In the film Frost/Nixon, we watched how the interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon were conducted. David Frost invested a large sum of money in order to conduct these interviews with Nixon in hopes to receive an apology to America for his mistakes. David Frost remained focused on achieving fame in America and hoped to achieve this fame through the interview. Throughout the sessions, Richard Nixon took control of the room and did not give Frost the opportunity to ask him questions. It was not until the final session that Nixon finally admitted to the “cover up”. What do you think finally convinced Nixon to stop lying? Do you think Frost would have won if he did not receive that phone call from Nixon late at night?
Zachary Andrews
In the film Frost/Nixon, we learned about and watched the interview that changed the lives of both Frost, Nixon, as well as the American people. The final interview session proved to uncover the most crucial piece of information, the “cover-up” that Nixon confessed to. What was the response of the American people towards this confession? How did this confession affect the validity of Nixon’s prior Vice President and at the time current president, Gerald Ford?
Tess Keating
In the film Frost/Nixon, we watched as Frost held many interviews hoping to get a confession and apology from Nixon after the Watergate Scandal. There was an extreme level of distrust and anger that the American people had for the government at that time. Something I found really interesting yet totally unfair was that the former vice president, newly elected President Ford was able to place a pardon on Nixon, allowing him to get off without a trial. How did this happen? Why was this allowed?
Sophia Peltzer
In the movie Frost/Nixon, we witness a high-stakes and high intensity series of interviews between former President Nixon and David Frost, an English talk-show host hoping to expand into more reputable types of investigative journalism. In the first few recording sessions, Nixon had control over the interviews and dominated the questions, leaving little room for David Frost to ask hard questions and corner Nixon into admitting the mistakes and wrongdoings of his presidency. My question is, although the first parts of the interview not directly relating to the Watergate scandal were far less successful, did they still air? Did people still watch these parts of the interviews, and what was the general public’s reaction to them?
Zariah Chiverton
Has this interview changed the way politicians and other people of higher status interact with the media? I could see how it could because Nixon was able to dodge his guilt but this interview was the nail in the coffin for him and probably a big mistake.
Julia Borger
Because this film came out so much later than the actual interviews in 1977, did it generate any new upheaval or backlash? What was the general public’s reaction?
Margot Roussel
I think the phone call they had at night was the true breaking point in the relationship and in showing the true character behind Nixon. I was wondering if that actually happened and if so why didn’t he record it? I feel like that would’ve added greatly to showing the American people the real Nixon.
Olivia Cosco
In the Frost/Nixon movie, we learned about the several interviews conducted by Frost, who was trying to get Nixon to confess about the Watergate scandal. Nixon did not want to discuss this topic. He said to Brennan, “It’s as if all of my other achievements seize to exist,” to which Brennan reassures him by saying no one has actually pinned anything on him. By the end, Frost was able to get more out of Nixon than he expected. I’m wondering if this is the way their interviews truly went, or were lines added/taken out? I wish there was some footage of the real interviews displayed in the movie.
Christopher Wilson
When Nixon expresses his frustrations about the effects Watergate had left on his Presidential career, he asks his trusted secret serviceman why Americans are focusing on one mistake he made than on all of the good he’d done throughout his Presidency. Later in the film, Nixon repeatedly says that most of the challenges he had to deal with were inherited from past Presidencies. On that note, is it possible that emerging leaders’ success can be harmed by the bad decisions made in the past by former leaders? If so, how does this give us hope in the future when it comes to electing leaders if they will be bound to fail because of context and circumstance?
Alexandra Oloughlin
I found Frost’s interviews with Nixon very interesting. As Nixon didn’t want to talk about the scandal and kept referencing how he was upset that it seemed only this defined his career, I was kind of shocked that Frost got the confession out. Do you think that the only reason Nixon “confessed” regret and even that he agreed to be interviewed was because he was already pardoned by Ford?
Olivia Cranshaw
I thought it was very interesting that Frost and his crew underestimated President Nixon in their first interview, was this based on Frost’s arrogance or on a history of politicians of the time being more inept or inexperienced? I also thought the strategist behind Nixon was extremely interesting and some of his pointers reminded me of sports or military strategies, how do media assistants of presidents train them to answer questions correctly without incrimination while following a particular strategy?
Christina Glynn
I found Frost’s interviews with Nixon to be very interesting and a little surprising. In the 1970s the media was mostly through newspapers and radio and today the media is immediate and quick and on many platforms. How does this impact political issues today? How does media affect the reactions of people?
