Home > Good Night, And Good Luck
by PETER TRAVERS
Does George Clooney have a box-office death wish? You have to wonder why the star of Ocean’s Eleven would risk his standing as a pinup for ka-ching to direct, co-write and co-star in a movie set in the 1950s, shot in black-and-white and focused on a fifty-year-old battle between TV newsman Edward R. Murrow, indelibly played by David Strathairn, and the Commie-hunting Sen. Joseph McCarthy.
Wonder no more. Clooney knows exactly what he’s doing: blowing the dust off ancient TV history to expose today’s fat, complacent news media as even more ready to bow to networks, sponsors and the White House. As Murrow said in a 1958 speech, which frames Clooney’s dynamite film, the powers that be much prefer TV as an instrument to "distract, delude, amuse and insulate." Challenge is a loser’s game.
Not in this movie. In ninety-three tight, terrifically exciting minutes, Clooney makes integrity look mighty sexy. With the help of cinematographer Robert Elswit and editor Stephen Mirrione, Clooney turns the CBS newsroom into a hothouse of journalistic risk-taking. It’s exhilarating to watch as Murrow decides to use his CBS news show See It Now (it ran from 1951 to 1958) to call McCarthy’s bluff. Murrow persuades network boss Bill Paley (Frank Langella is a marvel of scary, seductive command) to hold the sponsors at bay while he and producer Fred Friendly (a subtly forceful Clooney) lay out a battle plan.
As a director, Clooney moves with admirable speed and economy. He sometimes tripped over his ambitions in Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, his 2002 debut behind the camera. But here his hand is assured, his wit focused, his target never in doubt. This self-confessed "big old liberal," raised in the heat of media debate as the son of TV journalist Nick Clooney, is a born muckraker. With Good Night, and Good Luck — the words used by Murrow to sign off his broadcasts — Clooney emerges as a powerhouse filmmaker. The film only rarely leaves the CBS studios, but Clooney establishes the furtive atmosphere of the time. Reporter Joe Wershba (an avid Robert Downey Jr.) must hide his marriage to a fellow staff member (the reliably superb Patricia Clarkson) because of network rules. News anchor Don Hollenbeck (a deeply touching Ray Wise) is driven to suicide by a red-baiting columnist. Clooney has taken some flak for using singer Diane Reeves as a bridge between scenes, but her bold jazz stylings — in the manner of George’s aunt Rosemary Clooney — fit right in with the film’s insistence on upturning the standard version of history. These aren’t white guys in suits flexing their muscles to win ratings. These are newspeople flying by the seat of their pants for something they believe in, even if it costs them big time.
At the center of the storm is Murrow, standing firm against the push for compromise. It’s a bitch — not to mention a bore — to play a noble monument. Strathairn dodges that pitfall by making Murrow fallible, funny and human. Chain-smoking off the air and on, he mines the humor in the deft script by Clooney and producer Grant Heslov. Murrow wasn’t so lofty that he refused to interview celebs for the CBS show Person to Person. Clooney includes a hilarious clip of gay pianist Liberace being asked by Murrow if he’s ready to settle down with the right girl. Helping to spawn celeb journalism on the tube is a sin Murrow never lived down. His distinction came in picking his battles. Strathairn lets us see the war in Murrow’s eyes as he takes on McCarthy not just for confusing dissent with disloyalty but for deciding to smear Murrow himself when the senator makes an appearance on See It Now. A spark of rage burns in Murrow, and Strathairn shows us the flame. Best known for his work in the films of his Williams College friend John Sayles (check out Passion Fish right now if you haven’t seen it), Strathairn comes into his own with this career role, to which he brings three decades of acting expertise. It’s a performance of ferocity and feeling that you won’t soon forget.
A word here about the guy who plays McCarthy. You have to forgive the way he overdoes the sweaty, manipulative monster aspects of the role, because, thanks to Clooney’s judicious use of actual film footage, McCarthy plays himself. The studio is pushing for a posthumous Oscar nomination.
I think not. More Oscar justice would be done in the name of the live ones. For a paltry $8 million, Clooney has crafted a period piece that speaks potently to a here-and-now when constitutional rights are being threatened in the name of the Patriot Act, and the American media trade in truth for access. "We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason," said Murrow. Amen to that, brother. Good night, and good luck.
Forum posts
20 October 2005, 22:54
The following link is to a story today from ABC News Chief.. Says he won’t report all news even if its true because they are concerned about the govt. Yips.
– http://www.showbizdata.com/contacts...
24 October 2005, 15:52
Bush did it.
25 October 2005, 21:32
Release Date: October 25, 2005
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island A Round Disk With Flashing Coloured Lights
Date: Early 1960s
Time: Approx: 11:30 p.m.
