Good Night, and Good Luck DVD

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TITLE: Good Night, and Good Luck.

RATING: ****½

CAST: David Strathairn, Robert Downey, Jr., George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, Tate Donovan, Matt Ross, Thomas McCarthy, Robert John Burke, Reed Diamond, Dianne Reeves, Joseph McCarthy.

DIRECTOR: George Clooney

STUDIO: Warner Independent Pictures

RUNNING TIME: 93 min.
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...final words, "Good night, and good luck." The show would win three consecutive Emmy awards, and Mr. Murrow also received a Peabody Award for "its simple, lucid, intelligent analysis of top news stories of the week on television."

Mr. Murrow (even his closest friends never referred to him by his first name) would die in 1965 due to brain cancer; however, his journalistic tactics and mannerisms are still widely remembered ... more

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TITLE: Good Night, and Good Luck.

RATING: ****½

CAST: David Strathairn, Robert Downey, Jr., George Clooney, Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, Tate Donovan, Matt Ross, Thomas McCarthy, Robert John Burke, Reed Diamond, Dianne Reeves, Joseph McCarthy.

DIRECTOR: George Clooney

STUDIO: Warner Independent Pictures

RUNNING TIME: 93 min.

RATED: PG (US) & (PG); mild thematic elements and light profanity.

UK RELEASE DATE: February 17, 2006

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INTRODUCTION
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"Everyone is a prisoner of his own experiences. No one can eliminate prejudices, just recognize them." --- Mr. Edward R. Murrow

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DIFFICULTY IS THE EXCUSE THAT HISTORY NEVER ACCEPTS
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Being an avid filmgoer, I'm very rarely surprised at what comes out on the screen, and usually I hear what comes out on the screen beforehand. In addition, I've seen many films that have transported me back to other worlds. Such examples (and favorites) include DANGEROUS BEAUTY, which brought me back to 16th century Venice. There is also BRAVEHEART, in which I was given a picture of Scotland in the 12th century. Even DAZED AND CONFUSED, with its vivid depiction of the 1970s high school scene was quite informative…and entertaining just the same.

I've always loved period pictures, because you are given a representation of what history was like, even if the inaccuracies shadow the truthful elements. Filmmakers will never be perfect in detailing what history was like, we all know that; however, we are still able to see a world we would never see in this day and age. In director George Clooney's second film, we are taken to the smoke-filled rooms of the CBS Television headquarters in the 1950s; we are also introduced to Edward R. Murrow, the legendary pioneer of journalism who dared to step up to inform the public of the lies that were being spoken by a politician who people had started to follow and believe in a phony cause.

I'm not sure how many of those in the UK have heard of Mr. Murrow, so I will give you a quick history lesson. Born in North Carolina in 1908, he moved to Washington State where he grew up before attending college at Washington State University; after receiving a degree in communications, he eventually landed a job in Radio (at this point we are talking during a time when television was still in its infancy). Mr. Murrow would rise up in stature as one of the most respected journalists in the country, as his coverage of World War II (and especially the 10-month long Battle of Britain of 1940-1941) made him famous.

While in Radio, he had created a show called "Hear It Now," in which he would interview people outside of the radio station; after joining CBS Television Studios, he would change the name of the show to "See It Now." Each show would cover a specific topic of the week, and Mr. Murrow would usually be very direct, always sitting with a cigarette in his hand, and always end the program with his famous final words, "Good night, and good luck." The show would win three consecutive Emmy awards, and Mr. Murrow also received a Peabody Award for "its simple, lucid, intelligent analysis of top news stories of the week on television."

Mr. Murrow (even his closest friends never referred to him by his first name) would die in 1965 due to brain cancer; however, his journalistic tactics and mannerisms are still widely remembered today. Many people consider his biggest accomplishment his "attack" on Senator Joseph McCarthy, a man driven to root out all people with Communist support and ideals. That attack would culminate in 1954 when the Senate had begun to investigate McCarthy, who was later censured. However, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK., is not really about Murrow vs. McCarthy, but it shows how successful that television news had become in reaching out to its viewers all across the country, at a time when everyone was terrorized by their own government.

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CONFESSIONS OF A TRUTHFUL MIND
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Filmed on a budget of 7.5 million dollars, and in beautiful black and white, GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. is illuminating and strikingly filmed. The amazing thing was that nobody wanted to make this film…except for George Clooney! In fact, the very morning that I heard about the film and was interested in seeing it, George Clooney was interviewed on National Public Radio (NPR). His own father had worked in 1950s television, and Clooney had grew up being fascinated by the business: "Broadcast journalism was a big part of my life…I grew up sitting on the floor listening to my father who worked several jobs, one of which was a news director, and to me it was exciting to see how a day's news was put together."

In GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK., Clooney manages to recreate the mood and feel of the time, complete with neat little injections of vintage commercials, including one advertising cigarettes and how great it makes you feel "to smoke the same brand as Mr. Murrow smokes." However, the film also allows the audience to view the inner workings of the studio, and how the most famous episodes of "See It Now," were done, including the landmark 1954 broadcast of Mr. Murrow exposing Senator McCarthy in his shallowness and lies which were spreading fear around the country. We must remember that this was made in the era of the Communist witch hunts, and anybody who was found even possibly connected to The Party was rooted out and outcast. This was the theme of Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible," in which people were found guilty…merely by association.

In 2002, Clooney directed his first film, an offbeat, off-the-wall biopic of Chuck Barris' biography entitled CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND, which was well-received by critics; as entertaining and well acted as it was, I also thought was uneven and I questioned its attitude towards the truth. However, I didn't have those problems while watching GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK., and while Clooney's direction was outstanding, it was is well-chosen cast which made it all worthwhile. Ironically, not only did I found Clooney's second film accurate to the actual events, but also this is a story where its primary themes are truth, honesty and integrity.

