[Toronto Star]]
| date = [[December 15]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> What convinced Hopkins to ultimately take on the role and "impersonate the soul of Nixon were the scenes in the film when he talks about his mother and father. That affected me."<ref name= "carr">{{cite news
| last = Carr
| first = Jay
| coauthors =
| title = Perfectly Clear
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Boston Globe]]
| date = [[December 17]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref>
* [[Joan Allen]] as [[Pat Nixon]], wife of President Nixon. When Beatty was thinking about doing the film, he insisted on doing a reading of the script with an actress and Allen was flown in from [[New York City]]. Afterwards, Beatty told Stone that he had found his Pat Nixon.<ref name= "hamburg"/>
* [[James Woods]] as [[H. R. Haldeman]]: Woods talked Stone into giving him the part, a role that the director had planned to offer Ed Harris.<ref name= "hamburg"/>
* [[J. T. Walsh]] as [[John Ehrlichman]]
* [[Paul Sorvino]] as [[Henry Kissinger]]
* [[Powers Boothe]] as [[Alexander Haig]]
* [[Ed Harris]] as [[E. Howard Hunt]]
* [[Bob Hoskins]] as [[J. Edgar Hoover]]
* [[E. G. Marshall]] as [[John N. Mitchell]]
* [[David Paymer]] as [[Ron Ziegler]]
* [[David Hyde Pierce]] as [[John Dean]]
* [[Kevin Dunn]] as [[Charles Colson]]
* [[Sam Waterston]] as [[Richard Helms]] (scenes deleted)

== Production ==
===Origins===
Eric Hamburg, former speechwriter and staff member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, got the idea of a film about Nixon after having dinner with Oliver Stone.<ref name= "hamburg"/> Originally, Oliver Stone had been developing two projects &mdash; the musical ''[[Evita (film)|Evita]]'' and a movie about Panamanian dictator [[Manuel Noriega]]. When they both failed to get made, Stone turned his attention to a biopic about Richard Nixon.<ref name= "mcguire">{{cite news
| last = McGuire
| first = Stryker
| coauthors = David Ansen
| title = Hollywood's Most Controversial Director Oliver Stone Takes on Our Most Controversial President Richard Nixon
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Newsweek]]
| date = [[December 11]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> The former President's death on [[April 22]], [[1994]] was also a key factor in Stone's decision to make a Nixon film. He pitched the film to [[Warner Bros.]], but, according to the director, they saw it, "as a bunch of unattractive older white men sitting around in suits, with a lot of dialogue and not enough action."<ref name= "mcguire"/>

In 1993, Hamburg mentioned the idea of a Nixon film to writer Stephen J. Rivele with the concept being that they would incorporate all of the politician's misdeeds, both known and speculative.<ref name= "hamburg"/> Rivele liked the idea and had previously thought about writing a play exploring the same themes. Hamburg encouraged Rivele to write a film instead and with his screenwriting partner, Christopher Wilkinson, they wrote a treatment on November 1993.<ref name= "hamburg"/> They conceived of a concept referred to as "the Beast," which Wilkinson describes as "a headless monster that lurches through postwar history," a metaphor for a system of dark forces that resulted in the assassinations of [[John F. Kennedy]], [[Robert Kennedy]], and [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], the [[Vietnam War]], and helped Nixon's rise to power and his fall from it as well.<ref name= "weinraub">{{cite news
| last = Weinraub
| first = Bernard
| coauthors =
| title = Professor Stone Resumes His Presidential Research
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[New York Times]]
| date = [[December 17]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> Stone said in an interview that Nixon realizes that "the Beast" "is more powerful than he is. We can't get into it that much, but we hint at it so many times &mdash; the military-industrial complex, the forces of money."<ref name= "smith">{{cite news
| last = Smith
| first = Gavin
| coauthors =
| title = The Dark Side
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Sight and Sound]]
| date = [[March 1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> In another interview, the director elaborates, "I see the Beast in its essence as a System...which grinds the individual down...it's a System of checks and balances that drives itself off: 1) the power of money and markets; 2) State power, Government power; 3) corporate power, which is probably greater than state power; 4) the political process, or election through money, which is therefore in tow to the System; and 5) the media, which mostly protects the status quo and their ownership's interests."<ref name= "carnes">{{cite news
| last = Carnes
| first = Mark C
| coauthors =
| title = Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Cineaste
| date = Vol. XXII. No. 4. [[1997]]
| url = http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/MRC/pastimperfect.html
| accessdate = }}</ref> It was this concept that convinced Stone to make ''Nixon'' and he told Hamburg to hire Rivele and Wilkinson. Stone commissioned the first draft of the film's screenplay in the fall of 1993.<ref name= "hamburg"/> Rivele and Wilkinson delivered the first draft of their script on [[June 17]], [[1994]], the anniversary of the Watergate break-in.<ref name= "hamburg"/> Stone loved the script but felt that the third act and the ending needed more work.<ref name= "hamburg"/> They wrote another draft and delivered it on August 9th, the 20th anniversary of Nixon's resignation.<ref name= "hamburg"/>

