The Final Days (1989) | Full Movie | Lane Smith | Richard Kiley | David Ogden Stiers
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- Watch The Final Days (1989) Full Movie on TheGrapevine
A chronicle of one of the most fraught presidential administrations, and one of the biggest political scandals of U.S. history.
Director: Richard Pearce
Writers: Bob Woodward (book), Carl Bernstein (book)
Stars: Lane Smith, Richard Kiley, David Ogden Stiers
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SO GOOD I'M WATCHING IT AGAIN. This should be mandatory viewing for students.
Very moving final speech. Wonderful acting by Lane Smith.
He is Nixon. Superlative characterisation.
What a performance. One of the best movies I've ever watched.
This film is outstanding. The cast, script and direction are superb. Lane Smith, Richard Kiley, David Ogden Stiers are particularly strong. It's a shame that this film didn't win Emmys and has been overshadowed. All TV movies should have been this good.
SO AFTER YEARS IN VEITNAM AND OVER PRINTING THE DOLLAR TO PAY WE SEE NIXON IN 1971 REFUSE TO FRANCE GOLD FOR THE DOLLARS THEY HELD AND ALL COUNTRIES WHEN HE WENT OFF THE GOLD STANDARD... NOW A COVER UP OF THIS DEAD DOLLAR WHILE THEY WORK IT OUT MUST COME...HERE IS WHERE A USELESS BREAK IN AT WATERGATE ENTERS OUR NEWS DAY AND NIGHT FOR 3 AND A HALF YRS TO KEEP THE WORLD AND COUNTRY BUSY AS THEY NOW GO WORLD WIDE TO SEND OUR CORPS TO CHINA AND ALLOW RUSSIA IN AS OPEC PLUS AND OTHER DEALS TO MAKE THE DOLLAR IN DEMAND ALTHOUGH IT IS BACKED BY NOTHING... SO WATER GATE WAS THE COVER UP OF THIS NEW DEAL FOR THE DOLLAR AND SENDING OUR CORPS TO FRANCE LIKE CATIPILAR AND STEAL AND ALUMINUM TO CHINA AND ALL COUNTRIES RECIEVED THESE CORPS TO BOOST THIER ECONOMIES AND CREATE JOBS ANS TODAY EVERYONE FORGETS THIS TRADE WAR IS NO WAR BUT WAS THE DEALS NIXON WAS TOLD TO MKAKE BY THE INTERNATIONAL BANKERS TO BRING THE ENTIRE WORLD UNDER FULL BANK CONTROL ... THERE IS NO TRADE WAR..WE SEE NIXON IN THESE YEARS RUNNING TO CHINA AND RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CUTTING THE DEALS ... ONCE DONE HE IN THE MIX BRINGS IN EX CIA CHIEF GERALD FORD TO TAKE OVER WHEN HIS WORK WAS DONE... AND LATER BUSH RUNS AS HE WAS CIA CHIEF AFTER FORD AND WE SEE A WHITE HOUSE EVERY SINCE UNDER CIA RULE NOT PRESIDENTS.... SO THE ISSUES TODAY ARE ALL THE FAULT OF THE [PEOPLE NOT POLITICIANS WHO EVERYONE VOTED IN.. THE PEOPLE ARE RESPONSABLE FOR SEEING IT ALL BUT NOT THINKING AND WATCHING TO SEE THE REAL COVER UP.. I WAS A PAPER BOY IN 5TH GRADE READING ALL THIS AND KNEW WHAT I WAS SEEING AS THIS UNFOLDED INTO MY FIRST YR OF HIGH SCHOOL .... COME AS CHILD CHRIST SAID AND YOU CAN SEE BUT EVERYONES EGOS MAKE THEM BLIND BY REASONING AND IGNORING WHAT THEY SEE... NOW IS TIME FOR ALL THE CARDS TO FALL AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULTS AND EVERYONE MUST BE RESPONABLE FOR THIER OWN IGNORANCE AND REFUSAL TO PAY ATTENTION AS LONG AS THIER LIVES GOT BETTER WHO CARES FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD IS ALWAYS THE ATTITUDE...ME AND MY HOUSE IS THE AMERICAN WAY..NOW ITS ENDING FAST..
EXCELLENT rendition of Nixon
I agree. In the last view days, I’ve watched this over and over and don’t know how I never knew about it. I was 10 years old when this happened
Agreed!
Me too agree! Outstanding and fascinating - and I’m not particularly politically inclined. The scene with Breshnev (spelling?) and Nixon in the car was incredibly well done and funny as h-l!
I met Lane Smith when he was at Kennedy Space Center filming "From The Earth To The Moon". I told him how much I admired his work in "The Final Days" and that his portrayal of Richard Nixon was the finest I had ever seen. And yes, that includes Anthony Hopkins (who had not played the role when I met Mr. Smith). I was always happy that I had had the opportunity to compliment him on his exemplary work.
I think Lame Smith or Tommy Lee Jones would've been a better casting choice by Oliver Stone for "Nixon" than Sir Anthony Hopkins.
Great comment👍
The Israeli actor who played Nixon in the last movie about Watergate was equally mesmerizing. Kissinger said that the moments when Nixon discussed philosophy law history or diplomacy he was amazing and relaxed. When he had to do small talk he was a disaster
@@roc7880 do you know the name of the movie?
I'm so glad you got to do this-congratulate Lane Smith. Retroactively you said it for me too.
In my view, an underrated film - good actors, good script and directing. The slow acceleration of the events is well represented by the timeline of the film.
Honestly? One of the finest performances I've ever seen. That final speech was actually moving. I hope Lane Smith was proud of what he achieved.
