Good Night, and Good Luck

[PopcornTreeCt]

Trailer --> http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/goodnightandgoodluck.html

Looks interesting but I don't recall ever being terrorized by our government. As I think it was the great Oscar Wilde once said something along the lines of "If you want to send a message use Western Union"

[Mr. Salty]

but I don't recall ever being terrorized by our government.
That's because you're too young to have experienced the McCarthy hearings.

[scott shelton]

Good Night, and Good Luck.


A Warner Independent Pictures release of a 2929
Entertainment/Participant Prods. presentation in association with Davis
Films, Redbus Pictures and Tohokushinsha of a Section Eight production.
Produced by Grant Heslov. Executive producers, Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban,
Marc Butan, Steven Soderbergh, Jennifer Fox, Ben Cosgrove, Jeff Skoll,
Chris Salvaterra. Co-producer, Barbara A. Hall. Directed by George
Clooney. Screenplay, Clooney, Grant Heslov.

Edward R. Murrow - David Strathairn
Shirley Wershba - Patricia Clarkson
Fred Friendly - George Clooney
Sig Mickelson - Jeff Daniels
Joe Wershba - Robert Downey Jr.
William Paley - Frank Langella
Don Hollenbeck - Ray Wise
Charlie Mack - Robert John Burke
John Aaron - Reed Diamond
Jesse Zousmer - Tate Donovan
Don Hewitt - Grant Heslov
Palmer Williams - Tom McCarthy
Eddie Scott - Matt Ross
Millie Lerner - Rose Abdoo
Natalie - Alex Borstein
Jimmy - Peter Jacobson
Don Surine - Robert Knepper
Jazz Singer - Dianne Reeves


_____

By TODD MCCARTHY

_____

A vital chapter of mid-century history is brought to life concisely,
with intimacy and matter-of-fact artistry in "Good Night, and Good
Luck." In his second directorial outing, George Clooney pays tribute to
the golden era of black-and-white '50s television drama and to a moment
when a smart, brave news broadcaster, Edward R. Murrow, successfully
confronted the hysteria being whipped up by a political bully, Sen.
Joseph McCarthy; latter element assures pic's status as the liberal
feel-good movie of the year. Strong critical reaction likely to emanate
from bows at the Venice and New York film festivals, as well as
extensive off-entertainment page coverage, will translate into an
enthusiastic audience embrace in specialized release, although pic's
small scale and period setting will test Warner Independent's ability to
muscle such a film through to a more general public.


From the first minute he's onscreen, David Strathairn is Edward R.
Murrow. From the lean physique and dark features to his taciturn air,
imperturbable disposition and implacable directness of address, the
habitually understated actor entirely inhabits the biggest screen role
of his career. In a piece not intended as a psychological study,
Strathairn quietly suggests the ways in which Murrow's challenge of
McCarthy tested the depth of his character's nerve, resolve and
self-certainty. It's a tour de force performance of great subtlety in a
deliberately narrow range.

Framed by a speech Murrow gave at an industry tribute in 1958, script by
Clooney and Grant Heslov is set between October 1953 and the spring of
the following year, with the action almost entirely confined to the CBS
studios and offices. Focus remains intently upon intelligent, aggressive
professionals doing their jobs: fielding information, weighing its
merits and making decisions based on the importance of news and the
risks of putting it out over a new, commercially driven medium.

No time is spent explaining who Murrow and McCarthy were or even who was
president; young or foreign auds not familiar with such basics will
either have to get up to speed in advance or pay extra-close attention.
At the outset, the 45-year-old Murrow hosts two of the most notable
shows on CBS-TV, the news-and-commentary-oriented "See It Now" and the
popular celebrity interview program "Person to Person."

Against the background of demands for employee loyalty oaths and the
communist witch hunts orchestrated by the senator from Wisconsin in his
position as chairman of the Government Committee on Operations for the
Senate, the "See It Now" team takes up the cause of airman Milo
Radulovich, who has been summarily discharged from the armed forces
without trial and based on sealed evidence. With the nervous backing of
the network and despite pressure from military brass, Murrow challenges
the dismissal on the air, with the figurative result of making McCarthy
blink.

Predictably, however, Murrow begins being painted with the same pinko
brush that's short-circuiting the career of fellow CBS newsman, Don
Hollenbeck (Ray Wise). Murrow must also endure tense meetings with his
boss, William Paley (Frank Langella), who, while insisting his staff be
politically "clean" and suggesting that the public prefers safe
entertainment to topical controversy, reminds his star broadcaster that
he has never censored or disallowed anything Murrow wanted to put on the
air.

With newsroom action and dialogue flowing in the manner of '30s
newspaper melodramas, it's not always entirely clear who's who and who
does what. Most prominent, however, are Murrow's "See It Now" producer
Fred Friendly (Clooney), a dynamic collaborator and supporter of his
on-air partner, and Joe and Shirley Wershba (Robert Downey Jr. and
Patricia Clarkson), valued team members who, due to network rules, must
keep their marriage secret.

Paley's backing enables Murrow to go ahead with the March 9, 1954,
broadcast in which he takes on McCarthy by rebutting the smear campaign
against him, then by boldly spotlighting the senator's lamentable
technique of making accusations without evidence, with the intent of
stirring the public to rise against the prevailing climate of fear.

Offered the opportunity to respond, McCarthy persists in his unspecified
slander of Murrow and others and fails to address the newsman's charges.