===Pre-production===
Stone immersed himself in research with the help of Hamburg.<ref name= "mcguire"/> With Hamburg and actors Hopkins and James Woods, Stone flew to [[Washington, D.C.]] and interviewed the surviving members of Nixon's inner circle: lawyer [[Leonard Garment]] and Attorney General [[Elliot Richardson]]. He also interviewed [[Robert McNamara]], a former Secretary of War under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. The director also hired [[Alexander Butterfield]], a key figure in the Watergate scandal who handled the flow of paper to the President, as a consultant to make sure that the Oval Office was realistically depicted<ref name= "hamburg"/>, former deputy White House counsel [[John Sears]], and [[John Dean]], who made sure that every aspect of the script was accurate and wrote a few uncredited scenes for the film.<ref name= "hamburg"/>. To research their roles, Powers Boothe, David Hyde Pierce and Paul Sorvino talked to their real-life counterparts, but J.T. Walsh decided not to contact [[John Ehrlichman]] because he had threatened to sue after reading an early version of the script and was not happy with how he was portrayed.<ref name= "mcguire"/> Hopkins watched a lot of documentary footage on Nixon. At night, he would go to sleep with the Nixon footage playing, letting it seep into his subconscious.<ref name= "weiskind">{{cite news
| last = Weiskind
| first = Ron
| coauthors =
| title = Hopkins Takes Presidential Duties Seriously
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
| date = [[December 24]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> Hopkins said, "It's taking in all this information and if you're relaxed enough, it begins to take you over."<ref name= "weiskind"/>

Stone originally had a three-picture deal with New Regency Films which included ''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]'', ''[[Heaven & Earth (1993 film)|Heaven and Earth]]'', and ''[[Natural Born Killers]]''. After the success of ''Killers'', Arnon Milchan, head of New Regency, signed Stone for three more motion pictures.<ref name= "kit">{{cite news
| last = Kit
| first = Zorianna
| coauthors =
| title = Stars Come Out for Hollywood Premiere
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Toronto Sun]]
| date = [[October 29]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> Stone could make any film up to a budget of $42.5 million.<ref name= "hamburg"/> When Stone told Milchan that he wanted to make ''Nixon'', Milchan, who was not keen on the idea, told the director that he would only give him $35 million, thinking that this would cause Stone to abandon the project.<ref name= "hamburg"/><ref name= "kit"/> Stone took the project to Hungarian financier [[Andrew Vajna]] who had co-financing deal with [[Disney]].<ref name= "hamburg"/> Vanjna's company, Cinergi Films, were willing to finance the $38 million film. This angered Milchan who claimed that ''Nixon'' was his film because of his three-picture deal with Stone and he threatened to sue. He withdrew after Stone paid him an undisclosed amount.<ref name= "kit"/> Stone was finalizing the film's budget a week before shooting was to begin.<ref name= "mcguire"/> He made a deal with Cinergi and [[Disney]]'s [[Hollywood Pictures]] in order to supply the $43 million budget.<ref name= "mcguire"/> To cut costs, Stone leased the White House sets from [[Rob Reiner]]'s film, ''[[The American President]]''.<ref name= "mcguire"/>

