Very best movie i ever watch

That was an excellent one.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

...who Richard Nixon was and every detail about the Watergate Scandal. But if you're under the age of, let's say 45 or so, you're pretty much screwed. No amount of Oscar caliber acting or great writing or incredibly inventive direction and editing can save a movie that is totally of its time. You will be lost despite the brilliance involved. It really is a brilliant film, but there is no exposition--it does assume that you know all about Nixon and Watergate. Back in 1983, everyone still did. Now, not so much.One dumbed down solution if you're Gen-X and younger: rent and watch "All the President's Men" with Redford and Hoffman first. Then watch the archive footage of Nixon speeches included in the DVD supplements. Then some of this will make sense.

I recently 'took a flier' on this movie when I saw the new Criterion DVD on the store shelf. I remembered really wanting to see it, as I am a big Paul Thomas Anderson fan (this film is where he saw Philip Baker Hall and decided he was the best actor in America), as well as a fan of Hall's performance in "Hard Eight", PTA's debut."Secret Honor", a film adaptation of the play, which also starred Hall, is certainly a worthwhile viewing, though I'm not exactly carried away with praises as some critics seem to be.Hall certainly has more than a few exciting and inspired moments as former President Richard M. Nixon in this fictitious work that places him in his study for 90 minutes one night with alcohol, TV monitors, his mother's old piano, and various other elements that come into play.But, for me, the piece just doesn't have much realism for a play/film that has a premise which is certainly plausible. Hall sputters and rages his way through what is clearly a very difficult role (Hall says in an engrossing interview on the disc that when he was originally offered the role, he turned it down, as he didn't think the role was possible for any human actor, let alone desirable), but the specter of Nixon does not seem to be evoked in much of an authentic way here for me. In this sense, I prefer Anthony Hopkins' Nixon (which ALSO has a whopper of an ending), because I feel the former President's dark, brooding core is masterfully portrayed by the Welsh actor.Hall's bravado cannot be dismissed, however. I believe any real weakness from the piece comes from the original script itself, which places Nixon in a context I just don't feel he belongs. Why would Nixon take one night, years after the fact, to race through all of his misgivings about his fate, career, and life, in a rather traditionally theatrical way? That's just something that doesn't ring true for me, though some obviously disagree. I can't see Nixon doing many of the things that the script calls for. Truly taking on the awkward tag of "Political Myth" that it has may be of some benefit to viewers, though it's unclear what the term really means.Altman has some very nice moves here, topped off with a stunning conclusion, which makes certainly makes this picture worth a look. At the end of the day, I'm happy to have it in my collection.

I love many Altman films, but was disappointed by "Secret Honor." Described as a work of "fiction" that uses Nixon as a "character," it still depends heavily on actual facts from Nixon's life to succeed and there is the constant danger of blurring fact and fiction. It's a claustrophobic experience in that it's basically a one-man show put on film, despite the introduction of some elements such as video monitors on the set to make the production slightly more cinematic.I attended a presentation of the film after which the director made some comments. Seeing Altman in person was fascinating. His dedication to developing and completing the project was impressive. He said that he had chosen not to open up the play and that he'd mount the production in the same way today. I disagree with his choice, as did the woman who posed the question, but they both were gracious, which is something to see these days. I also think the play on which the film is based is overwritten. Some people in the audience seemed to be under the impression that merely because a film has a lot of dialogue it instantly qualifies as art. If a film has only one character and is pure monologue, the speeches must be brilliant throughout. That was not the case here. Even as a work of "imagination" the film didn't ring true to me. Would a lawyer really say to himself that if he had actually gone to jail for Watergate, at least he would have been free after the experience? Lawyers know that's not true: Having served your time doesn't extinguish the public record; and Nixon was, by many accounts, a brilliant lawyer and a brilliant man, but there's the tragedy.Even little details at the start played false. Nixon is seen as a bumbler who can't even insert a blank tape into his tape recorder. From what I understand, he was pretty anal compulsive, so as a bit of character definition, that business made no sense. I also didn't understand what he was doing wearing a velvet dressing gown if he was working in his office in a law firm. Other small details are dated: Alger Hiss did in fact spy for the Soviets, whether or not Nixon was out to get him as was suggested at the perjury trial.Still, the portrait of Nixon was a far more complex and generous one than might have been expected for 1984. As an offering in this highly charged political season, "Secret Honor" is worth seeing. P.B. Hall's performance is very strong, although I kept saying to myself throughout, that's the man from "Magnolia." For me, the best section was when Fictional Nixon took himself to task for destroying Helen Gahagan Douglas's political career by suggesting she was a communist when she ran against him from California for a U.S. Senate seat. There seemed to be a deep undercurrent of affection. But am I the only one who thought the piece also was suggesting that Nixon may have been latently gay?"Secret Honor" is not one of Altman's best. For Nixon mythology in cinema, my favorite is still Oliver Stone's "Nixon."

SECRET HONOR should be seen by everybody with an interest in Richard Nixon. It may not be what he was really like, but it is a weird and unforgettable portrait of this man. Philip Baker Hall delivers one of the best screen performances I can ever remember in this one man movie. The movie takes place on the day before Richard Nixon is going to resign, and sits around drinking scotch and yelling into a tape recorder about everything in his political life. He blames Castro, Kissinger and anyone named Kennedy for all the problems in his life- while never accepting resposibilty for any of it himself. He's a man entrenched in denial. The movie utlimately makes Nixon look like an idiot- a man who has no idea what he was doing. This is one of Robert Altman's best films- an utterly amazing film.