GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK

 

 

Good Night & Good Luck is a biopic about the legendary newsman the late Edward R. Murrow. The film focuses in on Murrow's by-now-infamous public battle with former senator the late Joseph McCarthy back during the time when McCarthy was going on his by-now-infamous "communist" witchhunts during the fifties, which, for those of you needing a history lesson, is where the phrase McCarthyism comes from. Anyway, as the film shows, Murrow helped take the dangerous and out-of-control senator down (and, as the film also shows, his battles with McCarthy also hurt Murrow's own career as he stepped on a few toes to take the senator down). Murrow was one of the few public figures--newsman or otherwise--who was brave enough to take on the dangerous senator who was literally destroying lives by forcefully targeting people whom he claimed were communists (sort of like how Fox News and right-wing talk radio "targets" people nowadays for being "radical" Muslims and liberals and whatnot). Anyway, the film was written & directed by George Clooney (yes, the former Batman himself!) who also stars in the film but not in the Edward R. Murrow role which is played by David Strathairn. Clooney instead plays Murrow's producer and collaborator the late Fred Friendly (yes, that was his actual name). The film, as you probably already figured out by now, is not your typical Hollywood CGI-laden superhero-esque blockbuster. In fact, it's safe to say the film is anything BUT. To top it all off, the movie is actually filmed in black & white. This was done by Clooney to match the actual televised footage of Joseph McCarthy featured in the film. Again, it's probably safe to assume that fans of your typical Hollywood CGI-laden superhero-esque blockbuster would probably find this particular film, well, boring. (Incidentally, this film also co-stars none other than Robert Downey, Jr. who, of course, has made his fame & fortune playing comic book superhero Iron Man in not only the Iron Man flicks but the mega-box office hit The Avengers.) However, if you're a fan of excellent acting--this movie was nominated for a slew of awards--and of how films used to be made and especially if you're interested in this era of our history and how it mirrors what occurs in this country today (as I am), then Good Night & Good Luck ought to be the right flick for you. A sidenote: This film was apparently a labor of love for Clooney whose father was himself a newsman for many years and who even ran for congress back in 2004, a year before this film came out. George even mortgaged his own home to finance the film after he was unable to get insured after suffering an injury on a previous film. Another thing I found rather interesting about this film is how test audiences reportedly complained about the over-the-top acting of the "actor" playing Joseph McCarthy apparently NOT realizing that they were watching the REAL Joseph McCarthy. Sort of tells you something, doesn't it? (For those of you who do in fact need and/or want a history lesson on McCarthyism, along with the flick I've also included a few books on the subject from Amazon in the links below, for those of you who are interested. You're welcome!)