Nixon (1995)

A biographical story of former U.S. President Richard Milhous Nixon, from his days as a young boy, to his eventual Presidency, which ended in shame.

Director:

Oliver Stone

Writers:

Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson

Stars:

Anthony Hopkins, Joan Allen, Powers Boothe

Nominated for 4 Oscars. Another 11 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Hopkins	...	Richard M. Nixon
Joan Allen	...	Pat Nixon
Powers Boothe	...	Alexander Haig
Ed Harris	...	E. Howard Hunt
Bob Hoskins	...	J. Edgar Hoover
E.G. Marshall	...	John Mitchell
David Paymer	...	Ron Ziegler
David Hyde Pierce	...	John Dean
Paul Sorvino	...	Henry Kissinger
Mary Steenburgen	...	Hannah Nixon
J.T. Walsh	...	John Ehrlichman
James Woods	...	H.R. Haldeman
Brian Bedford	...	Clyde Tolson
Kevin Dunn	...	Charles Colson
Fyvush Finkel	...	Murray Chotiner

Storyline

Director Oliver Stone's exploration of former president Richard Nixon's strict Quaker upbringing, his nascent political strivings in law school, and his strangely self-effacing courtship of his wife, Pat. The contradictions in his character are revealed early, in the vicious campaign against Helen Gahagan Douglas and the oddly masochistic Checkers speech. His defeat at the hands of the hated and envied John F. Kennedy in the 1960 presidential election, followed by the loss of the 1962 California gubernatorial race, seem to signal the end of his career. Yet, although wholly lacking in charisma, Nixon remains a brilliant political operator, seizing the opportunity provided by the backlash against the antiwar movement to take the presidency in 1968. It is only when safely in office, running far ahead in the polls for the 1972 presidential election, that his growing paranoia comes to full flower, triggering the Watergate scandal.

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Plot Keywords:

surname as title | u.s. history | bedroom | black and white scene | father son relationship | 

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Taglines:

He changed a world. But lost a nation.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Details

Official Sites:

Oliver Stone Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Mandarin Russian

Release Date:

5 January 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nixon - Der Untergang eines Präsidenten

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,206,506, 25 December 1995, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$13,560,960

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,642,684, 31 December 1995

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinergi Pictures Entertainment, Hollywood Pictures, Illusion Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

192 min 212 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color (archive footage) Black and White (archive footage) Black and White Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Oliver Stone's first two choices to play Richard Nixon were Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson. If Beatty had taken the role, this movie would have been yet another hugely expensive box-office flop in his career.

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Goofs

The incident where Nixon angrily pushed Press Secretary Ron Ziegler in front of a crowd of journalists didn't happened inside the White House during a press conference on the "peace with honor" agreement. The real incident took place during a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in 1973.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Earl in Training Film: I just don't understand it.

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Crazy Credits

[closing credits] For Louis Stone (1910-1985).

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Alternate Versions

The new director's cut released in 2001 in the Oliver Stone box set (DVD & VHS) and released again by itself in 2002 featured a new director's cut running in at approx. 212 minutes.

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Connections

References Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

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Soundtracks

LARGO
Written by Franz Schubert
From Schubert's "Symphony No. 2 in B Flat Major, D 125"
Performed by Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest (as Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra)
Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Conductor
Courtesy of Teldec Classics International GmbH
by arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Riveting.

Oliver Stone has a way of making films that grab you and hold you until the final frame. His films are usually controversial and that's what generates much debate and Nixon is no exception. Anthony Hopkins assumes the mantle of Richard M. Nixon and he does it with style. His Nixon is a complex man, full of ambition and dreams, but also filled with demons. Nixon lives in the shadow of JFK, and because of that, he feels he can never live up to the greatness that he aspires to. Joan Allen is equally convincing as Pat Nixon. She is a strong woman who loves her husband, but unlike Nixon, she grows tired of the political world. The film works best when we see the inner workings of the Nixon Whitehouse. We see the coverup of the Watergate break in. We see Nixon's historic visit to China and we see the final farewell of a flawed, but ambitious man. It's hard to cram an entire lifetime into a three hour film, but Stone manages to do it well. We get brief glimpses into Nixon's past and we see the events that eventually undid him. Some may say that Nixon is painted in an unfair light. I think Stone actually sympathizes with him. Here was a man who came into power in the middle of a war. He was feared by many and misunderstood by all. Nixon was able to rise above it all for a short period of time, and in that brief period, he did have the world.