Few of you have probably heard the name of David Strathairn, though he is really one of the leading character actors in the business. After making his debut in John Sayles' independent triumph RETURN OF THE SECAUSES SEVEN (which in many ways was a precursor to the mainstream film THE BIG CHILL), Strathairn would play a different range of characters from the 1980s into the 1990s. Audiences would probably remember him best in such films as THE FIRM (in which he played Tom Cruise's older brother), A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (as Ira Lowenstein, who eventually became manager of the girls' baseball team) and as Theseus in the 1999 version of Shakespeare's A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM.

To my knowledge, this is Strathairn's first starring role and I must say that he makes an ideal Mr. Murrow; I've seen episodes of "See It Now" myself and I'm stunned at how brilliant his interpretation of the famous journalist was. Even when he isn't speaking, he exhibits a range of emotions, and his eyes manage to say a lot on what he is actually thinking. After 25 years as a character actor, Strathairn may have reached his peak in this film, and I hope that he gets a Best Actor nomination. However, he is also going to have some stiff competition, going up against Bill Murray, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and many others who have been receiving much praise for their work this year.

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WE WILL NOT WALK IN FEAR OF ONE ANOTHER
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The focus of the film may be Mr. Murrow, and Strathairn's performance, though the strong supporting cast should deserve equal praise as well. Among the other interesting real-life personalities that are brought to life in GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK, include Robert Downer, Jr. (as reporter Joe Wershba), Ray Wise as producer Don Hollenbeck, and Frank Langella as the head of CBS broadcasting, William Paley. Clooney himself plays producer Fred Friendly; there are some amusing scenes where Clooney and Strathairn are talking during some of the broadcasts (off the air, of course). There has been some debate on why Clooney didn't cast an actor to play Sen. Joe McCarthy, though I completely agree with Clooney's decisions not to have someone do an impersonation of the infamous politician. On NPR, Clooney answered to this by saying, "If you had an actor do an exact impersonation of Joe McCarthy, then every critic in the country would say they would be making him too much of a buffoon and too arch."

Besides, I think we can all agree that nobody could play Joe McCarthy like Joe McCarthy; much of what we see of him is through archival footage, and there is one great moment in which the Senator made a fatal mistake in his accusing someone of Communist ties and it caused a great reaction from the audience. Clooney co-wrote the intelligent, meticulously researched screenplay with sometime actor Grant Heslov, who was one of the fifteen individuals (!) that produced the film, including Clooney's partner at Section Eight, Steven Soderbergh (who won an Oscar for directing TRAFFIC). Kudos should also be given Robert Elswit's black & white cinematography, James D. Bissell's layered production design, as well as Stephen Mirrione's glorious editing.

I'm willing to put money down right now that GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK. will be a definite Oscar-contender this year; above all, I think at least Strathairn and Clooney should be nominated. Unfortunately, many of you in the UK won't be able to see the film until February, and I'm sure you will only be able to see it at arthouse cinemas instead of the big multiplexes. However, I still highly recommend this film to all of you. Once again, let me reiterate that this film will be released in England on February 17, 2006, though it will be worth the wait.

If you would like more information about the film, you can find it at www.goodnightandgoodluck.com; in addition, if you want to learn more about Mr. Murrow, there are many books about him, including the recent 2001 bio, "With Heroic Truth: The Life of Edward R. Murrow," which is available at www.amazon.co.uk for 14 GBP. If you have a Region 1 DVD player, you could also order "The Edward R. Murrow Collection," which features the best episodes of "See It Now." The price is 10 GBP and the ASIN number is #B000BP86PU. Thank you for reading my review, and I really hope you enjoyed it and are now interested in watching this terrific film; until next time, as Mr. Murrow would say, Good Night and Good Luck! Chris xxx

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MEMORABLE QUOTES AND CRITIC'S CORNER
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1) "This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy's methods to keep silent or for those who approve. We can deny our heritage and our history but we cannot escape responsibility for the results." --- David Strathairn

2) "We'll split the advertising Fred and I. He just won't have any presents for his kids at Christmas." --- David Strathairn "He's a Jew." --- Jeff Daniels "Well don't tell him that; he loves Christmas." --- David Strathairn

3) "I am compelled by the fact to say to you to say that Mr. Edward R. Murrow, as far back as 20 years ago, was engaged in propaganda for Communist causes, and that Mr. Murrow was a member of the IWW (Industrial Workers of the World), a terrorist organization that was cited as subversive by the Attorney General of the United States." --- Sen. Joe McCarthy

CRITIC'S QUOTE #1: "George Clooney's film about the CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow is a passionate, thoughtful essay on power, truth-telling, and responsibility." --- A.O. Scott, New York Times

CRITIC'S QUOTE #2: "This is a good-looking, powerfully acted, deeply felt and deeply committed film about issues of political exigency and press freedom that are, as your car mirrors say, more closer than they appear." --- Shawn Levy, The Oregonian

CRITIC'S QUOTE #3: "A largely terrific picture: a scathing (and, yes, exceedingly timely) social document submerged within a deeply pleasurable environment." --- Andrew Wright, The Stranger

CRITIC'S QUOTE #4: "This is serious grown-up entertainment with a sense of history and a sense of style, the kind of picture almost no one knows how to --- or, perhaps more accurately, can find the means to --- make anymore." --- Stephanie Zacherek, www.Salon.com

CRITIC'S QUOTE #5: "Everyone will know this film as the one directed by and starring George Clooney, but the real star is the relatively unknown, but immensely talented David Strathairn." --- Willie Waffle, www.wafflemovies.com

 

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