Good Night and Good Luck!

March 11, 2006 20063 7:06 pm | In Personal |

Wow, this movie's just amazing and I have to say it's one of the few who can make it to my list of "I wished it was longer" movies (quite a short movie - about 1hr 20mins.

Before I go into any lengths of why this movie is so good, here's a plot summary for those who haven't watched it:

In the early 1950's, the threat of Communism created an air of paranoia in the United States and exploiting those fears was Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin. However, CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow and his producer Fred W. Friendly decided to take a stand and challenge McCarthy and expose him for the fear monger he was. However, their actions took a great personal toll on both men, but they stood by their convictions and helped to bring down one of the most controversial senators in American history.

from IMDB

And now this might contain spoilers (so don't read it if you wanna see it) but this is what I think of the show:

This show is one of those few "all talk and no/few action" types that has been quite popular these days e.g. Capote, Syriana, Constant Gardener, etc and I guess one of the most unusual/distinguishing feature of this show is that it's in BLACK & WHITE!

Basically, the whole show is talking about TV being a medium for not just entertainment, gossip, etc. All these are intelligently portrayed through Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn), a popular news personality during the 1950s and how he managed to use TV to stop the unjust accusation of communism for innocent ppl in the US.

So naturally, you'll expect some beautiful language, subtle humour & sarcasm in this show and that's the winning point of the show. Here are some of my favourites from the show:

Quote 1: [about O'Brian accusing Hollenbeck of being a leftist]
====================================================

Edward R. Murrow: Oh, forget it, no serious people read O'Brian.
Don Hollenbeck: You read him?
Edward R. Murrow: See? I rest my case.

Quote 2:
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Edward R. Murrow: No one familiar with the history of his country, can deny that congressional committees are useful. It is necessary to investigate before legislating. But the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one, and the Junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly. His primary achievement has been confusing the public mind as between the internal and the external threats of communism. We must not confuse descent from disloyalty. We must remember always, that accusation is not proof, and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another, we will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason. If we dig deep into our history and our doctrine, we will remember we are not descendant from fearful men. Not from men who dared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were for the moment unpopular. This is no time for men who oppose Sen. 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 result. There is no way for a citizen of the republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom where ever it still exists in the world. But we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. The actions of the Junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And who's fault is that? Not really his, he didn't create this situation of fear he merely exploited it, and rather successfully. Cassus was right, the fault dear Brutus is not in our stars, but in ourselves. Good night, and good luck.

and more…but I don't wanna spoil the show for you, so go watch it if you can but don't expect explosions, kungfu fighting, love stories, etc.

Also, if you wanna watch it, here's a clue on what pinko means if you don't know - didn't know it till after the show when I googled it:

Pinko is a derogatory term for a person sympathetic to the Communist Party, but not necessarily a Communist.