===Principal photography===
The film began shooting on [[May 1]], [[1995]] but there was a week of pre-shooting at the end of April to film scenes that would be used as part of a mock documentary about Nixon's career.<ref name= "hamburg"/> Early on during principal photography, Hopkins was intimidated by the amount of dialogue he had to learn, that was being added and changed all the time<ref name= "weinraub"/> as he recalled, "There were moments when I wanted to get out, when I wanted to just do a nice ''[[Knots Landing]]'' or something."<ref name= "wilner"/> Sorvino told him that his accent was all wrong.<ref name= "mcguire"/> Sorvino claims that he told Hopkins that he thought "there was room for improvement" and that he would be willing to help him.<ref name= "weiskind"/> Woods says that Sorvino told Hopkins that he was "doing the whole thing wrong" and that he was an "expert" who could help him.<ref name= "weiskind"/> Woods recalls that Sorvino took Hopkins to lunch and then he quit that afternoon.<ref name= "weiskind"/> Hopkins told Stone that he wanted to quit the production but the director managed to convince him to stay.<ref name= "mcguire"/><ref name= "weiskind"/> According to the actors, this was all good-natured joking. Woods said, "I'd always tell him how great he was in ''[[Psycho (1960 film)|Psycho]]''. I'd call him Lady Perkins all the time instead of Sir Anthony Hopkins."<ref name= "weiskind"/>

In Spring of 1994, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine reported that an early draft of the screenplay linked Nixon to the assassination of President [[John F. Kennedy]].<ref name= "wilner"/> The facts contained in the script were based on research from various sources, including documents, transcripts and hours of footage from the Nixon White House. Dean said about the film's accuracy: "In the larger picture, it reflected accurately what happened."<ref name= "weinraub"/> Stone addressed the criticism of fictional material in the film, saying, "The material we invented was not done haphazardly or whimsically, it was based on research and interpretation."<ref name= "carnes"/> John Taylor, head of the Nixon Presidential Library, leaked a copy of the script to [[Richard Helms]], former Director of the [[CIA]], who threatened to sue the production.<ref name= "hamburg"/> In response, Stone cut out all scenes with Helms from the theatrical print and claimed that he did for "artistic reasons" only to reinstate this footage on the home video release.<ref name= "hamburg"/>

During the post-production phase, Stone had his editors in three different rooms with the scenes from the film revolving from one room to another, "depending on how successful they were."<ref name= "smith"/> If one editor wasn't successful with a scene then it went to another. Stone said that it was "the most intense post- I've ever done, even more intense than ''JFK''" because they were screening the film three times a week, making changes in 48-72 hours, rescreening the film and then making another 48 hours of changes.<ref name= "smith"/>

== Reaction ==
In its opening weekend, ''Nixon'' grossed a total of $2,206,506 in 514 theaters. As of [[December 19]], [[2006]], the film has grossed a total of $13,681,765 domestically, well below its $44 million budget.<ref name= "boxoffice">{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| coauthors =
| title = ''Nixon''
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Box Office Mojo
| date = [[September 26]], [[2007]]
| url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=nixon.htm
| accessdate = 2007-09-26 }}</ref> The film holds a 74 percent "fresh" rating at [[Rotten Tomatoes]].

