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Rating:  - Disappointing
I suspect people's enthusiasm for this movie is due to the real footage of the McCarthy hearings, footage that we don't see often enough and reminds us how careful we should be not to go down that route again. (McCarthy enjoyed huge support at some point, after all.) For people like me who had already seen the footage in the PBS documentary on Ed Murrow ("The Edward R. Murrow Collection", DVD, 2005), the movie fell absolutely flat. There is no original story line, no character development. I guess its redeeming feature was to push PBS to package the documentary, since it came out at about the same time. My advice to anyone considering buying the "Good Night, and Good Luck" DVD would be to buy "The Edward R. Murrow Collection" instead.
Rating:  - 5-star acting and directing; problematic ideas
Every reviewer who has already gushed over David Strathairn's performance is absolutely right: this film is worth seeing just for his acting alone. Too much of the time actors (and viewers) seem to think that bellowing and gesturing madly constitutes an award-winning performance. Straithairn does none of these things, but I could not keep my eyes off him in this film (and while he's no eyesore, he's not exactly George Clooney in the looks department). A riveting performance, absolutely amazing.
Clooney's vision as director is interesting to see as well. I like that he clearly made some deliberate choices that he had to know weren't going to endear this film to a broad, general audience (black and white, short length, far more "intellectual" content than emotional) but made them precisely because of his own unique vision.
One thing does trouble me, however: this film is, obviously, not a documentary, even though it does include actual film footage of McCarthy and the Senate hearings. Something about that seems manipulative to me. "Forrest Gump" did the same thing, yet that film would clearly be classified as "entertainment" in part because it's obviously fiction. And yet..."Good Night" is essentially fiction as well, despite its being based on real events. If "Good Night" isn't a documentary, and it isn't "Forrest Gump," what is it? I dislike the too-clear-cut distinctions between media that "entertains" and media that "informs" that both Murrow and Clooney seem to be pushing here. The real point to be made is that we need to be critical of ALL representations of "the truth" that are shown to us, whether they be "Forrest Gump" with its insultingly simplistic platitudes or McCarthy with his faulty rhetoric -- or even "Good Night," which clearly has a point to make and perhaps dresses itself up too much in the guise of "truth" in order to make that point.
In other words, what's more important in relation to this film isn't that Americans prefer being entertained over being informed; it's that perhaps we no longer know the difference. That's far more ominous, in my view.
And so, ironically, I think this film works best in the ways that it serves as entertainment, with its astounding acting and directing. As "information," I'm less certain. (But at least it did give me a chance to spout off in this pretentious way. Thanks, George.)
Rating: - A high point in the history of media
"Good Night and Good Luck" is a gem of a film. It is designed for thoughtful and sophisticated viewers and it certainly hits the spot. Going back to the 1950s when Senator Joe McCarthy was terrorizing government employees and the entertainment industry with his communism witch hunt, the film focuses on the heroic response of Edward R. Murrow and his willingness to confront McCarthy in the public arena where he might be truly defeated and made accountable for his actions. "Good Night and Good Luck" was the sign-off slogan of early television pioneer, Edward R. Murrow. The film is so cleverly made that a viewer does not really need to know the history of Joe McCarthy and Edward R. Murrow, the senator and the celebrated World War II broadcaster, to fully appreciate the struggle. Imagine what it must have been like to have this clash of the titans on national public television. One force preying on human fear and ignorance and the other appealing to man's better nature. When was the last time the media and the policy makers relied on man's better nature? It is a rare occurrence.
In this day and time it is difficult to imagine the fear of Communism that drove the McCarthy hearings and his efforts to destroy the lives and career of anyone remotely connected to socialism. There is an amazing part of this film where a cafeteria worker who has been promoted to send coded messages is grilled by the Senator and his aid Roy Cohn, when the poor woman is obviously not a member of the Communist party.
Filming in black and white evoked the 1950s and the quick breakaway shots captured the fast tempo of newsrooms that broadcast live to the nation every night. Director George Clooney made wise decisions to keep the film in the vernacular of the 1950s to help give it a time and place in the mind of the viewers. The integration of actual news footage, particularly of McCarthy, were integrated perfectly into the film.
Actor David Strathairn is superb as Murrow, a man of considerable bravery and control, who seems to be ever supported by his faith in his fellow man to think through the issues, to deliberate with caution and wisdom, and to make the best decisions. Wow, does any of us have such faith in their fellow man as Murrow seemed to have for his viewers during the McCarthy reign of terror.
Frank Langella as Bill Paley and Clooney as Fred Friendly offered the opportunities for dialogue and to penetrate the personal philosophy behind Murrow's public actions. They demonstrate that often great actions require great coverage which Paley, President of CBS, offered to Murrow. Furthermore, Murrow was the voice that brought the struggle of London during World War II and he dare not waste his public trust capital with the American public. He used his public trust well in the service of the American system and the American people.
"Good Night and Good Luck" is a sophisticated film that holds its audience in the highest regard, much in line with the political social philosophy of Murrow. The film opens however with a warning that television could become only a tool of entertainment and not for public education and information.
The supporting cast was superb, including Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Matt Ross, Reed Diamond, and Jeff Daniels. The relationship between CBS' CEO, William Paley (Frank Langella in) and Murrow is supportive, professional, and full of integrity on the part of both parties. As Murrow, Strathairn is almost a recreation of the man himself.
In the end, the film is intense and understated, and thus will be under appreciated by the masses. However it is destined to be a classic for the few. As you can see, I sometimes don't have the faith in my fellow citizens that was evident in the career of Edward R. Murrow.
Rating: - CBS, Operation Mockingbird, and Joe McCarthy
Clooney's film does not delve into Joe McCarthy's preliminary investigation of CIA covert activities and how CBS chairman William Paley, Fred Friendly, and Edward R. Murrow were part of the Agency's Operation Mockingbird to provide deflection and cover of the Agency's "family jewels" of the day.
CBS News president Sig Mickelson (1954-61) was liason to the CIA."
Rating:  - Good BD
This is a very good BD. The image quality is great and this is a great movie but, there are a few things without the movie.
If you like this movie and you have a BD player, this is a BD that you have to have
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