This one had had separate rave reviews from two of my favourite people (goes without saying that basically all of my favourite people are in tune with me when it comes to pop culture), so I was pretty certain that I'd like it. Turns out that they were right and Good Night, And Good Luck is great - one of the few films I can think of that I'd unhesitatingly recommend to all of my scattered friends and other fellow travellers. It's hard to find words to explain why the film's so good - could it be that we all like it as much as we do just because it's so obviously on the side of right? Actually, there's probably something to that, especially in the present international and domestic political climate...the subject matter is obviously interesting as well as significant (both historically and contemporarily), and there's no doubt in our mind at any point as to who we should be rooting for, which makes for a comforting black and whiteness (ha, ha) to the central issue (well, we all already knew that Joe McCarthy was evil anyway), but there's also a pleasing nuancedness to the characterisations and actions of characters like network boss Bill Paley, talking head Don Hollenback and newsroom types Joe and Shirley Wershba.
Also, it's impeccably stylish - black and white cinematography, jazz punctuation, clean breaks between scenes - which always helps, and it also captures the romance of the newsroom that we've all absorbed and which is really only available to us in historical terms, and primarily cinematically, nowadays. And the ensemble acting is right on. (And the guy who plays Murrow is great, and likewise Clooney.) The whole has a documentary kind of feel, augmented by the inclusion of actual footage of McCarthy, and reminded me of Downfall in that it convinced me, at least while I was watching it, that this was exactly how things actually happened, and also in its technique of seeming to pick up the story midway (couldn't swear to this, but there may not've been any opening credits at all). Seemed to go by very quickly, and I was surprised when it ended.[*]
As it happened, I saw it with three people who are sorta representative of different points along the political spectrum, at least within the limits of the circles in which I usually move - (from left to right) Wei, Rob and Sid - and all of them seemed to enjoy it heaps. (Although maybe one's political orientation doesn't make that much of a difference, as surely all sensible people would realise now, with the benefit of hindsight, that McCarthy was the very furthest thing from a hero, whatever their views on our present straits - or is that just my own perspective showing?). In any case, my esteem for George Clooney continues to rise.
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[*] Admittedly, this may've had something to do with my having been out drinking basically all afternoon and evening beforehand, but I suspect not.