Smith's Nixon is on a par with William Devane's Kennedy in Missiles of October.
@@AnthonyCatella I agree with you 100%, but Bruce Greenwood's JFK in the movie "Thirteen Days" is superior to even Devane. Lane Smith caught Nixon far better than any other actor I've seen impersonate him.
It made me cry. This was a great movie. Nixon was a stubborn man about the tapes. I wonder if he erased those 18 minutes.
@@joycepino9749 Obviously he did. He had no idea those guys were even breaking into the Watergate Hotel. He should have stood back and let them be punished for their crime. Instead he tried to cover for them. He got burned for his stupidity. He should have let Liddy and those idiots suffer the punishment.
@@rickjohnson1266 The 18 minutes you say, He obviously erased, should prove to you that there's things you don't know about it; enough, that you should know: you don't know what you're talking about.
I am 69 years old and watching this movie makes me feel like I am 20 years old living through this.
Agreed; when we lost our innocence as kids.
indeed, a lot of us identify with this moment in time, it does run deep...
I, like most of the 20 something hated Nixon with a passion. My political views did not change much, but I changed my view of the man many years ago. He was flawed but I came to like in a way.
@@TheRightONe-et3gh ...he did some decent things, but those were very much overshadowed by his dark side. HST was right, he was as twisted as Joe Theismann’s leg.
QUIT TRYING TO GET YOUR CROOKED AXEL RYES OUT OF JAIL WE DO NOT GIVE A RIP SEE YA
Superb. That scene where Nixon advises Kissinger he's resigning, then breaks down is stunning. Lane Smith played this beautifully, nuanced, conflicted. Impressive.
A superb movie, based on historical interpretation of a major event, in HD, yet forgotten. It is on UA-cam. Thanks for uploading. Enjoyed.
Mainly misunderstood.
Thank you TheGrapevineTV for releasing this on UA-cam. Well done.
A landmark achievement without the usual movie-of-the-week, made-for-tv historical schlock. Intelligently scripted by the great Hugh Whitemore and superbly acted by old pros like Ed Flanders, Richard Kiley and David Ogden Stiers. Lane Smith is spellbinding as Nixon and what could've been surface satire becomes a jaw-dropping incarnation of the President. The look, the voice but most of all the subtle nuances and gestures, such as the nervous lint-flecking off trousers and the closed up body language shows a man on the verge of volcanic implosion. It all plays like Greek tragedy and unfolds as brilliant and memorable entertainment.
A tour de force performance by Lane Smith. He captured both the physical appearance and the emotional core of Richard Nixon better than any other actor I've seen. This tv movie got four Emmy nominations but didn't win any. It deserved better.
Yes it did
Yes, yes and yes. Maybe the conveners of the Emmy awards could not risk the political kickback if they awarded this film the unqualified esteem it deserved.
Better than Tony Hopkins who also played a damn good Nixon? Yeah. I agree!
This film was absolutely magnificent. I watched it because the 17th of this month marked the 50-year anniversary of the Watergate break-in, and I'm glad I did. The acting was superb and there wasn't a dull moment in the entire movie. It was the best movie I've seen in a while.
SO AFTER YEARS IN VEITNAM AND OVER PRINTING THE DOLLAR TO PAY WE SEE NIXON IN 1971 REFUSE TO FRANCE GOLD FOR THE DOLLARS THEY HELD AND ALL COUNTRIES WHEN HE WENT OFF THE GOLD STANDARD... NOW A COVER UP OF THIS DEAD DOLLAR WHILE THEY WORK IT OUT MUST COME...HERE IS WHERE A USELESS BREAK IN AT WATERGATE ENTERS OUR NEWS DAY AND NIGHT FOR 3 AND A HALF YRS TO KEEP THE WORLD AND COUNTRY BUSY AS THEY NOW GO WORLD WIDE TO SEND OUR CORPS TO CHINA AND ALLOW RUSSIA IN AS OPEC PLUS AND OTHER DEALS TO MAKE THE DOLLAR IN DEMAND ALTHOUGH IT IS BACKED BY NOTHING... SO WATER GATE WAS THE COVER UP OF THIS NEW DEAL FOR THE DOLLAR AND SENDING OUR CORPS TO FRANCE LIKE CATIPILAR AND STEAL AND ALUMINUM TO CHINA AND ALL COUNTRIES RECIEVED THESE CORPS TO BOOST THIER ECONOMIES AND CREATE JOBS ANS TODAY EVERYONE FORGETS THIS TRADE WAR IS NO WAR BUT WAS THE DEALS NIXON WAS TOLD TO MKAKE BY THE INTERNATIONAL BANKERS TO BRING THE ENTIRE WORLD UNDER FULL BANK CONTROL ... THERE IS NO TRADE WAR..WE SEE NIXON IN THESE YEARS RUNNING TO CHINA AND RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CUTTING THE DEALS ... ONCE DONE HE IN THE MIX BRINGS IN EX CIA CHIEF GERALD FORD TO TAKE OVER WHEN HIS WORK WAS DONE... AND LATER BUSH RUNS AS HE WAS CIA CHIEF AFTER FORD AND WE SEE A WHITE HOUSE EVERY SINCE UNDER CIA RULE NOT PRESIDENTS.... SO THE ISSUES TODAY ARE ALL THE FAULT OF THE [PEOPLE NOT POLITICIANS WHO EVERYONE VOTED IN.. THE PEOPLE ARE RESPONSABLE FOR SEEING IT ALL BUT NOT THINKING AND WATCHING TO SEE THE REAL COVER UP.. I WAS A PAPER BOY IN 5TH GRADE READING ALL THIS AND KNEW WHAT I WAS SEEING AS THIS UNFOLDED INTO MY FIRST YR OF HIGH SCHOOL .... COME AS CHILD CHRIST SAID AND YOU CAN SEE BUT EVERYONES EGOS MAKE THEM BLIND BY REASONING AND IGNORING WHAT THEY SEE... NOW IS TIME FOR ALL THE CARDS TO FALL AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULTS AND EVERYONE MUST BE RESPONABLE FOR THIER OWN IGNORANCE AND REFUSAL TO PAY ATTENTION AS LONG AS THIER LIVES GOT BETTER WHO CARES FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD IS ALWAYS THE ATTITUDE...ME AND MY HOUSE IS THE AMERICAN WAY..NOW ITS ENDING FAST..
