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 Synopsis:
 In the 50s, Wisconsin's
Senator Joseph McCarthy exploited America's
paranoia of Communism for his own personal
political gain. Though deemed a witch
hunt, McCarthy had everyone in a catch 22.
If they agreed with him they were on the witch
hunt, if they disagreed they must be a
communist.
"Good Night and Good Luck"
was the closing line for Edward R Murrow's
nightly CBS telecast during the 1950s.
Murrow (Strathairn) and his producer Fred
Friendly (Clooney) took a stand against
McCarthy's fear tactics and challenged him,
exposing him for the fear monger he was.
Though their personal lives and careers suffered
great turmoil because of this stand, they stood
their guns and by their actions helped to take
down one of the most controversial politicians
in American history.
The Freak's
Rating: B- : Following
up my Michael Clayton review, I'll stick with a George
Clooney theme and jump to Good Night & Good
Luck. Last year, during my annual quest to
see all Academy Award nominees, Jen & I attended
a screening of Good Night & Good Luck at a
theater in Minneapolis. I'm always excited
to see a movie like this in the theater, because
during it I am surrounded with people who truly
appreciate film. The odds of a high school
kid sneaking in is slim to none.
Good Night and Good Luck is
presented in glorious Black & White. The
cinematography in this film is fantastic,
instantly whisking you away to decades past.
Cigarette smoke is one of the oldest cinematic
tricks to accentuate either film grain or color
filters, and it is a tad overused in this one,
albeit still an effective accentuation.
Acting
is solid throughout the film, with Clooney solid
and Strathairn in a career-defining role as
Murrow. Direction is tight and the pace of
the film is done quite well for a docudrama
style. Costume design and makeup is also
effective, as 1950s America seems to gel right
in front of you.
Historical drama is one of
the hardest to recreate. Americans in the
film's time weren't coming forth with their true
feelings. Much like the Bush
administration has us fearing a terrorist
attack, McCarthy had us fearing our neighbors
might be traitors. Trust was never harder
to come by. To capture the mood of a
nation during a time when it was afraid to fully
reveal it is an accomplishment in itself.
Good Night & Good Luck is
worth a see to any fan of historical drama.
It should be absorbed, much like a history book.
Our people were afraid to speak up against
politicians, letting them paint us into a
corner. It was taboo for someone to come
out publicly against their tactics. If we
fail to learn from our mistakes, we are destined
to repeat them.
Sebastian's Rating: C+ :
yeah was a little boring
Jen's Rating: C :
I found this one to be a little boring. It was good acting but just a
little slow for me.
Brian's Rating: C+ :
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