A taut, well-crafted look at television in the 1950's.

Rating: 9/10 (15 February 2006)

It is fair to say that I might be at a bit of an advantage to some viewers who've watched "Good Night, and Good Luck" because I worked in the broadcast medium for nearly two decades. I've read a lot about Edward R. Murrow, Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and the history of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). I wonder if the reactions for George Clooney's near-masterpiece "Good Night, and Good Luck." depends on the viewer's interest and knowledge about television and politics in the 1950's.
The numerous choices made by Clooney and co-screenwriter Grant Heslov, to focus primarily on Murrow (brilliantly played by veteran character actor David Strathairn) and his significance in the early days of television and broadcast journalism, made for a very compelling tale. It was very interesting to actually listen to Murrow's words on the big screen. The speech that bookmarks the movie is an actual transcript. The concerns by Murrow is similar to former FCC commissioner Newton Minnow's about television being a "vast wasteland."
The decision to film the movie in black and white captured an almost film noir quality. It also made a lot of sense considering that many TV shows were shown in homes with black and white television.
What could have easily been a fatal mistake and used as a crutch to tell the story, it was a great idea to use real footage of Sen. McCarthy, which I believe speaks for itself. Using an actor would have been a mistake.
Within this great acting ensemble, I was impressed with Frank Langella's role as CBS chairman William S. Paley. Again, it easily could have been played as the stereotypically cold and heartless executive. But Langella interprets Paley as an ambitious but fair individual who wants to do the right thing and allows Murrow and his co-workers to report the news without interference. In this day and age of all news channels and talking heads shows, can anyone do that now?
While watching the movie in the theater, a moviegoer behind me said, "My God! They smoked a lot in the 50's." It certainly was the socially correct thing to do especially since many tobacco companies used to advertise on television. Using a tobacco ad as a transition, in addition to Dianne Reeves' musical interludes, was sheer genius.
The only issue I had with the film was the underwritten plot device with the married employees. Luckily for Clooney and Heslov, the performances by Robert Downey, Jr. and Patricia Clarkson made their story more interesting that it ever was.
I believe "Good Night, and Good Luck." should be included with "Network" and "Broadcast News" as one of the best films about television.