This is an overlooked movie about the end of Nixon's reign. Thoughtful, accurate and dramatic. Lane is my favorite Nixon.
Enjoyed the book too.
Lane is great but I still love Hopkins as Nixon
Langella nailed it IMO.
What a fabulous cast. An acting tour de force. Difficult to believe the range Kiley had. From Don Quixote to this. Talk about wonderful. He could do it all. Lane Smith was so good and spot on. It’s eerie. Those mannerisms and the cadence of his voice. He made the role his own.
Lane Smith really did have the voice and mannerisms down solid. A great acting job.
I didn't know this movie existed until yesterday.
I wondered when I saw it starred Lane Smith if he could tamp down his accent. He did quite well. Great, underrated actor. May he RIP.
I knew NOTHING of this movie before your post.
I found it riveting.
Thank you VERY much for posting it.
☮
Superb. I saw his televised resignation when it happened, and what I remember most about it was a little catch in his voice, a hesitation as if he were steeling himself to say those words "I hereby resign". I was hoping that Lane Smith would recreate that little nuance in his performance, but it didn't seem to happen. A brilliant production, in view of recent events as relevant today as then.
I recorded that speech live, from the radio, when I was a kid. Wish I still had it.
Me too.
I watched it as well, I was 12.
I love the scene with Nixon and Brezhnev riding in the Lincoln Continental. 😅🤣😂
That was my favorite part of the movie.
I saw this when it was first shown in 1989 and have always been amazed at Lane Smith's performance.
Me too, I think Smith was even better than Hopkins in Nixon and Bridges in Nixon and Kissenger. I loved both those movies as well. Each actor really gives his own interpretation of the person he is bringing to life. Its not only the historical person we see but also the actor himself.
They should have awards called "on second thought" This movie deserves a AWARD!!!!
Historical movies are my favorites. This is a great movie. Never seen it before till now. Thank you
Hahaha. It doesn’t seem at all “historical” when you lived through it. It feels like a simple reenactment of old news.
“History” is something that happened a long time ago, like The Mayflower.
@@Woodman-Spare-that-tree not all "historical " movies are 100 percent on point. Things are added for entertainment purposes. I too lived it and can see that.
Ollie Stone make very entertaining “historically accurate ” movies 🙄
@@Woodman-Spare-that-tree )0
Same here ,love History!👍♥️
I recorded this off the air when it originally aired in 1989 and later transferred it to DVD. It was very well done and the cast was well picked. Lane Smith was mostly a supporting actor usually appearing in the 1970s & 80s as bank robbers or other crooks but with his amazing resemblance to Richard Nixon was perfect for the part. Ed Flanders, Richard Kiley and David Ogden Stiers are at the top of their careers here.
Thank you for making this available. Much appreciated
Brezhnev driving that Lincoln with Nixon as passenger was hysterical 😂
Commrade broke a lot of cars Soviet and foreigne ones too...
Nixon did show weakness as a passenger that day. I'm really surprised that he let the Bear one up him.
@@timf2279 Nixon didn't realize the Bear was trying to kill him. He wasn't very subtle.
Good comic relief. I really got a chuckle when Brezhnev called himself "Superdriver." Even world leaders are basically ordinary men. Boy, was Nixon relieved to step out of that Lincoln Continental. LBJ was known to drive a little too fast around those same curvy roads. I went to school in Emmitsburg, Maryland, Mount St Mary's college. Not too far away from Camp David.
I guess that ride really happened, another comic relief scene was on the yacht when Nixon was enjoying his scotch, he was amused at Fred and his gingerale. Smith really had a good Nixonian laugh. Great scene and acting. I am familiar with many of the Washington scenes having been to those locations myself. Never tire of this movie. The two men that debated each other in 1960; one was carried out in a casket the other walked out on a red carpet. Kennedy and Nixon two great political giants, both flawed but only Nixon's flaws were shown, Kennedy was a more fortunate man in that regard although leaving alive was Nixon's good fortune, but still, not easy to resign the highest office in the land. he spared himself and the country much grief by resigning. My maternal grandmother was born on the very same day in the very same year as Nixon, January 9, 1913.
A masterful performance on the part of Lane Smith. And a damn good opportunity to put into perspective the overwhelming and outright corruption in Washington today, now that many fewer men and women of honor and character are in leadership roles.
I am watching this movie now and not one ad....just saying. Very good movie.
Yeah, I haven't gotten a single ad, either. But I see many comments about "an ad every two seconds." ???
Try watch it on a tablet, you'll get almost a googolplex of ads
I don't know if they did or not, but Lane Smith and Richard Kiley should have won Emmys for their performances.
Smith got a Golden Globe award.
In a just world, Lane Smith should have won an Oscar.
There's very little justice in giving the Oscars. Anyone remember Morgan Freeman in "The Shawshank Redemption?" One of the reasons I seldom watch Oscars.