As presented here, Murrow's successful confrontation with McCarthy can
be seen as the beginning of the senator's undoing; his hearings
continued -- some viewers will be surprised to see archival footage of
the young Robert Kennedy on the team with Roy Cohn during one of the
latter's harangues -- but the tide began turning, leading to McCarthy's
censure by the Senate. A very amusing throwaway moment has Murrow
genially conducting a live cross-country interview with Liberace while
desperately trying to overhear details of the Army-McCarthy hearings.

Clooney and his co-scenarist, producer and fellow actor Heslov lay out
the contemporary relevance of some of the issues for anyone to see,
particularly as regards civil liberties and the existence of an extreme
socio-political divide in the United States. But they don't push it,
which frees the film from the dreaded limitation of preaching to the
choir. In fact, "Good Night, and Good Luck." is the second picture this
year from ostensibly liberal-left filmmakers (after the hit Sundance
docu "Why We Fight") to use speeches by President Eisenhower to endorse
their perspectives on post-war American history.

Robert Elswit's agile, lustrous black-and-white lensing mixes
beautifully with the vintage 16mm and kinescope material in which
McCarthy himself and others are seen. While Clooney's elegant,
on-the-move visual style makes no attempt to match the more static,
high-contrast look of '50s TV, it is nevertheless highly evocative of
it, providing a rich atmosphere for the densely packed drama. All other
design elements, from the credible newsroom and studio sets to the
detail of the period equipment, are exemplary.

Strathairn is first among equals in the exemplary ensemble, with
Clooney's vigorous Friendly, Langella's polished and authoritative Paley
and the more understated duo of Downey and Clarkson making the strongest
impressions.

Led by the chain-smoking Murrow, whose persona was not complete without
a cigarette in hand, practically everyone here smokes like a furnace, so
much so that the anti-smoking-in-movies fanatics would have to slap
"Good Night, and Good Luck." with a XXX rating. With saner heads still
prevailing, pic is rated PG, enabling younger audiences the unimpeded
opportunity of a thoroughly absorbing glimpse into recent history.



Camera (Technicolor B&W), Robert Elswit; editor, Stephen Mirrione; music
supervisor, Allen Sviridoff; production designer, Jim Bissell; art
director, Christa Munro; set designer, Gae Buckley; costume designer,
Louise Frogley; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Edward Tise; supervising
sound editors, Aaron Glascock, Curt Schulkey; assistant director, David
Webb; casting, Ellen Chenoweth. Reviewed at Warner Bros. studios,
Burbank, Aug. 22, 2005. (In Venice Film Festival -- competing; New York
Film Festival -- opener.) MPAA Rating: PG. Running time: 93 MIN.

[QuikSilver]

Great cast.

[smirnoff]

I'm definately excited about this one.

[popest]

WOW!!!.....the cast is Superb!.......& Frank Langella.......watch it, what ever it's about...

[William Fuld]

As I think it was the great Oscar Wilde once said something along the lines of "If you want to send a message use Western Union"

Nah, it was Samuel Goldwyn. You know, the guy who was the only producer to publicly criticize HUAC, and who made the quintessential message movie, The Best Years of Our Lives.

[PopcornTreeCt]

Nah, it was Samuel Goldwyn. You know, the guy who was the only producer to publicly criticize HUAC, and who made the quintessential message movie, The Best Years of Our Lives.

Ah yes that is correct. Very strange indeed.

This movie still looks good and I'm willing to give George Clooney another chance.

[Jackskeleton]

wow, that was insanely good looking.

[marty888]

Just saw this at opening night of the New York Film Festival - and <b>BRAVO</b> George Clooney! He's pulled together an outstanding cast, co-authored a script that challenges the audience to actually <i>think</i>, assembled a production team that seemlessly blends archival footage with the dead-on 1950's art design and costumes, and directed with a sure hand.

Not only is it very entertaining (and yes, there are some very solid laughs in the midst of the seriousness) but even as it reminds us of a dark period in American history, it is also becomes a cautionary tale.

Not to be missed!

[Peep]

Just saw this at opening night of the New York Film Festival - and <b>BRAVO</b> George Clooney! He's pulled together an outstanding cast, co-authored a script that challenges the audience to actually <i>think</i>, assembled a production team that seemlessly blends archival footage with the dead-on 1950's art design and costumes, and directed with a sure hand.

Not only is it very entertaining (and yes, there are some very solid laughs in the midst of the seriousness) but even as it reminds us of a dark period in American history, it is also becomes a cautionary tale.

Not to be missed!

Well put. I saw this movie a week or so ago and it was brilliant! And I really like how Clooney stepped back and let Strathairn shine.

[Rival11]

Looks pretty damn good, I'll be checking it out.

[conscience]

Clooney very much impressed me with Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind (which I, for one, absolutely love) - I will definitely want to check this out.

[Giantrobo]

Wow, Alex Borstein! You go girl! :up:

Frankly, they had me at Strathairn and Clarkson. :D

[Giantrobo]

.. but I don't recall ever being terrorized by our government.

:confused:

Are you trying to Pinch a loaf of Groucho-esque "humor"?

[The Bus]

I'll be picking this up whenever it hits DVD. Looks great.

[auto]

Great trailer. I can't wait for this one.

[hermes10]

Trailer --> http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/goodnightandgoodluck.html

Looks interesting but I don't recall ever being terrorized by our government.

I don't either, so unless my memory is bad, that must mean no one has.

[Fincher Fan]

Sounds good! Hadn't heard of it before. Thanks for the heads-up!