Message: I live in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island Canada. I have lived here all my life. In the early 1960s I had a UFO sighting not far from my home. I was about 18 and on my way home about 11:30pm when I happened to look up in the sky a spotted a round disk with flashing coloured lights. It descended to about 200 feet and stopped as if observing me. I was the only one around this spot to witness this UFO so I have nobody else to talk to about it. I watched it for about 1 to 2 minutes and then it started to ascend upward first very slowly and then it sped up (not so fast that I could not watch it) to a distance where I still could make out its flashing lights and stopped and then (wow) this thing took off on a 45 degree angle and within a couple of seconds it was gone.
I stood there with my mouth open and said to myself -What was that thing? Around this time (1960s) there was a drive in theatre not far from our home. There were a lot of UFO sightings around this drive-in theatre for a number of days. The newspaper in our city even advertised, "Come to the drive-in and see the UFOs". I have mentioned this to my wife and a couple off close friends, but never get into a real discussion over it! To this day I am convinced what I saw was no military aircraft or any thing I could explain that could do what it did. I still star gaze out in the country away from the city lights hoping to see again what I saw some 40 plus years ago. Also I believe that after this sighting that strange things started to happen to myself that I could not explain. It was like I was looking at humans in a different way! Almost like looking through someone else’s eyes at situations and people in general. Really strange and a little spooky! I am a person who has had a sighting of an object that has left me confused but also intrigued about having it, since not as many people who say they have seen a UFO are telling the truth . Some say it is science fiction but what I saw was far from that!
Thank you to the witness for this very interesting report.
Franklin, Tennessee A Cluster Of Lights Moved In Unison
Date: October 15, 1973
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Number of witnesses: 20
Number of objects: 1
Shape of objects: Dome of many lights in the sky that outlined a top-like design.
Full Description of event/sighting: Lights from an unknown source hovered silently in the night sky over Franklin, a small rural town located approximately fourteen miles from Nashville, TN. The cluster of lights moved in unison vertically and horizontally at tree top level above small hills that lay beyond a field with several trees I estimated to be about forty feet tall. And beyond the field, near the base of the hills, was a long white wooden fence next to a road where many cars stopped to view the lights. I saw the same lights the night before from my house, which was about four miles away from the lights. The following evening, October 15th, 1973, I decided to drive to toward the lights. People gathered around but no one knew the source of the lights. The newspaper reported strange objects were seen numerous times during the day and at night. The objects were reported to be seen at different times and at different locations, approximately 33-miles from the previous sighting, which formed a triangle in a systematic path that formed other triangles.
When a person plotted the sightings on a map the triangle measured 33-miles from point to point. The lights and objects were sighted several weeks before they disappeared. People reported that the lights caused unusual behavior in their dogs and cows. These accounts are documented in the Franklin and Nashville newspaper (see October 1973 issues). I was a nonbeliever of UFO’s prior to these sightings; however, that experience has changed my attitude about UFO’s. I never reported the incident at the time because I was in the Navy on recruiting duty. My experience of seeing the lights left me feeling like I was seeing something; and yet, not actually seeing something, as I reflect on this experience more than 30-years ago! The experience was real. The lights were real. There were reports of laser-like orange lights beaming to and from this large object in the night sky.
I saw only the top-like object that was outlined in several rows of white strobe-like lights that resembled port holes in an airplane. There were at least four layers of lights with nothing noticeable holding them together as they slowly hovered up, down, and side to side. I estimate the object to be the size of three football fields.
Thank you to the eyewitness for the very interesting report.
Denham Springs, Louisiana Three Oval Shaped Objects In A Triangle Formation
Date: March 21, 2005
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Location of Sighting: Backyard sitting by a camp fire.
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of objects: 3
Shape of objects: Oval shaped.
Full Description of event/sighting: I seen 3 UFO’s in formation, funny thing is I was telling a friend about it and he seen the same one’s on the same night flying in formation over New Orleans (45mins away) They didn’t make a sound and were slightly orangish red around the rim and dark in the center.
They were flying from south to west, kind of slow yet making ground. My father is a pilot and I have been around aircraft all my life. My other family members are all pretty much in one military service or another including helicopter pilots so I know aircraft and their placement as far as altitude is concerned.
I could see and hear an airplane at about 20 to 30 thousand feet to the south east, and by this I could tell the crafts were huge
and the jet sound was not coming from these craft. They were flying in a row (single file) and within a blink of the eye the center UFO had jumped to beside the first UFO and was now flying two in the front and one in the rear, sort of a backwards triangle formation. The whole event only lasted about 1&1/2 minutes and I never seen them again that or any other night.