This was a made-for-tv movie, not a theatrical production - they don't give Oscars for tv movies. But it got 4 Emmys, & Lane Smith got a Golden Globes, so at least some justice was served.
An Emmy, at least.
thanks for posting, well done movie
I was a teenager during all this. The details in this movie are just great history. And the acting just excellent. PT, Chicago
Probably the best depiction of Nixon by an actor I've seen. It's quite difficult to capture such a complex neurotic character without overdoing it and becoming a caricature in the process. The rest of the cast was superb as well. Both Kiley and Stiers really knock it out the park in their respective roles.
Thank You, I've been searching for the movie on Richard Nixon for a while now, Great acting and thank You for sharing.
Impressive ~! I didn't even know about this movie, it just came up in my feed and I am so very glad I watched it. The acting was flawless, each character superb in their role. It was down to earth and truly realistic. I learned so many things new about Watergate as well. It was great learning how this part of the saga went down.
I was a kid and vividly remember this time. I never thought it would be possible to feel sympathy for this man. A spectacular piece of history rewritten.
How do you feel sympathy for the man?
I was a kid when this happened too. I remember watching it with my mother live on television as it was summer and there was no school. I have been in politics myself for the last 20 years. And to this very day, there is only ONE TIME I ever felt sorry for Nixon. And that was at his wife Pat's funeral. Seeing him weep like he did and was so inconsolable was heart breaking. But of course now, credible evidence has come out that he used to hit her. They knew it back then. Its just that people (the press and authors) were more civil back then and would not print it.
The civility of the press, or the lack thereof is an interesting topic. There was a gentleman's agreement that no one would photograph or publish a photo of Franklin Roosevelt in a wheelchair. He never would have been elected if this hadn't happened. So you could say that the civility of the press allowed for what many think was the greatest president of the 20th century who shepherded this country out of the great depression and WW2. That civility was long gone when Gerold Ford was made to look like a baffoon and torpedoed his presidency.
@@retroguy9494
@@cowdudeable Even though I am a republican, I agree with you about FDR. I am a great admirer of his. But not ALL the press followed that gentleman's agreement. A few would try to sneak pictures of him getting in and out of cars or going up ramps with or without his wheelchair. And the secret service or FBI would take the camera and remove the film. Not only could FDR not have been elected back the, its still pretty unthinkable that he could TODAY! Let's face it. This country is slowly moving backwards in its attitudes towards disabled people.
We all cried when he left
The guy playing Nixon is killing it.
Super job.
The guy? He has a name.
Lane Smith. Fantastic actor.
You might also know Lane Smith from Places in the Heart. He played the bank loan officer who pushed the widow (Sally Field) to take in his brother in law (John Malkovich) as a roomer.
He is killing it and he is a fantastic actor. I wish he'd gotten more lead roles.
He also was the newspaper editor on Lois and Clark, The New Adventures of Superman.@@AmateurHistorian999
NOPE YOU FACE A GRAND JURY MARY COUSIN BYE THE STUPID THINGS IN EQUAL YOU
Thank you..... This has been meticulous, if not very well put together. Also mindful of those that had to leave, and presented with a big heart. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you for posting this! A true gem, simultaneously honest and humane, and so well acted as to move me near to tears on behalf of a man whom it is far too easy to view as a caricature.
I DID cry. Regardless what Pres Nixon DID, I believe the core of him was a good, Good man!
@helenpierce-lamoureux3124 A "good man" doesn't sink to the depths of political "dirty tricks" and cover-ups that he directed and oversaw. I loathed him as a 12 y.o. girl in 1968 and I haven't changed my mind or feelings.
Ironically, I grew up in Jerry Ford's Congressional District and my uncle's law partners advised Ford on the constitutionality of the pardon.
Yes, indeed, he was a complex man. And he had a number of positive achievements. I am not an admirer, but I now have a more balanced view of him. Also, given where the presidency has gone since that time, it is hard not to look back fondly on his presidency now.
This might be the best Nixon impression I’ve ever seen. Very underrated
Because Anthony Hopkins played it before...
@@barracuda7018 I always thought Hopkins was incredibly miscast. He just didn't have Nixon's visceral resentment or his big evil smile; it was another one of his detached, calculating, pale blue-eyed villains. Jason Robards had the smile in "Washington Behind Closed Doors". Look at a Nixon/Agnew poster from 1968 and you'll see what I mean.
@@StanleyKewbeb1 I disagree. I REMEMBER when Nixon was president. While Hopkins doesn't look too much like Nixon, I think he got his inflections, tics, nervousness etc. down pat. Personally, even though he doesn't look like Nixon, his brilliant portrayal of him convinces you that he IS Nixon after the first half hour or so. Of course, both films are kinder to Nixon than he was in real life.
@@StanleyKewbeb1 Tommy Lee Jones would have been a fine Nixon actor, I think. Better than Hopkins.
Have to admit that I couldn't stop watching this. A fantastic movie that seemed to capture the essence of the times. Looking at someone's achievements in the round is hard when such bad decisions are made in their careers.
what bad decisions- the democrats act as if they follow the rules by the book, He wanted to win and made a slight mistake blown out of proporsion by the stupid democRATS the way they are doing now with Trump and Jan 6- history repeats itself in a way
Your key word is-- " seems " . You watch a Hollywierd propaganda movie and are influenced, disappointing.
Prior to coming to a conclusion of a movie, I suggest researching " history ".