Two days before the film was released in theaters, the [[Richard Nixon Library]] and birthplace in [[Yorba Linda, California]] issued a statement on behalf of the Nixon family, calling parts of the film "reprehensible" and that it was designed to "defame and degrade President and Mrs. Nixon's memories in the mind of the American public."<ref name= "weinraub2">{{cite news
| last = Weinraub
| first = Bernard
| coauthors =
| title = Nixon Family Assails Stone Film as Distortion
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[New York Times]]
| date = [[December 19]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> This statement was based on a published copy of the script.<ref name= "weinraub2"/> The statement also criticized Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of [[Fidel Castro]]. Stone responded that his "purpose in making the film, ''Nixon'' was neither malicious nor defamatory," and was an attempt to gain "a fuller understanding of the life and career of Richard Nixon &mdash; the good and the bad, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the legacy he left his nation and the world."<ref name= "weinraub2"/> [[Walt Disney]]'s daughter, Diane Disney Miller, wrote a letter to Nixon's daughters saying that Stone had "committed a grave disservice to your family, to the Presidency, and to American history."<ref name= "associated">{{cite news
| last =
| first =
| coauthors =
| title = Nixon's Family, Disney's Daughter Attack Stone's Film
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Associated Press]]
| date = [[December 20]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref> Stone does not see his film as the definitive statement on Nixon but as "a basis to start reading, to start investigating on your own."<ref name= "weiskind2">{{cite news
| last = Weiskind
| first = Ron
| coauthors =
| title = Casting Stone at Nixon
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
| date = [[December 24]], [[1995]]
| url =
| accessdate = }}</ref>

Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic, though Stone says that was based on information from books by [[Stephen Ambrose]], [[Fawn Brodie]], and [[Tom Wicker]].<ref name= "weinraub"/> [[Roger Ebert]], a film critic of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', praised the film for how it took "on the resonance of classic tragedy. Tragedy requires the fall of a hero, and one of the achievements of ''Nixon'' is to show that greatness was within his reach."<ref>{{cite news
| last = Ebert
| first = Roger
| coauthors =
| title = ''Nixon''
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Chicago Sun-Times]]
| date = [[December 20]], [[1995]]
| url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19951220/REVIEWS/512200302/1023
| accessdate = 2006-12-19 }}</ref> Ebert also placed the film on his list of the top ten films of the year. [[Janet Maslin]] from ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised Anthony Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and stiff, hunched body language with amazing skill."<ref>{{cite news
| last = Maslin
| first = Janet
| coauthors =
| title = Stone's Embrace of a Despised President
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[The New York Times]]
| date = [[December 20]], [[1995]]
| url = http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?res=9C01E7DC1E3AF933A15751C1A963958260
| accessdate = 2006-12-19 }}</ref> However, Mick LaSalle in the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'', felt that "the problem here isn't accuracy. It's absurdity. Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal of Nixon is the linchpin of a film that in its conception and presentation consistently veers into camp."<ref>{{cite news
| last = LaSalle
| first = Mick
| coauthors =
| title = Oliver Stone's Absurd Take on ''Nixon''
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[San Francisco Chronicle]]
| date = [[July 12]], [[1996]]
| url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1996/07/12/DD59636.DTL
| accessdate = 2006-12-19 }}</ref> Richard Corliss, in his review for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', also had a problem with Hopkins' portrayal: "Hopkins, though, is a failure. He finds neither the timber of Nixon's plummy baritone, with its wonderfully false attempts at intimacy, nor the stature of a career climber who, with raw hands, scaled the mountain and was still not high or big enough".<ref>{{cite news
| last = Corliss
| first = Richard
| coauthors =
| title = Death of a Salesman
| work =
| pages =
| language =
| publisher = [[Time (magazine)|Time]]
| date = [[December 18]], [[1995]]
| url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,983860,00.html
| accessdate = 2008-08-20 }}</ref>

It was nominated for four [[Academy Awards]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor in a Leading Role]] (Anthony Hopkins), [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress|Best Actress in a Supporting Role]] (Joan Allen), [[Academy Award for Original Music Score|Best Music, Original Dramatic Score]] and [[Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay|Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen]].

