Warner Independent Starring: David Strathairn, George Clooney
Directed By: George Clooney
Rated: PG
Warner Independent
Government officials run amok. American citizens accused of working with the enemy and grilled mercilessly in hearings where they are refused the opportunity to hear what they are charged with, see the evidence against them, and face those who brought the alleged evidence to the government's attention. News agencies refusing to blow the cover on the government's abuse of power for fear of, at best, losing their advertisers or, at worst, being branded enemies of the state themselves.
No, I'm not recapping last week's CNN headlines.
Good Night, and Good Luck is a riveting, independent film that follows the efforts of respected television journalist Edward R. Murrow (Strathairn) to shed light on Senator Joseph McCarthy's abuse of power. Back in the mid-1950s, the enemy was a different "ist"--Communist, rather than terrorist. It's amazing how little things have changed, though. As you watch the film, you can't help but see the parallels between then and now. McCarthy fanned the flames of fear in the American people, scaring them so badly that most were willing to look the other way when McCarthy and his commission flagrantly violated civil liberties in order to root out the enemies among us. McCarthy was particularly ruthless when it came to critics of his methods. He is represented throughout the film in actual clips from 50s footage. In one of these clips, he mocks those who disapprove of his methods, calling them leftist cowards who are willing to sit by and allow the enemy to win.
Any of this sound familiar?
There's no doubt that Good Night, and Good Luck was made to drive this point home. The lovely thing about it though is that it is history. Unlike a Michael Moore documentary about present day events, there has been plenty of time to study and confirm the events in this film. Some will, undoubtedly, see this as another Hollywood shot at the Bush administration. And maybe it is. Probably, even.
But don't let that stop you from seeing it, regardless of your political affiliation. Good Night, and Good Luck is a masterpiece, and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that George Clooney is as good or better behind the camera as he is in front of it. It is shot in black-and-white, which is quite appropriate to the subject matter, and makes the historic clips all fit more seamlessly into the film. The style of the film from a directing and artistic standpoint is very 50s as well, which enhances the feel of the movie as a whole.
The acting is superb, exactly what you'd expect from the veterans on the cast. Strathairn is perfect as Murrow (and deserves the Oscar for which he is nominated). All of the other roles are minor by comparison, but the actors--Robert Downey, Jr., Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, and Patricia Clarkson to name a few--all put in great performances. You feel as if you are really behind the scenes at CBS in the 50s instead of watching a movie about it. It's quite an experience.
One of the things I came away from this movie feeling was a longing for an Edward R. Murrow for our time. I know it will never happen--even in the 50s, as this film shows, advertisers were beginning to call the shots and dictate just how much controversy they were willing to sponsor on the evening news. Network execs back then sometimes took a stand and let their news departments report the news. Now, the best we can do if we want to expose government scandals on this scale is The Daily Show--and Jon Stewart only gets away with it because he frames it as comedy.
Most of the story in Good Night, and Good Luck is framed by a speech that Murrow starts to give at the beginning of the film and completes at the end (at a public function some two years after the events--and the cancellation of his news program by CBS). In it, Murrow reveals his one major flaw--he thinks far too highly of the intelligence of the American people and their concern for the events that shape the world around them. Murrow postulates that, if the networks occasionally replace an entertainment program with a news program--one that accurately reports current events, not a fluffy, John Stostle news program, presumably--the American people will remain tuned in and happily learn something.
That wasn't true then, when there were three networks, and it's certainly not true now that there are 200 other channels to watch when Fear Factor is pre-empted. The sad truth is that people don't want to hear about unpleasant things. They don't want to think about what's happening to other people, just as long as it doesn't affect them personally. That's why the news doesn't report the news anymore--it reports safe, fluff pieces. No digging, no journalism. No criticism of the government that subsidizes the corporations that own the networks, God forbid. Just status quo. Look the other way and it will eventually be okay.
Heck. Even this movie had to be made independently and released (in a very limited run) under Warner's independent label.
Nobody wants to hear it. But everybody should listen just the same.
See this film.
Good night, and good luck.
Bottom line: An awesome film in every way. Best Picture? Maybe. It deserves it.