@@joekabotz734 so, what parts of the movie are propaganda
2:10:04 He’s got that right! (No president before or since has had such scrutiny and they’ve gotten away with a whole lot worse. )
I’m a left leaning Canadian and at the time I was on maternity leave with my first baby. I felt sorry for what happened to him. I still can’t believe the lack of loyalty starting with the blonde ditz Martha. Her whole kidnapping story topped the cake! Women all over N.America were experiencing brutal experiences at the hands of men! Did she not know that . . .
So many presidents did so very much worse and didn’t get caught and so many presidents did so very much less for their country.
The crazies carries on to this day.
Who’d think that it ever possible that two of the most inept men could ever become president (2017 + 2021):
- one a narcissistic blabber mouth and the other an incompetent sleepy head, neither unable to string together a proper sentence! At least the crazy affects both political parties equally. 😂
The book of the same name upon which this film is based was written by Woodward and Bernstein and is superb.
An excellent movie. Magnificent performances from all the actors. Lane Smith, was superb. He nailed the role. Emmy award winning performance.
A portrayal of great sensitivity and grace.
Lane Smith knocks it out of the park. Wow!
Great movie! Lane Smith did an excellent job to capture Nixon's accent! I felt like I was listening to the real Richard Nixon himself!
"Uh, Crotch ... "
Indeed, not just the accent but actual way Nixon spoke in like short concise very eloquent way, like punctuated talking. I think the way he presents himself and this stiff rigid way of speaking gives us insight into his personality. He was insecure and always guarded never fully relaxed..people who worked with him for years closely felt they didn't know him really. In the years after he resigned much later he spoke a little more unguarded and candidly in the Frost interview about the Watergate incident to try and set the record straight and preserve his reputation. His voice was softer and he spoke more directly but you can see it wasn't easy for him to do that with people. He had this complex persona of being a capable leader and husband, but suffered paranoia and insecurities. I think the power of Presidency also went to his head and he had some questionable moral ethics on how he used that power and how far he would go to defend it.
Me too, I had to look twice. This actor is just bad ass.
Nixon still alive when this film was made.
22:50, the scene of Breznev at the wheel driving crazily at Camp David was amusing!
It was hilarious, I loved that part. The whole movie was very good. I may watch again sometime.
Those Soviets were crazy drivers!
I wonder what was the story with that.
Automobile accidents took the life of Valery Kharlemov, severely injured Vladimir Konstantinov and Vyacheslav Koslov.
Koslov was thrown through the windshield almost loosing an eye that had to be reinserted, but made a full recovery and had a successful NHL career.
The driver of the limousine that Konstantinov was riding in with other Russian players (and Lord Stanley's Cup) that had just won the 1997 Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings was killed in the crash.
Kharlemov, as many have said was probably the greatest player in international ice hockey ever.
That scene was actually historically accurate. That really happened.
I have worked with plenty of Russians over the years & it was common knowledge within the Soviet Union that by the 1970s Leonid Brezhnev was an alcoholic. Apparently when things got a bit much & regardless of how much vodka had been polished off during the evening he would borrow a Zil & then drive at tremendous speed up & down the streets of Moscow!
@@roddyteague6246 Old Nixon liked his nip too! Its a good thing Brezhnev had that center lane all to himself to drive on!
Everyone knows the story inside out, but this movie will still have you on the edge of your seat. Great cast, great acting. A tragedy of unimaginable consequence. Well done!
I'd be surprised if any college student knows what Watergate was about. Too busy being triggered by biological sex and BlackLiesMatter
Everyone? I did not.
I was 12 when this happened. The hearings shook this country to it's core
David Ogden Stiers. Underrated actor.
Rest in peace Lane Smith. Your life was cut short by ALS (Lou Gerig's disease). The best character actor ever.
If there was a Mount Rushmore of character actors, he definitely would deserve a place!
Lane Smith was a fabulous actor.
I love that in 1972, in the White House with its kitchens and staff, a high level member of staff pulls out a Thermos bottle for a cup of coffee during the 18 minutes, something so humble that we would never see today.
IF IT'S SAMEKKA MAYBE
Smith absolutely embodies Nixon. And much of this movie is based on actual footage and recordings. Great film.
It's in canny isn't it
Rip Torn is good also and Frank Langella.
@@kathleendobens6648 No, it is not "in canny", its uncanny.
Is it just me or does it seem like he got better at portraying & sounding like him as the movie went along?
@@dennissettlemyre917 Good point. I actually noticed the same thing.
Brilliant acting on part of the actor who played Nixon (Lane Smith).
He was awesome! He had Nixon's voice, mannerisms and even his growls down pat!
He got Nixon’s posture, his walk, his round shoulders ABSOLUTELY spot on. And in profile he looked uncannily like Nixon. His speech pattern and intonation were way off however. Most disappointing when replicating famous scenes such as the goodbye to Whitehouse staff. Pat Nixon was a dead ringer for the real Mrs Nixon. But Alexander Haig? Surely they could have got nearer than that.
@@johnmangham2802 Yes Stiers looked nothing like Haig in either face OR build. He didn't even speak like him. Haig was much more aggressive and confrontational in real life.
@Joe Guitar Stiers WAS a very fine actor; no doubt about it. I just think he was miscast for this part. The real General Haig was not so docile. He was a bombastic, nasty, uncooperative man who would throw tantrums if he did not get his own way. He was also very paranoid. While I don't remember much about him in this venue as I was only a little boy when Watergate occurred, I DO remember him as Ronald Reagan's secretary of state and how, when Reagan was shot and Bush was out of town he ran around the White House yelling "I'm in charge" and even gave a press conference declaring it stating the line of succession. But he got it wrong. The line of succession had been changed from the secretary of state being third in line to the speaker of the House of Representatives who at that time was Thomas P "Tip" O'Neill. If you can find it, watch the movie "The Reagans" from 2003. It was a TV movie but you could buy it on DVD because I have it. It gives a much more accurate portrayal of Alexander Haig than this movie from the Nixon era.
