Writing in the June 16th issue of Rolling Stone, the astute political observer William Greider allowed that "the most generous thing I can say for Nixon is that he was truly a tragic figure." In the same issue, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson's delivered a much more scathing eulogy ("I beat him like a mad dog with mange every time I got a chance, and I am proud of it. He was scum.") On the rushed-to-video Richard M. Nixon: His Life and Times, Senator Bob Dole offered a rather more favorable opinion at the funeral, calling the fallen ex-President an "effective leader," a man who "embodied our feelings," and finally, "one of us." (Although justice and politics rarely meet, one can hope that when Dole eventually makes his bid for the Presidency, people will think back to this moment and recall that he is a worm.) Compiled of older news pieces and footage from the funeral, the program strives to present an objective overview of Nixon's life and times without sounding too much like a downer. Chronicling Nixon's early political career in California, his very successful role in the Communist witch hunts of the 1950s, and his string of losses during most of the 1960s (followed by his stunning win of the 1968 Presidency), the video saves a good chunk of tape for the juicy Watergate and resignation stories. While not a whitewash job by any means, Richard M. Nixon: His Life and Times is basically a surface treatment of a very complex man; but, for say, the student researching the highlights of Nixon's career, this would do quite nicely.Nixon, the smiling PR man, gives way to Nixon the pensive, often defensive, brooder on Talking With David Frost: The Nixon Interviews, a re-edited one-hour highlights tape of the famous Nixon-Frost interviews in 1977 (culled from over 28 hrs. worth). While most of the same material can be found on Episode 4 of The Modern Presidency: David Frost Interviews Five American Presidents (VL-9/89), the bridging sections feature new commentary from Frost filmed after Nixon's death. Opening with Nixon's haunting remarks on the importance of having a "purpose" in life and the anchorless feeling without one, the program briefly features upbeat commentary from Nixon, circa 1969, before returning to intriguing interview snippets on foreign policy, China, Vietnam, Kissinger, and the sneaky spy tactics of the Huston plan (wherein Nixon makes the now infamous remark: "if the President does it, that means it's not illegal"). But the lion's share of the program is devoted to Watergate, and Nixon's waffling, followed by his weary and haggard admission that "I brought myself down." (and the always present flipside: "I gave them the sword, and they stuck it in and twisted...). In the end, I'm inclined to agree with Rolling Stone's William Greider that Nixon was a "tragic" figure, but not in the current sense of the word (brought down by fate and deserving of sympathy). Nixon's tragedy was more Greek-like: a self-made man's overweening hubris led to a vision of the world totally out of step with reality, resulting, finally, in the big fall. Of course, there's another view: feeling a bit moved, I turned off the VCR and saw that the station was running a professional wrestling match. My wife, Anne, unmoved, said: "this is more honest than Nixon."Richard M. Nixon: His Life and Times is a good one-volume overview and is recommended. Talking With David Frost: The Nixon Interviews is highly recommended for those without other versions of the Nixon-Frost interviews. (R. Pitman)
Richard M. Nixon: His Life And Times; Talking With David Frost: the Nixon Interviews
(1994) 60 min. $14.98. ABC Video. PPR. Color cover. Vol. 9, Issue 4
Richard M. Nixon: His Life And Times; Talking With David Frost: the Nixon Interviews
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