==DVD==
A [[director's cut]] was released on [[DVD]] with 28 minutes of previously deleted scenes restored. Much of the added time consists of two scenes: one in which Nixon meets with [[Central Intelligence Agency]] director [[Richard Helms]] (played by [[Sam Waterston]]) and another on [[Tricia Nixon Cox|Tricia Nixon]]'s wedding day, where J. Edgar Hoover persuades Nixon to install the taping system in the [[Oval Office]]. The film was re-released on DVD and [[Blu-ray disc]] on [[August 19]], [[2008]] with the first [[anamorphic widescreen]] version of the film.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==See also==
*''[[Dick (film)|Dick]]''
*''[[JFK (film)|JFK]]''
*''[[W. (film)|W.]]

==External links==
*{{imdb title|id=0113987|title=Nixon}}
*{{amg movie|id=1:135504|title=Nixon}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=nixon|title=Nixon}}
*[http://www.whitehousemuseum.org/special/movies.htm#nixon ''White House Museum'' - How accurately did the movie recreate the architecture and floor plan of the actual White House? (Review)]
*[http://www.salon.com/16dec1995/features/stone.html Salon.com Stone interview]

{{Footer Films Oliver Stone}}

[[Category:1995 films]]
[[Category:Political drama films]]
[[Category:Presidents of the United States in film and television]]
[[Category:Films set in Washington, D.C.]]
[[Category:Films directed by Oliver Stone]]
[[Category:Hollywood Pictures films]]
[[Category:Cinergi films]]
[[Category:Films over three hours long]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1920s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1930s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1960s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1970s]]
[[Category:Biographical film stubs]]
[[Category:Richard Nixon]]
[[Category:Films shot anamorphically]]

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Revision as of 04:39, 13 October 2008

Nixon
Theatrical poster
Directed byOliver Stone
Written byStephen J. Rivele
Christopher Wilkinson
Oliver Stone
Produced byDan Halsted
Eric Hamburg
Oliver Stone
StarringAnthony Hopkins
Joan Allen
Paul Sorvino
Bob Hoskins
Powers Boothe
James Woods
Ed Harris
E. G. Marshall
CinematographyRobert Richardson
Edited byBrian Berdan
Hank Corwin
Music byJohn Williams
Distributed byHollywood Pictures
Cinergi Pictures
Release dates
December 22, 1995
Running time
192 minutes
212 minutes (director's cut)
Country United States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$44,000,000
Box office$13,560,960 (USA)

Nixon is a 1995 biographical film directed by Oliver Stone for Cinergi Pictures that tells the story of the political and personal life of former President Richard Nixon, played by Anthony Hopkins. The film portrays Nixon as a complex and, in many respects, an admirable person, though deeply flawed. Unlike Stone's earlier film JFK, Nixon begins with a disclaimer that the film is "an attempt to understand the truth [...] based on numerous public sources and on an incomplete historical record." The studio did not like Stone's choice to play Nixon — Hopkins. They wanted Tom Hanks or Jack Nicholson — two of Stone's original choices. The director briefly considered Gene Hackman, Robin Williams and Tommy Lee Jones. Stone met with Warren Beatty but the actor wanted to make too many changes to the script.[1] Stone cast Hopkins based on his performances in The Remains of the Day and Shadowlands.

Two days before the film was released in theaters, the Nixon family issued a statement criticizing Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of Fidel Castro. Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic but this information came from books by Stephen Ambrose, Fawn Brodie and Tom Wicker. Roger Ebert, a film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times praised the film and placed it on his list of the top ten films of the year. The film grossed a total of $13 million in North America, well below its $44 million budget.

Plot

The film covers all aspects of Nixon's life as a composite of actual events. It depicts his childhood in Whittier, California, as well as his growth as a young man, football fan and player, and suitor to his eventual wife, Pat Ryan. It fully explores most of the important events of his presidency, including his downfall due to abuse of executive power in the White House.

Nixon's alcohol dependence, as well as that of his wife, is fully implied in the film, as is the medication addiction he faced during his remaining years in office (Nixon's health problems, including his bout of phlebitis and pneumonia during the Watergate crisis, are also shown in the film, and his various medicaments are sometimes attributed to these health issues).

