Secret Honor

Nixon was apparently a great admirer of M*A*S*H - a movie directed by Robert Alman. And it's reasonable to assume Robert Altman didn't feel the same way. Nevertheless, the director of Secret Honor (which is based on a play by Arnold M. Stone and Donald Freed) appeared to grasp something fundamental about the ousted president.

Nixon, portrayed by Philip Hall, spends 90 minutes alone in the film, wandering about his study and narrating his failures and frustrations. It is easy to interpret Nixon as a representation of Robert Altman himself, a man who, at that time in his career, was a corporate pariah who appeared to have gone out of his way.

Perhaps it's not surprising, therefore, that Secret Honor is indeed a relentlessly nasty and spiteful picture; the Nixon we encounter doesn't want our compassion, but he's more than prepared to attack his detractors in a desperate attempt to amend the record. This is a film that is intrinsically ponderous and verbose, yet it is so liberating and furious that the whole plot turns out to be explosive, particularly in its concluding scenes.

Year of Release: 1984

Star: Phillip Baker Hall

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 77%