http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0870111/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost/Nixon_%28film%29
Written by: Peter Morgan
Directed by: Ron Howard
Casting: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen and Kevin Bacon
The genre and seriousness of a movie can instantly judged from its opening sequence, indeed, the opening sequence sets the overruling tone for the rest of the movie itself. Whether you're watching a comedy, horror, action or biopic, the first 5 minutes or so are sufficient enough to judge it. The case is no different in Frost/Nixon, a reenactment of the Watergate scandal of the 70's.
Starting from the opening credits, which are shown in a plain, almost bitter white font, the mood of the movie has been set to one of utmost seriousness. The stark white on black also pertains itself to being strikingly simple, yet unforgettable in our new-fangled days of crazy fonts and the such. Another scene setting move is the movie starting off in black and white, and an almost nostalgic, static interrupted news reporter talking about the Watergate scandal, immediately telling us three things: what the movie is about, when it's set, and it's genre.
Fittingly, the background music is rather sober, strangely mimicking a funeral march. Perhaps this is purposely done though, seeing as Nixon's term as President was about to draw to a close. The score pays tribute to a raining day in my opinion, and is excellently merged and entwined within the movie.
Another thing which hammers the 70's environment into our minds is the overall ambiance of the scenes. From the way the characters are dressed, to their hairstyles and mannerisms, everything thing just screams out the 70's, and we are easily and almost instantly transported back in time, completely absorbed in the movie at once. Not many movies these days can achieve that. A rather sublime message also given by the director by his emphasize on the anchors and media is that the movie will not just be about politics, but rather how the dirty politics, and rampaging media of that time entwined together to become what was to be remembered as one of the largest scandals to involve a US President.
The movie follows with a anti climax at the beginning: the resignation of the US President Nixon, this allows the director considerable leeway in telling the story for the rest of the movie, since it is no longer bound by a linear timeline. As such, many different story telling techniques can be applied throughout the movie thanks to this subtle change at the beginning.
After the resignation, an atmosphere of what some people might refer to as anarchy is established, and the main characters are introduced in a very profound way: giving interviews and their comments on the resignation of Nixon. Among these characters there is a heavy leaning on the press. Only a few of the characters introduced in the opening sequence are politicians, also giving a hint that most of the movie will be shown through the eyes of the media, albeit from both stances.
However, the most important character is introduced at the end, a typical way of building up a small climax. Nixon, one of the namesakes of the movie had already appeared, now it was time for Frost to come on screen. After the interviews, we cut to the backstage of a television show where a man shrouded in shadows appears. Suddenly, an announcer calls out "And now, the host of Frost over Australia, Mr. David Frost!", and with that, the man, now identified as Frost, comes onto the stage.
Picking apart this fantastic example of an opening sequence, we find that nearly all the elements that are essential to a movie have been done and dealt with in the first 5 minutes or so: suspense, mystery, euphoria, terror... everything that will become critical to the plot of the rest of the movie.
The Frost/Nixon opening sequence has over time become one of the most widely celebrated in the history of cinema, and in my opinion, rightly so. From the get go, you are transported to another time, as an observer of history, even with such an serious issue (considered tedious by some) the opening sequence has no problems at all getting our hearts pumping and adrenaline running... and you can tell that the rest of the movie is going to be a utter roller coaster.
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