Good Night, and Good Luck (2005)
Directed by: George Clooney
Premise: The true story of CBS commentator Edward R. Murrow’s (David Strathairn) conflict with Senator Joseph McCarthy.
What Works: Good Night, and Good Luck has a great look to it. The film has been shot in black and white and includes commercials from the time period to give the film an authentic 1950s flavor. McCarthy appears in the form of stock footage from the period, which gives it an added sense of reality. Strathairn’s performance as Murrow is dead on and it captures the man’s intelligence and his dry sense of humor.
What Doesn’t: Viewers who are not as familiar with the period might get lost in some of the references and the film is going to be more entertaining to those who have an understanding of broadcast news.
Bottom Line: Good Night, and Good Luck is a great film about the responsibility and function of journalism in society. It has a contemporary urgency but never gets too didactic.
Episode: #76 (December 4, 2005)