SECRET HONOR

What happens when an insecure, paranoid, and disgraced former U.S. President has time alone to contemplate his legacy?  Robert Altman’s Secret Honor (1984) shows us one possibility.  This film is a compelling, thought-provoking one-man performance that is mesmerizing, disturbingly unsettling, and, given the current status of democracy in the United States, extremely prescient.  In a way, I imagine this movie could be more compelling today than it was when it was released.

It is the early 1980s, at least 6 years since Richard Nixon resigned as President of the United States, following the events of the Watergate scandal.  Nixon is alone in the office of his New Jersey mansion.  He has set up some television cameras, turned on a tape-recorder, and poured himself some Scotch whiskey.  This is his moment to recall his Presidency and set the record straight for future generations.  And thus begins a 90-minute, enthralling series of monologues by Phillip Baker Hall as Nixon.

Phillip Baker Hall is one of those supporting-character actors who you may have seen for years but likely have not known his name.  I best remember him from Boogie Nights when he played the adult-film magnet Floyd Gondolli.  Seinfeld viewers might better remember him as Lt. Joe Bookman from an episode called “The Library”.  Trust me, after you see Secret Honor, I can guarantee that his performance as Richard Nixon will be the role you most remember him for… and it should be a reason to remember his name!  He may not look much like Nixon, but within a few minutes, his quirky gestures, gravelly voice, and erratic nature more than make up for the physical differences.  His performance is award-worthy.

To be clear, the story is fictional, but much of the dialogue is taken directly from statements that Nixon made both publicly and privately, as well as in writing.  Nixon was known to love his booze, to rattle off foul-mouthed expletives and racist slurs, and to belittle those who spoke out against him.  And that is the Nixon whom Baker Hall brings to life brilliantly.  His Nixon ruminates on a rise and eventual fall from power through his turbulent, chaotic, and often rage-filled monologues.  His goal in this recording session seems to be to have these recordings somehow reach a different conclusion on how his time as President played out, but his pettiness, his insecurities, his perceived betrayals, and his own childhood demons prevent this from happening.  And that reality crashes down abrasively as the film reaches its finale.  

Kudos to Altman and cinematographer Pierre Mignot for never making this 90-minute chamber piece feel claustrophobic.  The camera utilizes long shots and medium frames that coincide gracefully with Nixon’s frantic behaviors and movements.  Very well done.

This was an extremely satisfying movie, and one I most certainly might never have even heard of had I not undertaken a goal to see all of Robert Altman’s films in 2025.  Secret Honor is a movie I would highly recommend, especially for those who appreciate superlative acting performances.

Blame for Nixon’s downfall doesn’t rest on the man alone.  It also rests on those who overlooked all his obvious and publicly displayed flaws (which made it apparent that he was never capable of handling power responsibly), and who chose to vote for him anyway.  The film never states this, but the repeated use of the closed-circuit televisions conveys the notion that we, the American people, had been given plenty of opportunity to really watch Nixon, and we chose to overlook what we saw.  In the end, he was provided with a powerful position he wasn’t restrained enough to handle… because we, the people, handed it to him. 

As I said when I started this review, it’s all very prescient for our modern times.