As for Fred Buzhardt, his problem was always a moral one. Here in the States there used to be a saying and a belief (especially among my parents, grandparents and great grandparents generations) that "the presidency is bigger than any one man." Harry Truman eluded to this many times during his presidency. One of his most famous times was when General MacArthur made him wait when they met at Wake Island during the Korean War. Truman famously said "he can do that to Harry Truman, but NOT to his commander in chief." Anyway, Buzhardt's moral dilemma was who or what he was actually defending. Was it Richard Nixon? Or was it the presidency itself? If it was the former, he wanted no part of it and I believe he thought if Nixon himself was a crook he should be prosecuted. If it was the latter, he would defend the presidency to his fullest capabilities. Incidentally, Richard Kiley was a pretty good choice to play him. He looked like Buzhardt and sounded a bit like him.
I lived through that era and never thought to see its like again.
You ain't seen nothing yet pal.
Compared to the new generation of politicians we have in power now - Nixon was comparable to St. Francis of Assisi!
If Frances of Assisi was a neurotic mass murderer.
@@auntymarushkafah, No that’s Obammy and Clinton
@Terry You're Super clever for a pre-school cretin, but no. Nixon was the one who illegally carpet bombed Cambodia back to the stone age and set the stage for Pol Pot's killing fields. Google it!
I agree
Nixon was not the bad guy here
Excellent movie. Probably amongst the best ever made on this subject...
I love Henry's truthfulness
Thank you for posting this! And in excellent video and audio quality.
Superb!! Thankyou.
Brilliant film making. Superb casting. Never saw a better actor playing Richard Nixon. I was compelled to watch
Very well done, better than I expected.
Never heard or seen this film before. Stunning script and brilliant performances too. As a student of modern American politics and Watergate I can honestly say it sticks to the facts so closely without being cold and dispassionate. Loved it
Excellent movie. As an aside, I find it kind of fascinating that Pat Nixon never spoke a single word.
Even his final speech still gives one goosebumps.......said with remorse, high intelligence and power.....
high intelligence would have been burning those tapes! or not getting caught up on a wire tap that you know about!
A good actor, yes.
Having been in politics myself for over 20 years, I will also add.........with damn fine ACTING!
American DOWNFALL
@@shoptalk7415 The reality is, Nixon did not know the tapes were made. That knowledge came out AFTER the inquiry. Nixon knew EXACTLY what he was doing just as t****p did. Both wanted supreme power; that the POTUS afforded such protection- It does Not!
The truth is like a double-edged sword. It can give life but it can also bring death. It cannot be manufactured. Very interesting movie. Thanks for posting.
I think Lane Smith was a terribly underappreciated character actor ... first took notice of him in Places in the Heart (1984) and he was the best thing about the Mighty Ducks!
Brilliant! Thanks for posting.
This is an outstanding drama/documentary with a brilliant cast, and no praise is too high for Lane Smith. I remember this period well, with the British media following the crisis in detail (and breathless excitement almost) every day; headlines, articles, reports the TV and radio news and current affairs programmes dominated by this Greek tragedy. But you know, what is true is that President Nixon was a great statesman whose skilled global diplomacy was a real achievement. We should remember that we all slept safer.(UK)
He was also a racist bigot and a criminal.
Only John Dean vindicated himself.
Excellent. Cast was superb. Amazing to see the mental breakdown and delusions portrayed so brilliantly by the actor portraying Nixon. How brave of all the creative people that presented the film, giving us such insight to another view of political tragedy. Thank you.
Wonderful acting and good movie. it captured the essence of the time perfectly.
I love the music in this movie so ominous and foreboding.
This takes place 47-48 years ago. Wow. It’s been that long.
Tell me about it. I was in my early teens and not much of that has faded from memory.
It was 15 years when this was released in 89 of watergate when it happened in 1974.
superbly acted of a time and place that frightened so many of us but in the end he did the right thing for the Country and the Office but maybe not for himself - a very sad Man
While presidents since donthings 10 times worse and nothing happens. If he was a democrat you never hear of this.
Wonderful portrayal of Pat Nixon. Not a word said, but everything expressed.
Apparently Nixon use to beat the breaks off Pat. He did however take care of her, never leaving her bed side, when she had a stroke.
a lot of great actors have taken of the role of Richard Nixon..but none have come close to capturing this complex man as Lane smith..he had is looks mannerisms and his very essence down pat.
Lane Smith killin` it. Amazing portrait. Fun fact: Nixon watched it.
One other thing: how sensible and honest the President's staff lawyers are in comparison, caring for the WH, the President (both office and his person) as well as their own legal reputations and personal honesty.
What a difference 50+ years makes!
“How can a simple burglary lead to all this?” That has to go down as one of the greatest movie lines ever.
