An outstanding film

Rating: 10/10 (22 October 2010)

Following 2002s underrated Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Clooney's sophomore film again addresses the world of television, however he retreats from the surreal world of Chuck Barris responsible for the 'game shows' which would provide the blueprint for reality television. Instead, Clooney's film is a restrained though thoughtful examination of famed CBS broadcaster Edward R. Murrow (David Strathaim) who stubbornly refused to submit to the doctrine of undemocratic and outlandish communist witch-hunts perpetrated by Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950s. Good Night and Good Luck is at heart an illuminating study of a time when journalistic responsibility as well as the integrity of the television medium itself was not incongruous with optimal ratings.
The film, thematically akin to documentary, is essentially confined to the studio from which Murrow's show See it Now was broadcast. Robert Elswit, the favoured cinematographer of Paul Thomas Anderson (Magnolia, Boogie Nights) shoots these often cramped environments with a crisp clarity, recalling Roger Deakins' work on The Man Who Wasn't There. Strong silhouettes amid smoke-filled network offices and boardrooms confirm the 'feel' of the 1950′s. The inclusion of whip-cuts, shallow focus, the odd zoom and objects obscuring the frame compliment the black and white palette, impressing on the viewer the sense of urgent response felt towards McCarthyism. Murrow is routinely framed in such a way as to emphasize his tenacity; the shot lacking in the significant movement which defines the rest of the uniformly excellent cast.
Strathaim's portrayal of Murrow is accurate in all the right ways. His performance asserts the quiet dignity and resolute determination of Murrow. Clooney himself portrays Fred Friendly, co-creator of See it Now. Frank Langella is excellent as CBS Executive William Paley. The scenes between Langella and Strathaim are absorbing to watch; Murrow obstinately refusing to reject his principles while Paley attempts to reconcile corporate interests with the moral strength of the See it Now show. In an interesting move, the decision to use archival footage of McCarthy rather than cast an actor seems designed to assuage commentators who might suggest the film is uneven in it's treatment. I thought it achieved this quite successfully. None of McCarthy's well-known characteristics are exploited in aid of ridiculing him. He is presented appropriately as he was; a demagogue intent on summoning divisive rhetoric to achieve his aims.
Though essentially a dramatization of the events surrounding the McCarthy trials, I prefer to enjoy the film as both a light character study of Murrow and as a sub-textual indictment of television. The quote above is taken from the beginning of the film, an awards dinner in 1958, exemplifies his staunch provocation towards the media. Murrow represented the true potential of the television medium, tirelessly working to ensure it's enduring status as a tool for extrapolating and critically engaging with issues. He was critical of the role sponsors may have in editorializing and wary of corporate investment eschewing integrity for entertainment, notably embodied by the influx of game shows in the 1960s. Having been a pioneer in television's enormous growth he also witnessed the mediums downfall.
To my mind "decadence, escapism, and insulation" is no less prevalent in the television of 2010. It's tempting to argue that the internet allows respite from the one-way street of sloganeering, self-help and ostensible objectivity emanating from "wires and lights in a box". Murrow's work might suggest that even if this were to be true, it should still be ceaselessly scrutinized and complacency rejected. The media, whatever it's incarnation, plays far too great a role in our lives for us to be so forgiving of inaccuracy and fabrication.