So Tense because It Was So True

Rating: 10/10 (28 March 2008)

The McCarthy era caused so much pain in this country. It's interesting that after we had just finished fighting a multitude of tyrants, a man like the Senator from Wisconsin was allowed to play the same kinds of mind games that these despicable men did. Ed Murrow is part of my youth and I remember the sober, almost dark way he looked into the camera. He was incredible because he should have been scared. He kept us informed when the fledgling networks were trying to find out what they had in their hands. This film oozes with threat. Not the Freddy Kreuger kind of threat. The kind that is in the house next door and in the minds of the guys sitting at the local bar. Murrow was often seen as a "Pinko." It's so interesting that the people who look out for the little guy are portrayed as threats. It's that "What's wrong with Kansas" thing that becomes more dangerous than most threats because it is inside us. Anyway, fine performances all around, great tension, and a retelling of a very exciting if terrifying chapter in our history.