November 12, 2005
Good Night and Good Luck
If you get a chance to go to the movies this weekend, I would like to recommend the George Clooney production of Good Night and Good Luck. Now I don't just say this because the cast is impressive and does an amazing job (Clooney is Fred Friendly, David Strathairn plays Murrow, and Robert Downey Jr. shines in a minor role), but becaue it is an important movie.
Now, Hollywood produces a lot of these "important" movies that takes themselves wwwwaaayyyy too seriously, and this is an observation that could be made of this movie. The difference is what is going on right now with the Republic and how badly it needs someone with the gravitas of a Murrow to step up.
If I ever get to teaching US History again, this movie will be required viewing for the 1950's and McCarthyism. The whole thing was shot in black and white which works perfectly especially given the thesis of the film. Likewise, they use authentic tape from the McCarthy hearings and his attack on Murrow to emphasize what things were really like.
The movie starts with the case of the Air Force member who was kicked out because of his father's supposed ties to the Communist Party (he was reinstated after Murrow's report). It then continues with the fight between Murrow & Friendly vs McCarthy. The words of Murrow still ring true today about what the media *should* do vs what it does.
There are some excellent links, summaries, and interviews collected at Boing Boing as well as places on the web to hear some audio clips of Murrow.
Finally, I simply loved the movie because it was an opportunity for my father and I to have some quality time together. We were able to incorporate our two favorite passions, movies and history, and we even talked about what he was doing during the McCarthy hearings and his memories of Murrow.
Posted by Chuck at November 12, 2005 03:58 PM | TrackBackwe saw this movie and could not agree more;
it is even applicable today when seen in the context of the criminals in the white house
My interest in this movie is tempered by my reading of "A Native Returns" by William Shirer. Shirer was one of three or four radio journalists who worked with Morrow in reporting from Britain and Europe on the first network news roundup. Shirer reported live via shortwave from inside Germany until 1940 and so helped create the Morrow legend.
When Shirer was blacklisted and forced out of CBS in the 50's he looked to Morrow to stand up for him to the decison makers, but Morrow did nothing to help him.
This makes me less sympathetic to the idea of Morrow, the hero against McCarthy.
p_r,
All of our heros have clay feet. Murrow and Friendly waited until McCarthy bacame a cancer on the republic before they felt compelled to act and were as responsible as Joseph Welsh for McCarthy's downfall.
I never go to movies, but I'm going to this one.
...we even talked about what he was doing during the McCarthy hearings... now that is conversation I would give up one of my remaining fifteen teeth to have...
Thomas
Dad was a So. at Duke during this period and he was an avid radio listener when Murrow reported from London and later. He went into a very detailed discussion about the team that Murrow put together to report on events through out the world.
Of course, he was at UNC Law School when Jesse Helms made a name for himself in the early 60's. Apparently, Jesse wasn't well loved at UNC then either (the law students apparently threw law books at the TV when Jesse did his editorials).
