Nixon

"Triumphant in Victory, Bitter in Defeat. He Changed the World, But Lost a Nation."

Jan 5 1996 R 3h 12m
Biography, Drama, History

A look at President Richard M. Nixon—a man carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders while battling the self-destructive demands from within—spanning his troubled boyhood in California to the shocking Watergate scandal that would end his Presidency.

Plot

Writer, Producer, and 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 (Joan Allen). 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.

Written by

Stephen J. Rivele, Christopher Wilkinson, Oliver Stone

Directed by

Oliver Stone

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

Hollywood Pictures, Cinergi Pictures Entertainment

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 4 Oscars. 11 wins & 18 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
33,521
Average Rating
7.1 out of 10
Metascore
66
Popularity
NA