The film ends with Nixon's resignation and famous departure from the lawn of the White House on the helicopter, Army One. Real life footage of Nixon's state funeral in Yorba Linda, California, plays out over the extended end credits, and all living presidents at the time, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, are shown in attendance [1].

Cast

Production

Origins

Eric Hamburg, former speechwriter and staff member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, got the idea of a film about Nixon after having dinner with Oliver Stone.[1] Originally, Oliver Stone had been developing two projects — the musical Evita and a movie about Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega. When they both failed to get made, Stone turned his attention to a biopic about Richard Nixon.[2] The former President's death on April 22, 1994 was also a key factor in Stone's decision to make a Nixon film. He pitched the film to Warner Bros., but, according to the director, they saw it, "as a bunch of unattractive older white men sitting around in suits, with a lot of dialogue and not enough action."[2]

In 1993, Hamburg mentioned the idea of a Nixon film to writer Stephen J. Rivele with the concept being that they would incorporate all of the politician's misdeeds, both known and speculative.[1] Rivele liked the idea and had previously thought about writing a play exploring the same themes. Hamburg encouraged Rivele to write a film instead and with his screenwriting partner, Christopher Wilkinson, they wrote a treatment on November 1993.[1] They conceived of a concept referred to as "the Beast," which Wilkinson describes as "a headless monster that lurches through postwar history," a metaphor for a system of dark forces that resulted in the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and Martin Luther King, Jr., the Vietnam War, and helped Nixon's rise to power and his fall from it as well.[5] Stone said in an interview that Nixon realizes that "the Beast" "is more powerful than he is. We can't get into it that much, but we hint at it so many times — the military-industrial complex, the forces of money."[6] In another interview, the director elaborates, "I see the Beast in its essence as a System...which grinds the individual down...it's a System of checks and balances that drives itself off: 1) the power of money and markets; 2) State power, Government power; 3) corporate power, which is probably greater than state power; 4) the political process, or election through money, which is therefore in tow to the System; and 5) the media, which mostly protects the status quo and their ownership's interests."[7] It was this concept that convinced Stone to make Nixon and he told Hamburg to hire Rivele and Wilkinson. Stone commissioned the first draft of the film's screenplay in the fall of 1993.[1] Rivele and Wilkinson delivered the first draft of their script on June 17, 1994, the anniversary of the Watergate break-in.[1] Stone loved the script but felt that the third act and the ending needed more work.[1] They wrote another draft and delivered it on August 9th, the 20th anniversary of Nixon's resignation.[1]

Pre-production

Stone immersed himself in research with the help of Hamburg.[2] With Hamburg and actors Hopkins and James Woods, Stone flew to Washington, D.C. and interviewed the surviving members of Nixon's inner circle: lawyer Leonard Garment and Attorney General Elliot Richardson. He also interviewed Robert McNamara, a former Secretary of War under the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. The director also hired Alexander Butterfield, a key figure in the Watergate scandal who handled the flow of paper to the President, as a consultant to make sure that the Oval Office was realistically depicted[1], former deputy White House counsel John Sears, and John Dean, who made sure that every aspect of the script was accurate and wrote a few uncredited scenes for the film.[1]. To research their roles, Powers Boothe, David Hyde Pierce and Paul Sorvino talked to their real-life counterparts, but J.T. Walsh decided not to contact John Ehrlichman because he had threatened to sue after reading an early version of the script and was not happy with how he was portrayed.[2] Hopkins watched a lot of documentary footage on Nixon. At night, he would go to sleep with the Nixon footage playing, letting it seep into his subconscious.[8] Hopkins said, "It's taking in all this information and if you're relaxed enough, it begins to take you over."[8]

