Millhouse: A White Comedy
US, 1971, 35mm, black & white, 92 min.
De Antonio secured a place on Richard Nixon’s infamous “enemies list” with this scathing portrait of the controversial American president. Completed during Nixon’s first term in office, the film consists largely of archival footage of the President, beginning with his rise to Congress in 1946 and leading to his journey to the Oval Office in 1969. While de Antonio’s ironic critique of Nixon is evident throughout the film, he remained vehemently opposed to techniques such as voiceover commentary, which he viewed as a fascist device. As a result, his own voice never overpowers the footage he has compiled, a choice most evident in the famed “Checkers” speech, which he presents in its entirety with no additional commentary. Released a year before the Watergate break-in, de Antonio’s unforgiving portrait became even more prescient after Nixon’s downfall.