Samuel Hussey
In the film Frost/Nixon, we learned how important live interviews broadcast on mainstream media can be. Nixon was unprepared for the questions Frost asked him and caused the interview to go down in history for his ultimate confession. Now more than ever, the public image of politicians is very important. I wonder if the presidents and politicians following Nixon learned from his mistakes and actively tried to not make the same mistakes he made while under the public eye.
William Coben
The movie Frost/Nixon provided deep insight as to why live interviews can be so prevalent and important to the media. In the film, Nixon was unprepared for the questions that Frost presented him in their third and final interview, and ultimately confessed things that he wouldn’t have wanted to. My question after watching this movie is, do presidents and politicians refrain from live interviews after seeing the mistakes of the predecessor. Also, are they reluctant to enter interviews where they do not know the question before?
Delaney Demaret
One thing that surprised me about the news process was the lack of competition around networks for an interview with Nixon. It might be a cinematographic choice, but why wouldn’t networks would fight for that option, even if David wasn’t their own reporter?
Alexander Barnett
In the movie Frost/Nixon, Frost struggles to find any type of interest from producers to air his interview. Why was this? Was this due to Frost’s inexperience or the fact that networks didn’t want anything to do with Nixon?
Carly Cohen
Did these interviews spark conversations or address issues involving live media and high level politicians or presidents? Do presidents since this incident know all the questions they are going to be asked before being interviewed?
Annie Waters
What effect did the Frost/Nixon interviews have on public opinion regarding the credibility of the government? Clearly there was a great increase in public distrust toward the federal government immediately following Watergate (as Zinn notes in “The Seventies: Under Control?”,) but was there any notable transition in public opinion between the post-Watergate years preceding and following the Frost/Nixon interviews? Similarly, if Frost hadn’t been able to gain a concession from Nixon on the subject of Watergate, how might his presidency be remembered differently?
Charley Blount
What are the major inconsistencies, if any, between this movie and what actually occurred? I read in an interview that Jack Brennan disputed the characterization of Nixon and himself. Is this true?
Julia Leonardi
I think this movie sparks a great conversation about the media and live interviews. How was this film received among the public? Was it something people cared about? Did people see Nixon differently?
Jeffrey Sprung
The film Frost/Nixon focused on the intense and influential interviews between Frost and Nixon. The film builds up to the surprising moment in which Frost surprisingly gets Nixon to admit to his illegal activity in the Watergate Scandal. I was wondering if Nixon planned on openly admitting his guiltiness to the American people on national television prior to agreeing to the interviews with Frost?
In the film Frost/Nixon, we watched how the interviews between David Frost and Richard Nixon were conducted. David Frost invested a large sum of money in order to conduct these interviews with Nixon in hopes to receive an apology to America for his mistakes. David Frost remained focused on achieving fame in America and hoped to achieve this fame through the interview. Throughout the sessions, Richard Nixon took control of the room and did not give Frost the opportunity to ask him questions. It was not until the final session that Nixon finally admitted to the “cover up”. What do you think finally convinced Nixon to stop lying? Do you think Frost would have won if he did not receive that phone call from Nixon late at night?
In the film Frost/Nixon, we learned about and watched the interview that changed the lives of both Frost, Nixon, as well as the American people. The final interview session proved to uncover the most crucial piece of information, the “cover-up” that Nixon confessed to. What was the response of the American people towards this confession? How did this confession affect the validity of Nixon’s prior Vice President and at the time current president, Gerald Ford?
In the film Frost/Nixon, we watched as Frost held many interviews hoping to get a confession and apology from Nixon after the Watergate Scandal. There was an extreme level of distrust and anger that the American people had for the government at that time. Something I found really interesting yet totally unfair was that the former vice president, newly elected President Ford was able to place a pardon on Nixon, allowing him to get off without a trial. How did this happen? Why was this allowed?
In the movie Frost/Nixon, we witness a high-stakes and high intensity series of interviews between former President Nixon and David Frost, an English talk-show host hoping to expand into more reputable types of investigative journalism. In the first few recording sessions, Nixon had control over the interviews and dominated the questions, leaving little room for David Frost to ask hard questions and corner Nixon into admitting the mistakes and wrongdoings of his presidency. My question is, although the first parts of the interview not directly relating to the Watergate scandal were far less successful, did they still air? Did people still watch these parts of the interviews, and what was the general public’s reaction to them?
Has this interview changed the way politicians and other people of higher status interact with the media? I could see how it could because Nixon was able to dodge his guilt but this interview was the nail in the coffin for him and probably a big mistake.