Stone originally had a three-picture deal with New Regency Films which included JFK, Heaven and Earth, and Natural Born Killers. After the success of Killers, Arnon Milchan, head of New Regency, signed Stone for three more motion pictures.[9] Stone could make any film up to a budget of $42.5 million.[1] When Stone told Milchan that he wanted to make Nixon, Milchan, who was not keen on the idea, told the director that he would only give him $35 million, thinking that this would cause Stone to abandon the project.[1][9] Stone took the project to Hungarian financier Andrew Vajna who had co-financing deal with Disney.[1] Vanjna's company, Cinergi Films, were willing to finance the $38 million film. This angered Milchan who claimed that Nixon was his film because of his three-picture deal with Stone and he threatened to sue. He withdrew after Stone paid him an undisclosed amount.[9] Stone was finalizing the film's budget a week before shooting was to begin.[2] He made a deal with Cinergi and Disney's Hollywood Pictures in order to supply the $43 million budget.[2] To cut costs, Stone leased the White House sets from Rob Reiner's film, The American President.[2]

Principal photography

The film began shooting on May 1, 1995 but there was a week of pre-shooting at the end of April to film scenes that would be used as part of a mock documentary about Nixon's career.[1] Early on during principal photography, Hopkins was intimidated by the amount of dialogue he had to learn, that was being added and changed all the time[5] as he recalled, "There were moments when I wanted to get out, when I wanted to just do a nice Knots Landing or something."[3] Sorvino told him that his accent was all wrong.[2] Sorvino claims that he told Hopkins that he thought "there was room for improvement" and that he would be willing to help him.[8] Woods says that Sorvino told Hopkins that he was "doing the whole thing wrong" and that he was an "expert" who could help him.[8] Woods recalls that Sorvino took Hopkins to lunch and then he quit that afternoon.[8] Hopkins told Stone that he wanted to quit the production but the director managed to convince him to stay.[2][8] According to the actors, this was all good-natured joking. Woods said, "I'd always tell him how great he was in Psycho. I'd call him Lady Perkins all the time instead of Sir Anthony Hopkins."[8]

In Spring of 1994, Time magazine reported that an early draft of the screenplay linked Nixon to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.[3] The facts contained in the script were based on research from various sources, including documents, transcripts and hours of footage from the Nixon White House. Dean said about the film's accuracy: "In the larger picture, it reflected accurately what happened."[5] Stone addressed the criticism of fictional material in the film, saying, "The material we invented was not done haphazardly or whimsically, it was based on research and interpretation."[7] John Taylor, head of the Nixon Presidential Library, leaked a copy of the script to Richard Helms, former Director of the CIA, who threatened to sue the production.[1] In response, Stone cut out all scenes with Helms from the theatrical print and claimed that he did for "artistic reasons" only to reinstate this footage on the home video release.[1]

During the post-production phase, Stone had his editors in three different rooms with the scenes from the film revolving from one room to another, "depending on how successful they were."[6] If one editor wasn't successful with a scene then it went to another. Stone said that it was "the most intense post- I've ever done, even more intense than JFK" because they were screening the film three times a week, making changes in 48-72 hours, rescreening the film and then making another 48 hours of changes.[6]

Reaction

In its opening weekend, Nixon grossed a total of $2,206,506 in 514 theaters. As of December 19, 2006, the film has grossed a total of $13,681,765 domestically, well below its $44 million budget.[10] The film holds a 74 percent "fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

Two days before the film was released in theaters, the Richard Nixon Library and birthplace in Yorba Linda, California issued a statement on behalf of the Nixon family, calling parts of the film "reprehensible" and that it was designed to "defame and degrade President and Mrs. Nixon's memories in the mind of the American public."[11] This statement was based on a published copy of the script.[11] The statement also criticized Stone's depiction of Nixon's private life, that of his childhood, and his part in planning the assassination of Fidel Castro. Stone responded that his "purpose in making the film, Nixon was neither malicious nor defamatory," and was an attempt to gain "a fuller understanding of the life and career of Richard Nixon — the good and the bad, the triumphs and the tragedies, and the legacy he left his nation and the world."[11] Walt Disney's daughter, Diane Disney Miller, wrote a letter to Nixon's daughters saying that Stone had "committed a grave disservice to your family, to the Presidency, and to American history."[12] Stone does not see his film as the definitive statement on Nixon but as "a basis to start reading, to start investigating on your own."[13]

