Good Night, and Good Luck   

Edward R. Murrow: David Straithairn

Fred Friendly: George Clooney

William Paley: Frank Langella

Joe Wershba: Robert Downey, Jr.

Shirley Wershba: Patricia Clarkson

Don Hollenbeck: Ray Wise

Sig Mickelson: Jeff Daniels

Directed by George Clooney

Written by George Clooney

and Grant Heslov

One of the lessons of learning history is to avoid repeating past mistakes.  To recognize what went wrong in the times before and avoid falling into the same traps.  With that being said, Good Night, and Good Luck is, unfortunately, all too relevant again today.

Good Night, and Good Luck is the story of famed journalist Edward R. Murrow and his fight against McCarthyism.  Back when the news media was both watched and trusted by the general populace, Murrow confronted the very un-American nature of McCarthy’s witch hunts and the eradication of civil liberties in the name of protecting democracy from the raging influence of Communism.

The film itself is remarkable.  Filmed in black-and-white and with hardly any background music, save loose narration by jazz singer Dianne Reeves in between pivotal scenes, Good Night, and Good Luck is about as straightforward a look that you can give the controversial (at the time) period.  The film does not proselytize or attempt to hammer its point over your head, which in turn makes it that much more effective.

Today, with the rise of enemy combatants and the Patriot Act, the parallels between then and now are obvious as Murrow asks the question, “How can you defend freedom abroad and not practice it at home?”

It also presents the changing nature of the television industry, as news was slowly being pushed aside by the flashier and less provocative nature of fluff entertainment like popular game shows and variety shows.  Sponsors were more willing to put their money where people were more likely to go, and people were less turned on by hard-hitting journalism.

Director George Clooney does a masterful job in presenting this story, using a ton of actual footage of Joseph McCarthy and various hearings of suspected communists.  It is almost laughable to see an elderly African-American woman accused of being a communist spy in a code-breaker room of the Pentagon. 

But hiding behind false accusations, hearsay and “sealed” documents was the order of the day for McCarthy.  Had Clooney opted for an actor to play the senator, it would have looked like a caricature and a cheap shot even in spite of an accurate portrayal.  But, the use of actual footage allows McCarthy to come off as the buffoon he really was.

Clooney uses a lot of close-ups and out-of-focus shots to let the scenes and people slowly reveal themselves.  This and a lot of camera movement give the film and the story a sense of immediacy that makes it that much more compelling.

The entire ensemble cast gives wonderful performances, highlighted by David Straithairn’s portrayal of Murrow.  Straithairn just looks like someone straight out of that era, which is probably one reason he always excels in those kinds of roles.  His no-nonsense approach to Murrow gives you a solid idea of the seriousness and importance of the subject matter and the responsibility he felt as a newsman.

In a way, Good Night, and Good Luck is a cautionary tale that is almost told too late.  Ad revenue is solely responsible for what is currently on television and the media has become the whipping boy for both sides of the political spectrum to the point where it is no longer trusted.  People have shorter attention spans and want their news is the most palatable way they can handle it.  Murrow saw this change coming and urged those responsible to do something about it. 

But even after his success in bringing down Joseph McCarthy, he was just as quickly pushed aside for less-threatening programming.

Edward R. Murrow was right, but nobody was listening.  And history is doomed to repeat itself.