Because this film came out so much later than the actual interviews in 1977, did it generate any new upheaval or backlash? What was the general public’s reaction?
I think the phone call they had at night was the true breaking point in the relationship and in showing the true character behind Nixon. I was wondering if that actually happened and if so why didn’t he record it? I feel like that would’ve added greatly to showing the American people the real Nixon.
In the Frost/Nixon movie, we learned about the several interviews conducted by Frost, who was trying to get Nixon to confess about the Watergate scandal. Nixon did not want to discuss this topic. He said to Brennan, “It’s as if all of my other achievements seize to exist,” to which Brennan reassures him by saying no one has actually pinned anything on him. By the end, Frost was able to get more out of Nixon than he expected. I’m wondering if this is the way their interviews truly went, or were lines added/taken out? I wish there was some footage of the real interviews displayed in the movie.
When Nixon expresses his frustrations about the effects Watergate had left on his Presidential career, he asks his trusted secret serviceman why Americans are focusing on one mistake he made than on all of the good he’d done throughout his Presidency. Later in the film, Nixon repeatedly says that most of the challenges he had to deal with were inherited from past Presidencies. On that note, is it possible that emerging leaders’ success can be harmed by the bad decisions made in the past by former leaders? If so, how does this give us hope in the future when it comes to electing leaders if they will be bound to fail because of context and circumstance?
I found Frost’s interviews with Nixon very interesting. As Nixon didn’t want to talk about the scandal and kept referencing how he was upset that it seemed only this defined his career, I was kind of shocked that Frost got the confession out. Do you think that the only reason Nixon “confessed” regret and even that he agreed to be interviewed was because he was already pardoned by Ford?
I thought it was very interesting that Frost and his crew underestimated President Nixon in their first interview, was this based on Frost’s arrogance or on a history of politicians of the time being more inept or inexperienced? I also thought the strategist behind Nixon was extremely interesting and some of his pointers reminded me of sports or military strategies, how do media assistants of presidents train them to answer questions correctly without incrimination while following a particular strategy?
I found Frost’s interviews with Nixon to be very interesting and a little surprising. In the 1970s the media was mostly through newspapers and radio and today the media is immediate and quick and on many platforms. How does this impact political issues today? How does media affect the reactions of people?
In the film Frost/Nixon, we learned how important live interviews broadcast on mainstream media can be. Nixon was unprepared for the questions Frost asked him and caused the interview to go down in history for his ultimate confession. Now more than ever, the public image of politicians is very important. I wonder if the presidents and politicians following Nixon learned from his mistakes and actively tried to not make the same mistakes he made while under the public eye.
The movie Frost/Nixon provided deep insight as to why live interviews can be so prevalent and important to the media. In the film, Nixon was unprepared for the questions that Frost presented him in their third and final interview, and ultimately confessed things that he wouldn’t have wanted to. My question after watching this movie is, do presidents and politicians refrain from live interviews after seeing the mistakes of the predecessor. Also, are they reluctant to enter interviews where they do not know the question before?
One thing that surprised me about the news process was the lack of competition around networks for an interview with Nixon. It might be a cinematographic choice, but why wouldn’t networks would fight for that option, even if David wasn’t their own reporter?
In the movie Frost/Nixon, Frost struggles to find any type of interest from producers to air his interview. Why was this? Was this due to Frost’s inexperience or the fact that networks didn’t want anything to do with Nixon?
Did these interviews spark conversations or address issues involving live media and high level politicians or presidents? Do presidents since this incident know all the questions they are going to be asked before being interviewed?
What effect did the Frost/Nixon interviews have on public opinion regarding the credibility of the government? Clearly there was a great increase in public distrust toward the federal government immediately following Watergate (as Zinn notes in “The Seventies: Under Control?”,) but was there any notable transition in public opinion between the post-Watergate years preceding and following the Frost/Nixon interviews? Similarly, if Frost hadn’t been able to gain a concession from Nixon on the subject of Watergate, how might his presidency be remembered differently?
What are the major inconsistencies, if any, between this movie and what actually occurred? I read in an interview that Jack Brennan disputed the characterization of Nixon and himself. Is this true?
I think this movie sparks a great conversation about the media and live interviews. How was this film received among the public? Was it something people cared about? Did people see Nixon differently?
The film Frost/Nixon focused on the intense and influential interviews between Frost and Nixon. The film builds up to the surprising moment in which Frost surprisingly gets Nixon to admit to his illegal activity in the Watergate Scandal. I was wondering if Nixon planned on openly admitting his guiltiness to the American people on national television prior to agreeing to the interviews with Frost?