Good Luck, and Good Night (2005)
Movie Grade A
McCarthyism Connection Grade A+
McCarthyism Connection
The movie portrays the conflict between veteran radio and television journalist Edward R. Murrow and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, especially relating to the anti-Communist Senator's actions with the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.
Genre
Historical / drama
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Jack A
Roger Ebert ****
IMDB 7.9
The thing I liked best about this movie was that it was very restrained. The creators knew they didn't have to represent Senator McCarthy as an ogre. The let Senator Joe talk for himself and that was more than good enough.
The most interesting parts of the movie were the film clips of Senator McCarthy himself. The movie is so well done that I often thought I was watching a documentary. The movie also did a very good job of portraying the paranoia of the times. The following dialogue shows the care with which Murrow entered the fray.
"Fellas, our next show is gonna be
about Senator McCarthy.
And we're gonna go right at him.
I don't need to tell you
how careful we have to be."
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.
We proclaim ourselves,
indeed as we are...
...the defenders of freedom wherever
it continues to exist 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 whose fault is that?
Not really his.
He didn't create
this situation of fear...
...he merely exploited it,
and rather successfully.
Cassius was right.
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not
in our stars, but in ourselves."
Good night, and good luck.
Great dialogue, great acting, great movie.
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