Product Description

The historic Watergate confrontation with Nixon & Frost.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #14112 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-11-13
• Rating: Exempt
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 85 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Reviews
The Frost / Nixon interviews are now recognised as one of the great media events of the Twentieth Century. First broadcast in May 1977, they drew the biggest ever worldwide audience for a news interview. Forty-five million people watched in America alone. During twenty eight and three quarter gruelling hours, Frost questioned Nixon on everything from Vietnam to China, from abuse of power to the Final Days. But the most tense and gripping sessions were on Watergate. Two whole days were devoted to the subject.

Never before – and never afterwards – would Nixon confront the issue of Watergate, particularly in a forum where he had no knowledge of the questions and no right even to see the edited programme before it was broadcast. A picture emerges of a White House under siege, of burglars and hush money, of a Nixon close to tears, having to sacrifice his closest aides – culminating in the unprecedented sight of a President apologising to his people.

The DVD includes a brand new interview, exclusively for Amazon, where, after nearly 30 years Sir David Frost takes a look back at the circumstances surrounding the Frost Nixon programme and answers questions on how he came to secure the film that all big TV companies wanted and what Nixon said to him in the weeks following the broadcast to the American people.

Available for the first time in nearly 30 years - Frost / Nixon: The Watergate Interview is exclusively available from Amazon.

Synopsis
The pungent interview between British TV host David Frost and former President Richard Nixon in 1977 was a groundbreaking moment in American politics. Assembled from over 28 hours of footage, this candid conversation--which some have compared to a boxing match--ended with the weary, impeached leader accepting guilt for the Watergate scandal. The famed tete-a-tete became the basis for the play FROST/NIXON, in turn adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard.

DVD Description
The Frost / Nixon interviews are now recognised as one of the great media events of the Twentieth Century. First broadcast in May 1977, they drew the biggest ever worldwide audience for a news interview. Forty-five million people watched in America alone. During twenty eight and three quarter gruelling hours, Frost questioned Nixon on everything from Vietnam to China, from abuse of power to the Final Days. But the most tense and gripping sessions were on Watergate. Two whole days were devoted to the subject.

Never before – and never afterwards – would Nixon confront the issue of Watergate, particularly in a forum where he had no knowledge of the questions and no right even to see the edited programme before it was broadcast. A picture emerges of a White House under siege, of burglars and hush money, of a Nixon close to tears, having to sacrifice his closest aides – culminating in the unprecedented sight of a President apologising to his people.

The DVD includes a brand new interview, exclusively for Amazon, where, after nearly 30 years Sir David Frost takes a look back at the circumstances surrounding the Frost Nixon programme and answers questions on how he came to secure the film that all big TV companies wanted and what Nixon said to him in the weeks following the broadcast to the American people.

Available for the first time in nearly 30 years - Frost / Nixon: The Watergate Interview is exclusively available from Amazon.

Customer Reviews

An unmissable slice of history
I have seen many excepts of this interview over the years and have long wanted to watch it in its entirety. It basically captures the historic moment when, during a TV interview, Nixon finally apologises for the entire Watergate scandal. He is visibly shaken, emotional and completely unable to counter the expert questioning from a young Sir David Frost.

As a historical document - this is great stuff. It should be required viewing for any student of american history. The Watergate scandal basically opened the floodgates for large scale media intrusion into the lives of politicians. It also led to the very first resignation by a US president.

I would also recommend that media students watch this programme. Sir David Frost has always been one of the worlds best interviewers, and here he excels. Also included on this DVD is a brand new piece of programming where Sir David talks about the interview - apparently giving lots of insight into why he asked particular questions, and how he interpreted Nixons answers and body language.

Highly recommended.

It's not the full interview...
May I point out that, contrary to the impression created by the reviewer below, this is not the full interview (which ran in four 90 minute episodes on American television). This is an edited version, about 80 minutes long (of which the interview extracts are about 65 minutes), containing the famous "apology", and highly watchable (not least for Frost's reminiscences) all the same.

If you want the whole shebang (which covered the whole of the Nixon presidency) you'll have to look elsewhere - probably to a North American format.

Rivetting stuff
Absolutely rivetting stuff.
This is because of Frost's deep knowledge of Watergate. It is clear he has spent months researching the events leading up to Nixon's resignation and the damning Oval office tapes. He appears to knows as much about the subject as Nixon,enabling him to probe little by little, setting out his opinion on Nixon's actions, how he has come to that opinion and inviting Nixon to disprove his opinion. Nixon never really does.
Nixon comes across as a typical politician, never really accepting blame for his actions and unconvincingly setting out arguments in his defence.
Worn down in the end though and perhaps having a moment or two of clarity he gives as close to an apology as you could expect from a man in his position.
The present day interview with Frost on the DVD set out the events surrounding the interviews really well.

However, don't forget this interview took place very soon after the events they are about so it was not necessary to do any scene setting. The present day viewer will want to know their Erlichmann's from their Haldeman's and what happened when to fully appreciate what they are watching.