Excellent move, and I actually learned something

Rating: 8/10 (9 October 2005)

This is a very good movie. I had known some of the history of McCarthy and McCarthyism, but wasn't aware of Murrow's role in the downfall of such.
The film strikes a excellent balance between dramatization and reality. We see the buzz of the newsroom, the paranoid fears of the time, and the stodginess of the corporate Powers That Be. However, we are also exposed to genuine archival footage and Murrow's real words.
*SPOILERS AHEAD* Although I like how this movie is about a specific period of time, and doesn't attempt a full Murrow biopic, I thought the ending was a little abrupt. At what should have been the peak of Murrow's victory (the censuring of McCarthy), he suddenly loses his time slot and the movie ends.
I was intrigued enough to go home and do some research on Murrow -definitely the sign of a good movie - and found out that as television began to change, things like quiz shows gained in popularity, and people weren't as interested in hard-hitting quality journalism. Although we do hear some of Murrow's thoughts on the downfall of TV, I think that, were it illustrated better, the point would be driven home a bit deeper - here is a man who represents all that is good in broadcast journalism, and he is ultimately being taken down by The Price is Right and the $25,000 Pyramid.
Still, an excellent movie all around, and fully deserving of my 8/10.