Review of Good Night, and Good Luck. (2005) by Filipeneto — 16 Jan 2022

I confess that I didn't really like this movie the first time I saw it, but I felt that it was not the time to evaluate it, because I wasn't fully aware and expected something different. After a few years, I watched the film again, with a different mindset, other expectations and more prepared for what I was about to see. The result was totally different: I loved this movie.

The film is set in the period of the Cold War, and addresses the fear that many North Americans had of communist activities on American soil, mainly of communists who were supposed to be infiltrated within the government, army and high finance. The face of all fear was, for years, Senator McCarthy, who gave substance and voice to a policy of purging suspected communists from the state apparatus. In a short time, suspicion became widespread and even the most unsuspected were under scrutiny for things as trivial as having a communist friend or having attended an activity promoted by communists. Against this situation, so bizarre that it goes against our notion of democracy, stood up journalist and television anchor Edward R. Murrow, from CBS News. On his television show "See it Now", he will do a job of deconstructing Senator McCarthy's allegations, questioning his methods and way of thinking.

The film works wonderfully and manages to get the message across very well. However, it is one of those films that has the problem of only working for those who already know the basics of what is going to be talked about: the Cold War, the "Red Peril", McCarthyism. Anyone waiting for the movie to explain something about it or make some sort of introductory note will miss it. Therefore, I recommend to those less versed in contemporary history a brief read before the film. The film addresses yet another subject, albeit much more superficially: the advent of TV and television journalism, of which Murrow was one of the first great figures in the US.

George Clooney is, in this film, an almost omnipresent figure, since he is responsible for the direction, the script and for one of the main characters of the plot. Impeccable as always, the actor does a very good job. The cast is intelligently led by David Strathairn in the lead role. The actor is competent, charismatic, intense, sharp and skillful, giving us, in this film, the strongest interpretation of his career. Also Robert Downey Jr. And Patricia Clarkson deserve an applause for their work. Most of the cast smokes a lot, but that was something really common at the time.

On a technical level, the film makes a strong impact as it is entirely in black and white. It was something I didn't expect the first time I saw the film, but it made perfect sense when I saw it again... in addition to immediately transporting us to the time in question, the feature allowed the original black-and-white scenes perfectly match the film, as if they were one and the same. It doesn't have a very noticeable soundtrack, but the jazz themes chosen for the soundtrack are really good.