As a writer (who hopes to work for a newspaper in the near future) i was intrigued by this film... Writing is an art form: you need to persuade, inform and at times entertain. The film "Good Night, and Good Luck" is about the confrontations between Sen. McCarthy and the CBS news team, led by Edward Murrow (Strathairn). Murrow and his team watch in horror as men and women are accused of being communists (or sympathizing with the communists) and are brought to hearings, some where even blacklisted (they were banned from working). The "hearings" are presided by Sen. McCarthy, and his aim is to get the accused to admit to being communists and give details about other communists. Murrow and his team watch the trials, interview witnesses and then present their views of the charges during their evening show. Eventually they attack Sen. McCarthy himself, which many other newsmen consider a death warrant.
The film is shot in black and white, which makes it appear to be a tape from the archives chronicling the actual events. Choosing to shoot in black and white allows the actual footage of the trials to be added to the program without making it obvious. Unlike most modern films, "Good Night, and Good Luck" does not make any apparent statements about modern politics (although if it did i probably wouldn't understand the references...sorry, my interests are literature and films, NOT politics...or philosophy, but thats a different story). The majority of the film takes place at the CBS headquarters, with only a few scenes in the "real world". And although many of the actors and actresses are well-known figures, their reputations/personalities do not appear on screen: they are their characters (meaning George Clooney is Fred, not George Clooney playing George Clooney in the 50's).
Personally, i found this film to reenforce high school history lessons. I remembering learning about the McCarthy Era and watching a few of the actual trials, but i'm a visual person, so it didn't really sink in...and a few years ago i saw "The Majestic" which is a fictional portrayal of the same time period, but this was MUCH better. If you don't know anything about the timeperiod i'd suggest researching it before seeing the film, just so you don't get lost. Remember, it is a fictional film BASED on history (sorry, i took a class about politics in films, specifically about how history is portrayed in films..my advice, don't take movies as the gospel truth, they need to keep it interesting, not necessarily historically accurate). End Rant.
I don't have a good way to describe...whether you're interested in history or politics (or like me you don't really care) this film is definetly worth seeing...
Buy it b/c it's good: it feels like a classic, but is a recent film (black & white films just seem so classy!)
Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) 93 minutes
Director: George Clooney
Starring: David Strathairn as Edward Murrow
George Clooney as Fred Friendly
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