Good Night, and Good Luck
Release Date:
October 7, 2005
Limited release
On the Big Board |
Position |
Staff |
In Brief |
2/60 |
Les Winan |
Superb and timely, shot in beautiful black and white. Wonderful writing, acting and directing abounds. George Clooney arrives as a triple threat. A mesmerizing film. |
11/85 |
Kim Hollis |
This film makes me depressed over the state of 21st century journalism. It's a captivating drama that would place higher on this list if it wasn't quite so clinical. |
19/166 |
David Mumpower |
A great movie that is too clinical to be accurately described as one that I love. |
George Clooney follows up his debut directorial effort, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, with this historical exploration surrounding television newsman Edward R. Murrow. Set in the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950s America, the film examines the conflict between Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. These were trying times in our nation history, with the Red Scare becoming so prevalent that McCarthy specifically set out to identify any American that might be Communist, and thereby a traitor to his or her nation.
As a journalist bound by his occupation to objectively seek out the truth, Murrow set out to report the facts surrounding these witch hunts and to inform the public as to what was really taking place. Murrow (David Straithairn) and his crack staff, including producer Fred Friendly (Clooney) and other workers from the CBS newsroom, went forward with their investigation despite threats from the company suits and sponsors to expose McCarthy's lies and scaremongering tactics. The vengeful McCarthy soon exposed Murrow as a Communist, but the CBS crew willfully carried on with their search for the truth - a search that would prove to be critical to the history of the United States.
Goodnight, and Good Luck, by the way, was Murrow's signature sign off for each evening's show. (Kim Hollis/BOP)
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