Some critics took Stone to task for portraying Nixon as an alcoholic, though Stone says that was based on information from books by Stephen Ambrose, Fawn Brodie, and Tom Wicker.[5] Roger Ebert, a film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, praised the film for how it took "on the resonance of classic tragedy. Tragedy requires the fall of a hero, and one of the achievements of Nixon is to show that greatness was within his reach."[14] Ebert also placed the film on his list of the top ten films of the year. Janet Maslin from The New York Times praised Anthony Hopkins' performance and "his character's embattled outlook and stiff, hunched body language with amazing skill."[15] However, Mick LaSalle in the San Francisco Chronicle, felt that "the problem here isn't accuracy. It's absurdity. Hopkins' exaggerated portrayal of Nixon is the linchpin of a film that in its conception and presentation consistently veers into camp."[16] Richard Corliss, in his review for Time, also had a problem with Hopkins' portrayal: "Hopkins, though, is a failure. He finds neither the timber of Nixon's plummy baritone, with its wonderfully false attempts at intimacy, nor the stature of a career climber who, with raw hands, scaled the mountain and was still not high or big enough".[17]

It was nominated for four Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Joan Allen), Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen.

DVD

A director's cut was released on DVD with 28 minutes of previously deleted scenes restored. Much of the added time consists of two scenes: one in which Nixon meets with Central Intelligence Agency director Richard Helms (played by Sam Waterston) and another on Tricia Nixon's wedding day, where J. Edgar Hoover persuades Nixon to install the taping system in the Oval Office. The film was re-released on DVD and Blu-ray disc on August 19, 2008 with the first anamorphic widescreen version of the film.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Hamburg, Eric (2002). "JFK, Nixon, Oliver Stone & Me". Public Affairs. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j McGuire, Stryker (December 11, 1995). "Hollywood's Most Controversial Director Oliver Stone Takes on Our Most Controversial President Richard Nixon". Newsweek. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ a b c Wilner, Norman (December 15, 1995). "Richard Nixon Gets Stoned". Toronto Star. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  4. ^ Carr, Jay (December 17, 1995). "Perfectly Clear". Boston Globe. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Weinraub, Bernard (December 17, 1995). "Professor Stone Resumes His Presidential Research". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c Smith, Gavin (March 1995). "The Dark Side". Sight and Sound. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  7. ^ a b Carnes, Mark C (Vol. XXII. No. 4. 1997). "Past Imperfect: History According to the Movies". Cineaste. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ a b c d e f g Weiskind, Ron (December 24, 1995). "Hopkins Takes Presidential Duties Seriously". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  9. ^ a b c Kit, Zorianna (October 29, 1995). "Stars Come Out for Hollywood Premiere". Toronto Sun. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  10. ^ "Nixon". Box Office Mojo. September 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-26. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  11. ^ a b c Weinraub, Bernard (December 19, 1995). "Nixon Family Assails Stone Film as Distortion". New York Times. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  12. ^ "Nixon's Family, Disney's Daughter Attack Stone's Film". Associated Press. December 20, 1995. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  13. ^ Weiskind, Ron (December 24, 1995). "Casting Stone at Nixon". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  14. ^ Ebert, Roger (December 20, 1995). "Nixon". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  15. ^ Maslin, Janet (December 20, 1995). "Stone's Embrace of a Despised President". The New York Times. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  16. ^ LaSalle, Mick (July 12, 1996). "Oliver Stone's Absurd Take on Nixon". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2006-12-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  17. ^ Corliss, Richard (December 18, 1995). "Death of a Salesman". Time. Retrieved 2008-08-20. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

See also

External links

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