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Review

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Director

George Clooney

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, February 01, 2006

George Clooney had been turning toward serious filmmaking as actor and director but nothing he had done had reached the significance of his latest, Good Night, and Good Luck.. This is an elegant film that tells a simple true story and sets it in a perfectly credible time and space. Unlike other politically charged films that deal with the media and the gargantuan forces that rule a whole country, this piece is very easy to follow, hardly surprising in its storytelling but neat, convincing and successful. It’s over much too quickly though, and some twists would’ve been welcome, but one can’t rewrite history I guess. The punch of this story lies in the courage of the people involved, and though this is no All the President's Men (1976), it’s a very pleasant watch.

The subject matter is rather important historically and, in a way, currently. It deals with the communist witch hunt of the early 1950s and how paranoia took over politics and popular belief and as a result several artists, journalists and politicians were severely punished by the exploitations of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy (here presented through public appearances only, thus “playing himself”).

Focused on the production of CBS’ news program “See It Now” hosted by Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), the film tells of Murrow’s and the show’s co-producer Fred Friendly’s (George Clooney) courageous attempt to bring down McCarthy through statements in the show. The story’s basically composed of the meetings where the two men and their team decided to take this action, how tense they were before and during the shooting of every show, how satisfied yet shaky they were afterwards, and how McCarthy and CBS reacted.

The period detail is intact. Shot in black and white by Robert Elswit, the film looks just right and transports the viewer to that past tense. Christa Munro’s art direction and Jan Pascale’s set decoration are worthy of applause.

But the real pleasure is watching Strathairn reprise the legendary Ed Murrow during his broadcasts. Forever holding a cigarette, looking grimly at the camera, staggeringly delivering his statements, Murrow looks as real here as he did on his show, and seeing him behind the cameras gives us the opportunity to meet the man, if not too personally, at least professionally. That’s the treat that Clooney offers us, and that in itself is reason enough to watch this film more than once.

Yet as I said, the straightforward story and how simply it evolves diminishes the impact. In an attempt to bring extra interest to a subplot, Clooney and co-writer Grant Heslov chose the story of Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson), who worked on the show while married, against CBS’ policies. Is it a statement of tolerance that contrasts McCarthy’s extreme views on life? Or is it the contrary, as the subplot turns around? Not sure, but it didn’t quite work for me, despite compelling performances.

Moreover, the film ends rather abruptly, leaving the viewer cold. The title refers to Murrow’s infamous closing phrase at the end of every one of his broadcasts, which ended more or less drastically, but the concept doesn’t necessarily work as well in a film. I was so pleased by Strathairn’s performance and the overall sincerity of the film that I didn’t mind much, but it is a problem. Still, despite its minor flaws, this is a really good film. Kudos to Mr. Clooney.

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Review

Good Night, and Good Luck.

Director

George Clooney

Year

2005

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Thursday, March 23, 2006

A lot of acclaim has been bestowed upon George Clooney this year. His is one of those rare stories of a guy who was huge in television and then turned to movies to equally huge success. Usually this story works the other way around. But Clooney has managed to make his way up by being a true professional. He is not regarded as one of the nicest and most sympathetic actors out for nothing. And his talent goes hand in hand. This year has been especially good for him, as two of his movies have become critical darlings. Both are political flicks, and both required a lot of hard work. If I may say so, he must be really proud of himself. And we are proud of him too.

This movie chronicles the battle that aroused between CBS anchorman Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Senator Joseph McCarthy, when the former used his TV show See It Now to denounce the corrupt proceedings by which McCarthy accused hundreds of Americans of being Communist supporters. Murrow, his producer Fred Friendly (George Clooney) and the rest of the crew took a huge risk despite being questioned by their company’s chief, William Paley (Frank Langella), the unrelenting media and even McCarthy himself.

Good Night, and Good Luck (a title that comes from Murrow’s infamous signature) does what it sets out to do with expertise. It is a movie that wants to tell a specific story and does so with as much verisimilitude and attention to detail as possible. It is so faithful that at times it feels like a documentary. The battle between Murrow and McCarthy happened mainly on television and about half the movie (or at least it felt like it) is an exact recreation of Murrow’s TV appearances juxtaposed against McCarthy’s real footage (a smart decision, as it gives the movie even more realism and immediacy). But I wonder, was this best way to tell this story? Wouldn’t it have been better and more informative to see it as a real documentary?

Clooney opts to tell his story (which he co-wrote with Grant Heslov) using an old-fashioned narrative style. His movie feels like a 50s teleplay, or even one of Murrow’s own telecasts. It all happens mainly in the CBS offices, with a bunch of actors crossing paths with each other all the time, as if it were a theatre production. This approach is interesting in the way it lets us see what it was like to be a part of a television show in the era. But on the other hand, it doesn’t make you feel anything. The movie is supposed to be tense and suspenseful, but it falls short of really taking off. It never soars. And before you know it, it’s over. I’m sure historians and people who witnessed those events will be delighted, but as a narrative feature I think it’s lacking.

The movie has only one subplot, which is about Joe and Shirley Weshba (Robert Downey Jr. and Patricia Clarkson, respectively) and how they managed to work together while being married, something that CBS did not allow. I didn’t have a specific problem with the subplot, but I do feel that if it stayed in the movie then we should’ve got some back-stories for other characters, especially Murrow. He is the centerpiece of the story yet we know nothing about him except that he’s an honorable man. And I know the movie is not about him per sé, but it isn’t about the Weshbas either, so why do they get a story of their own? I wanted to know more.

What I liked the most about the movie is not precisely its depiction of a true story, but what that story says about the world today. And it’s scary. One would think that mistakes of the past would not be repeated, yet the parallels are obvious, whether tackling the current US administration, the war on terrorism or the role of journalists in our society.

David Strathairn delivers an excellent performance as Murrow. He mimics his every glance and movement. The transformation is not only physical, but internal, and Strathairn makes us believe we’re really seeing Murrow, a quiet, serious and brave man who had a great counterpart in Fred Friendly, whom Clooney portrays as an everyday man, a visionary and charismatic fellow. No wonder they got along so well. Frank Langella also delivers a small but pivotal and poignant performance. The whole cast is up to the task.

My favorite moment: Murrow smiling to himself after one of his damning broadcasts.

“We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.”

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