I re watched the DVD "Frost/Nixon" on my rest days. I find Frank Langella a great actor and there's something in him which reminds me of Christopher Plummer. I would love to see the two of them on stage together. This movie manages to make the transition from play to screen very well. Unlike many pieces set in the l970's, it does not rely on the camp of clothing and props which we easily recognize as being of the time. Instead, it is a duel between two men at the end of their rope, determined to make a comeback in the public eye and to redeem themselves to themselves.
I've always been a fan of talk radio; as a kid I'd try to pick up stations from far flung places. Depending where I was working in the Bleak House, talk radio certainly provided a reprieve from boredom. I'd turn the dial and find something which suited my mood. There used to be a very interesting host by the name of Bryan Styble in Seattle. However, KIRO decided that they wanted to turn their late night format into the usual boring drivel of all sports talk, all the time. I can think of nothing more inane. Bryan Styble might talk of poetry one minute, then local politics the next. He was a huge fan of Bob Dylan. He once had Vincent Bulgiosli on as a guest, and because of it, I ordered his huge and excellent tome on the Kennedy killing through Amazon.
One of the topics one night was on best and worst presidents. Bryan Styble's favourite president happened to be Ronald Reagan. Now, while I didn't agree with his choice, he had some very interesting reasons for that decision and I love debate. As I've said before, as long as a person has good arguments, I have no problems at all listening to that individual .
Some callers will automatically suggest that Nixon is the worst. I don't believe so, given what he did in China. However, I think that Nixon had an interesting and profound effect on the psyche of the public. It's thanks to his administration that people are now willing to accept that 9/11 was an inside job. Had somebody put out a student/independent film prior to Watergate making such suggestions, it would not have been believed. Before the Watergate scandal, the majority accepted the conclusion of the Warren Commission in regards to the death of President Kennedy. Now, people would be willing to conclude that anybody from the CIA to their mother-in-law was involved.
The Nixon Administration caused a profound distrust of the government to develop. People now write consiracy theory books on almost any topic, or any death. One need only look at the unfortunate car accident that killed Princess Diana. Television series such as the "X Files" entered the mainstream.
It's a good DVD if a person wants to see one up-man-ship. I like the fact that Langella does not fall back on the classic Nixon mannerisms. It literally is a chess game being played out. Yes, I betray my Political Science minor in watching this, but even those who might not have an interest in such topics should give it a try.
Regan was a joke, Nixon was just nothing but bad for the United States. The mafia killed JFK and I think they had a hand in RFK's murder as well. While I'm not so certain about Princess Di, I can understand while people think the royals had a hand in that.
ReplyDeleteMy fav president is Bill Clinton, though not perfect he truly cared. I think Obama is doing the best he can do, and I'm so angry that a majority of the assholes in my country expected miracles out of him in the first year. Yes I'm one of those people who's always on the border of believing conspiracy theories. I still don't understand how 9/11 was an inside job though. I had a teacher who's uncle worked for the CIA and she told us one time that he told the family that the public doesn't even have a clue or would want to know what the real story is.
At one time people believed everything the government said. In fact, a person was suspect if they didn't. I think my favourite would be Roosevelt. He kept people going through the war and he implemented the new deal. Without it, so many people would have starved. He really did care about integration, although he couldn't push for what he wanted to do. His wife was brilliant and truly caring. Obama got a bad deal. It was no win. Had the times been different, who knows? In the 60's, a large percentage of the populace stepped in to volunteer when Kennedy was in power. Maybe if more people did this now, instead of expecting that Obama do everything on his own, things would be somewhat better. But, the banks and the economy were in a sinkhole when he took office. Clinton had the economy in a great place when he left office, and look what was done. In a matter of a few years, his gains were turned around and people were losing their homes. It's so sad. BTW, I don't know if you've read it or not, but look into the Bugliosi book on Kennedy. It's huge, but it's like a well put together crime novel. It comes with a CD which is also 900 pages of foot notes. I liked Helter Skelter also. I've read quite a bit of stuff on the Kennedy shooting (including the concluding bit of the Warren Commission which I found for a dollar), so I had a predisposition to being interested in the book. However, I really think anybody who likes crime/mystery can get into it......I need to get to bed, but I have to wait for the garbage guy to show up (sigh).
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