SO AFTER YEARS IN VEITNAM AND OVER PRINTING THE DOLLAR TO PAY WE SEE NIXON IN 1971 REFUSE TO FRANCE GOLD FOR THE DOLLARS THEY HELD AND ALL COUNTRIES WHEN HE WENT OFF THE GOLD STANDARD... NOW A COVER UP OF THIS DEAD DOLLAR WHILE THEY WORK IT OUT MUST COME...HERE IS WHERE A USELESS BREAK IN AT WATERGATE ENTERS OUR NEWS DAY AND NIGHT FOR 3 AND A HALF YRS TO KEEP THE WORLD AND COUNTRY BUSY AS THEY NOW GO WORLD WIDE TO SEND OUR CORPS TO CHINA AND ALLOW RUSSIA IN AS OPEC PLUS AND OTHER DEALS TO MAKE THE DOLLAR IN DEMAND ALTHOUGH IT IS BACKED BY NOTHING... SO WATER GATE WAS THE COVER UP OF THIS NEW DEAL FOR THE DOLLAR AND SENDING OUR CORPS TO FRANCE LIKE CATIPILAR AND STEAL AND ALUMINUM TO CHINA AND ALL COUNTRIES RECIEVED THESE CORPS TO BOOST THIER ECONOMIES AND CREATE JOBS ANS TODAY EVERYONE FORGETS THIS TRADE WAR IS NO WAR BUT WAS THE DEALS NIXON WAS TOLD TO MKAKE BY THE INTERNATIONAL BANKERS TO BRING THE ENTIRE WORLD UNDER FULL BANK CONTROL ... THERE IS NO TRADE WAR..WE SEE NIXON IN THESE YEARS RUNNING TO CHINA AND RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CUTTING THE DEALS ... ONCE DONE HE IN THE MIX BRINGS IN EX CIA CHIEF GERALD FORD TO TAKE OVER WHEN HIS WORK WAS DONE... AND LATER BUSH RUNS AS HE WAS CIA CHIEF AFTER FORD AND WE SEE A WHITE HOUSE EVERY SINCE UNDER CIA RULE NOT PRESIDENTS.... SO THE ISSUES TODAY ARE ALL THE FAULT OF THE [PEOPLE NOT POLITICIANS WHO EVERYONE VOTED IN.. THE PEOPLE ARE RESPONSABLE FOR SEEING IT ALL BUT NOT THINKING AND WATCHING TO SEE THE REAL COVER UP.. I WAS A PAPER BOY IN 5TH GRADE READING ALL THIS AND KNEW WHAT I WAS SEEING AS THIS UNFOLDED INTO MY FIRST YR OF HIGH SCHOOL .... COME AS CHILD CHRIST SAID AND YOU CAN SEE BUT EVERYONES EGOS MAKE THEM BLIND BY REASONING AND IGNORING WHAT THEY SEE... NOW IS TIME FOR ALL THE CARDS TO FALL AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULTS AND EVERYONE MUST BE RESPONABLE FOR THIER OWN IGNORANCE AND REFUSAL TO PAY ATTENTION AS LONG AS THIER LIVES GOT BETTER WHO CARES FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD IS ALWAYS THE ATTITUDE...ME AND MY HOUSE IS THE AMERICAN WAY..NOW ITS ENDING FAST..
Because there was nothing simple about it, and it wasn't just a burglary
The "Cover-Up" always snares the situation.
''If any other President has been investigated as thoroughly as you, God knows what would have been uncovered.''
@@rainblaze. The problem was a simpleton President, not the break-in.
An amazing portrayal of Nixon, particularly the voice. I think only Bruno Ganz gave a superior performance of an historical figure.
Bruno Ganz? What movie was that?
@@claytonrowe8103 Der Untergang
@@claytonrowe8103 Der Untergang, ie. The Downfall, Hitler in the bunker.
Anthony Hopkins was a good Nixon.
Ganz was great as Hitler in Downfall (2004), but the British actor Ian McLellan did a damned good job in the 1989 production COUNTDOWN TO WAR...
One thing that make me laugh about nixon's last day. He was adamant about no pardons but he didn't hesitate to take one.
What would you do if you had been him?
@@trissloan2340 I definitely would have taken the pardon seeing what he was seemingly guilty of but the fact that the people who were working for him and convicted he had no thought for shows that nixon was for nixon and no one else.
@@saunders06516 😃 and how else you become president?? 😆
And giving that pardon probably finished Ford’s chances of winning in 1976.
@@saunders06516 Nixon was ALWAYS for Nixon and no one else. The man was evil. He literally destroyed peoples lives to win elections. Even during his re-election in '72 he refused to spread party money around and let members of Congress and state races on his coattails. He even dropped the republican party label and campaigned as "President Nixon." It cost him too. Monopolizing the resources cost him too! A lot of GOP candidates lost their races that year.
Thanks for posting this. Really helpful information.
I remember this like it was yesterday. my hat is off too the actor that played the part of president nixon he looked like him,sounded like him, and did a superb job of acting.
Lane Smith did a better job playing Richard Nixon than Anthony Hopkins. Down to his exact mannerisms.
Hopkins was in over his head - and the film was pretty awful.
Hopkins is a good actor and did the best he could. The film was not bad at all.
Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but Pat Nixon had not one single line of dialogue in the whole movie! Very interesting! I wonder if there's some particular reason behind that: maybe the people interviewed by Woodward and Bernstein, and others, refused to discuss anything Pat said, maybe she's very private and they knew she wouldn't have wanted that.
I also agree this is a great movie. I was surfing UA-cam for a documentary and decided to give this a try. I couldn't believe how much I liked it, and was up until 1am because I couldn't pause it!
I recommend hbo movie Path to War 2002 if u liked this. Its on YT.
What a wonderful and historically accurate movie.
Except Nixon cursed like a sailor 😆 lol
This episode never fails to fascinate. Great film.
