Review:
For the better part of eight years, I worked as a photojournalist. As a free thinker, I have seen internally the problems brought on by profit-driven corporations owning media outlets. The first television station I worked for had really nice equipment — equipment that was really out of place at a station its size. That station was run under a corporate banner, but essentially it was owned by one man. The next station was owned by the Hearst Corporation via their Hearst-Argyle subsidiary. At that station, videotape decks never had their tops screwed down because you never knew when one would break down at an inopportune time. It is from this background I approached Good Night, and Good Luck.
Good Night, and Good Luck tells the story of Edward Murrow’s public battle with Senator Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for communists. Murrow had a forum in his show on CBS, and he used it to do something good in the country. The political points made in the film are rather profound. Murrow’s stand was that Americans should be free to believe what they want, even if it goes against the majority. That’s the sort of thinking this country was built upon but is sorely lacking today.
David Strathairn portrays Murrow as a serious man but one thoughtful as to the repercussions of his actions. He knows he is poking a stick at a hornets nest, but he is more afraid not to. I could feel the knots form in his stomach a few times during the course of the film. Strathairn knocks it out of the park with this performance.
Interestingly, Joseph McCarthy is portrayed by himself from relevant historical footage of the time. I found this method very rewarding, as seeing McCarthy speak his words himself gave them more gravity. With an actor, you might wonder, too, whether they changed what was spoken for dramatic effect. As it stands, the movie has a great debate feel to it — the sort of feel you get when talking to your friends about their positions on issues that you disagree with.
At just over an hour and a half, George Clooney delivers an exceptionally lean film. The brisk pace allows the story to be told without allowing you to grow tired of its message. The black-and-white color palette helps evoke the ’50s setting. I viewed Warner’s HD DVD. The transfer did the film great justice, giving everything a nice level of high definition “pop.”
As we move further into the 21st century, I recommend everyone familiarize him or herself with the Murrow/McCarthy feud. This film is an excellent place to start.