With this much free time, and the end-of-year flood of Academy Award-wanna-bes, we’ve seen a flood of movies. Thursday night, we caught Good Night, And Good Luck. Instead of the Manchurian Candidate version of McCarthy, we get to see the real McCoy… er, McCarthy, as the CBS News team led by Ed Murrow use the “junior Senator from Wisconsin’s” own words to take him on. Of course, Murrow and team are actors playing roles, which is harder to remember (at times) because of the black-and-white authenticity.
While several reviews and comments highlight the parallels with the current debate over civil liberties vs. national defense concerns, I found the on-screen debate about what the role of journalists should be more relevant. The Murrow and Fred Friendly character debate with their boss about whether it’s OK to take sides, and Murrow (held up as the shining light for fair play in journalism) argues that nothing is objective.
The anachronisms? Smoking. Lots of smoking. Even when on camera! Also, a husband and wife hid their marriage (unsuccessfully) from their colleagues to comply with corporate policy. Those taboos still exist, but are more deftly and honestly handled now, in most circumstances.
David Strathairn, as Murrow, is fantastic, in a very good film. I agree with the Metacritic score of 80.
One preview grabbed attention: Why We Fight, about the continuing place of the military-industrial complex. Instead of McCarthy speeches, we get Eisenhower’s famous warning as the historical hook for an investigation of the current day situation. Opens in late January. On the list.