SO AFTER YEARS IN VEITNAM AND OVER PRINTING THE DOLLAR TO PAY WE SEE NIXON IN 1971 REFUSE TO FRANCE GOLD FOR THE DOLLARS THEY HELD AND ALL COUNTRIES WHEN HE WENT OFF THE GOLD STANDARD... NOW A COVER UP OF THIS DEAD DOLLAR WHILE THEY WORK IT OUT MUST COME...HERE IS WHERE A USELESS BREAK IN AT WATERGATE ENTERS OUR NEWS DAY AND NIGHT FOR 3 AND A HALF YRS TO KEEP THE WORLD AND COUNTRY BUSY AS THEY NOW GO WORLD WIDE TO SEND OUR CORPS TO CHINA AND ALLOW RUSSIA IN AS OPEC PLUS AND OTHER DEALS TO MAKE THE DOLLAR IN DEMAND ALTHOUGH IT IS BACKED BY NOTHING... SO WATER GATE WAS THE COVER UP OF THIS NEW DEAL FOR THE DOLLAR AND SENDING OUR CORPS TO FRANCE LIKE CATIPILAR AND STEAL AND ALUMINUM TO CHINA AND ALL COUNTRIES RECIEVED THESE CORPS TO BOOST THIER ECONOMIES AND CREATE JOBS ANS TODAY EVERYONE FORGETS THIS TRADE WAR IS NO WAR BUT WAS THE DEALS NIXON WAS TOLD TO MKAKE BY THE INTERNATIONAL BANKERS TO BRING THE ENTIRE WORLD UNDER FULL BANK CONTROL ... THERE IS NO TRADE WAR..WE SEE NIXON IN THESE YEARS RUNNING TO CHINA AND RUSSIA AND THE MIDDLE EAST CUTTING THE DEALS ... ONCE DONE HE IN THE MIX BRINGS IN EX CIA CHIEF GERALD FORD TO TAKE OVER WHEN HIS WORK WAS DONE... AND LATER BUSH RUNS AS HE WAS CIA CHIEF AFTER FORD AND WE SEE A WHITE HOUSE EVERY SINCE UNDER CIA RULE NOT PRESIDENTS.... SO THE ISSUES TODAY ARE ALL THE FAULT OF THE [PEOPLE NOT POLITICIANS WHO EVERYONE VOTED IN.. THE PEOPLE ARE RESPONSABLE FOR SEEING IT ALL BUT NOT THINKING AND WATCHING TO SEE THE REAL COVER UP.. I WAS A PAPER BOY IN 5TH GRADE READING ALL THIS AND KNEW WHAT I WAS SEEING AS THIS UNFOLDED INTO MY FIRST YR OF HIGH SCHOOL .... COME AS CHILD CHRIST SAID AND YOU CAN SEE BUT EVERYONES EGOS MAKE THEM BLIND BY REASONING AND IGNORING WHAT THEY SEE... NOW IS TIME FOR ALL THE CARDS TO FALL AND ITS ALL YOUR FAULTS AND EVERYONE MUST BE RESPONABLE FOR THIER OWN IGNORANCE AND REFUSAL TO PAY ATTENTION AS LONG AS THIER LIVES GOT BETTER WHO CARES FOR THE WHOLE OF THE WORLD IS ALWAYS THE ATTITUDE...ME AND MY HOUSE IS THE AMERICAN WAY..NOW ITS ENDING FAST..
WORTH WATCHING: For those of you who have only seen a few scenes of this film, you must view this movie from start to finish, especially the very funny, priceless scene at 21:50 into this video when Nixon gives visiting Soviet dictator, Leonid Brezhnev, a new Lincoln Continental as a gift. Talk about joy rides.
This was a fantastic movie. Stellar acting. 5 stars!!!!
I remember being in my young 20's and being glued yo the TV set every day and every hour it was on.
My high school social studies teachers used to excuse me from classes daily so I could watch the hearings. I learned so much from doing so, and later, when I did go east to work at a think tank, who was there in the "big office?" Al Haig. What years those were.
Excellent docu-drama. I lived thru these events... seeing it in the news and on TV. I was 21. I have always been fascinated by Richard Nixon. Thanks, Grapevine.
After Watergate news broke I was traveling cross country and had an opportunity to hear Nixon speak at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Near the end of his address he brought up the subject, ending it with the statement "The power of the Office of President will - never - fail!" Those last three words were punctuated with fist bumps on the podium at each word. Then, on the last word, the Seal of the President came loose from the podium and rolled off the stage into the orchestra pit. The look on Tricky Dick's face was priceless, especially when one wag in the audience called out "The Prophet speaks!" It is a memory I will always cherish.
You made that up
Crazy how Fred Buzhardt died of a heart attack at age 54 in 1978. He obviously had been under a massive amount of stress.
First sign of a heart attack is denial.
I didn't know that! Well, that is what is so sad - the crimes of some people always hit some
others who had nothing to do
with it..!
Watching 👀 now from rural Pennsylvania USA 🇺🇸
At least he eventually admitted his own mistakes
Unlike a lot of people who are in power
Most don't admit their own mistakes and failures
Especially in present times
I tend not to watch political films but this one is an exception to that
It was absolutely brilliant
Wait a second, Trump is no longer in power. That whinny, bloated sack of circumcised foreskins, aka Lord of the Rednecks, is done.
You are referring to "The Donald", ain't you?
I wasn't aware that Nixon ever admitted his actions.
They like to shift the blame these days,blame their actions on the other party..
Watch the Nixon videos by the Nixon Foundation.@@brianarbenz1329
I first saw this film in January of 2020. I'm watching it again in January 2025. Superb!
Great movie! Better, in my view, than 'All the president's men'
Thank you for your sacrifice
My God, that final goodbye speech broke me up. Was it word for word?
Pretty much. Look it up on here. The real thing will bring you to tears. Nixons Farewell Speech to Staff.