This brings my sightings count to over 10 here in Louisiana. This was my third night sighting. This is also my first public report on this subject.
Thank you.
Thank you to the witness for their report.
Southwestern, Oshawa Black Morphing Object
Date: September 10, 2005
Time: Between 11:00 to 11:30 a.m.
Hi Brian, once again, your site provides valuable information posted, in helping observers like us, find similar sightings around the world. I have found in your archives, Posted on, Aug.5,2004, "North East Minneapolis, Unusual Morphing Object Filmed". I must bring to your attention,that this black morphing object, with a red flash (2-3 seconds) was also seen, over my house in southwestern Oshawa, on Sept.10, 2005 at between 11:00 to 11:30am. In fascination, this object had the same characteristics, as illustrated on the video. I do know now, with the variety of shapes, size and colours reported. That there are many that are similar, all around the world, white ones included. I will continue to watch, as they watch us. P.S. Excellent video, that again proves, UFOs do exist. I also congratulate, the camera person who filmed this object in Minneapolis. Take care and keep up the excellent job.
Thank you to the witness for the report of the object seen over his home.
Newport/Wahullah Station, Florida Triangular Craft Hovering
Date: October 18, 2005
Time: 8:00 p.m.
Number of witnesses: 2
Number of objects: 1
Shape of objects: Triangle
Full Description of event/sighting: I did not see the UFO, but was with two who saw it a couple of day before. Couple were driving a golf cart used at our hunting camp just after dark. Approx: 1/2 mile ahead, conditions very clear, just above the tree line, was a stationary object, triangle in shape, no sound, hovering with several light on, white on ends and sort of amber/tan lights in the interior of the craft. They watched for approx: 15 minutes. Without taking their eyes, the craft vanished with out a sound. No indication as to movement, just vanished were their words. One of the witnesses stated that this was the second time he had encountered a UFO in this wooded, isolated area. This is approx: 3-5 miles off the shore line of the Gulf of Mexico. Clearly shaken, both parties swore to their witness of this craft, and to their both having not been drinking.
Thank you to the person for relating this report.
Near Rochester, NY, (Lake Ontario) Another Sighting Of A Green Orb
Date: October 19, 2005
Time: Evening
Well I’ll be darned. The other night my son came to me and told me he saw a green light next to the moon. He didn’t see it move, it just turned itself off. I dismissed it as he is in the dog house right now and I thought he wanted to deflect my attention, LOL! So I didn’t take note of the date and all that. I know it was around the time of the full moon though. And when I asked him what shade of green it was, he showed me the on/off button of my flat screen monitor. Yep, it’s neon green. Mars is right next to the moon these days but it’s clearly orange.
It was right around the full moon. I checked the calendar and the last one was on the 19th of October. The night before both my husband and I separately noticed Mars on its left, it was beautiful, orange and very bright considering the moon was almost full and shining bright. And the night it happened, like I said my son was in the dog house and he said to me "must be the full moon".
The witness for the above report was referring to another sighting that was reported to me. This report came from Oshawa, Ontario and a neon green colored orb was seen by another witness. Both taking place on the same date.
I would like to thank the person for this report.
Medford, Oregon A Silver Roundish Craft While Traveling I-5
Date: October 22, 2005
Time: Approx: 7:30 p.m.
Message: I have read some from your site and decided to try and share what I saw on 10/22/05 approx: 7:30 p.m. I was leaving Medford, Oregon and headed north to Grants Pass, Oregon when I saw something ?
I drove up onto the overpass to get into the lane of traffic to take me north on I-5 when I saw some weird lights red off in the distance towards the airport. At first I just figured it was a large airplane, but then realized it was not moving, but sitting still. Never thought about what it was except it had (three red lights that I remember and was dark except for the lights. It was extremely large for being so low in the air. Then the next time I look it, or something else is now right in front of me and I have no doubt I am looking at a spaceship. To me this is weird as I do not really believe in such things as being real. Anyway, I am looking right at this silver roundish spaceship and I’m clearly seeing it light up the ground under it and seeing every thing so clear. I cannot figure why no one else is seeing it??? As I enter the freeway I decide to get off and go back for another look. The traffic is so backed up at the next off ramp because of a rodeo, I’m guessing, or else all this traffic has also seen this UFO. I go to the next exit and have now looked back twice and see it has moved to the south but is still in the air. Anyway who knows?? I think maybe its a hoax or someone doing it, but I found nothing in the paper the next day and know my husband and kids must think I’m nuts! All I can say is I do believe in God and have decided maybe he fly’s in a spaceship??