A really well-oiled piece of machinery, beautifully shot by Robert Elswit, great acting all around, etc. Everyone should be very proud of themselves. That said, an impossible movie for me to enjoy after the ensuing decades of Keith Olbermann and Trump-era "journalism/the facts will save us" shit. This movie is also a dispiriting illustration of how in the American liberal imagination, the main problem with the Red Scare is that it targeted people who weren't Communists.

In his final monologue, Murrow proposes to his fellow newsmen: "Let us dream to the extent of saying that on a given Sunday night, a time normally occupied by Ed Sullivan is given over to a clinical survey on the state of American education.…

Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney, is a class act from start to finish. Robert Elswit's scrumptious cinematography provides the allure for a film that otherwise might bore some, especially since the screenplay gets straight to the point, causing the film to be completely devoid of heightened tension. Clooney takes a layered and matter of fact route with this iconic story of Edward R. Murrow and Joseph McCarthy, using a cracking script and a massive cast list of dedicated performers to sell every moment. David Strathairn is the highlight of the whole film, with the main broadcasts conveying an impressive amount of fear and historical importance.

A single problem keeps this little movie (although the subject is…

Part of Dastardly Difficult December: film nr.84

Every country has its dark periods in history, often with filled with war and intolerance. It does not happen that often though that a country turns on itself, fearing a secular belief associated with an enemy far away. McCarthy's witchhunt for communist sympathisers has always been a historical event that has intrigued me. It turned one of the most powerful nations in the world into a paranoia ridden country fueled by intolerance and fear. It shows that the drive of one person can lead to dangers that affect an entire country, ruining many lives in the process.

Clooney provides us with a stunningly accurate slice of history. He documents the fight of legendary…

McCarthyism is a ridiculous and disgraceful part of history, yet forms of it still persist to this day. Good Night, and Good Luck. is a fascinating look at its existence and the media reaction to it. The media has a lot of power, which is why an extension of McCarthyism involves targeting and coercing the media. As the film makes clear, everybody censors, but what the media chooses the censor has the greatest impact of all. The media can fight power or it can be subservient to power, or indeed subservient to only ratings and profit. One may find that Good Night, and Good Luck. is a bit too idealistic in how it presents history, treating the early days of…