Good Night, and Good Luck.
Directed by George Clooney
Written by George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Rated PG: for mild thematic elements and brief language
What a long strange trip it’s been for George Clooney.
The man has become not only one of the top actors working today, but he is now officially one of the best filmmakers in the business after his terrific “Good Night, and Good Luck,” which is nominated for six Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.
The film, which chronicles CBS reporter Edward R. Murrow (Oscar-nominated David Strathairn in a fantastic performance) and his bringing down of Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy in the 1950’s, is brilliantly made and engrossing to watch.
The story begins with a speech given by Murrow in 1958 at a convention of the Radio-Television News Directors Association, in which Clooney and co-screenwriter Grant Haslov (their script was also nominated for an Oscar) set up the premise and tell us what their film is about.
Murrow tells us and his audience in the speech that television has the power to teach and not just entertain us in to mindless, lazy Americans. He warns that it is a powerful tool that has to be used with care.
After that, the film goes back a few years to tell the real story, and the gorgeous black and white cinematography (shot by Robert Elswit, who is also nominated for an Oscar) spliced with archival footage gives the feel of a journalistic and documentary type of film.
The film is briskly paced, but with a running time of 93 minutes it feels more complete and wonderfully-edited than most movies made today.
Clooney also uses terrific jazz songs—sung by the angel-voiced Dianne Reeves—that serve two important functions to the film: they give the audience a sense of the music of the time and provide segues in to new scenes.
“Good Night, and Good Luck,” which is titled after Murrow’s sign-off on his television show, is a film that should be appreciated for its simplicity and timeliness in telling a story that is still significant today with our current media.
The film is a huge step forward for Clooney, whose directing debut “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind” was an inspired disappointment. In this his sophomore effort, he has harnessed his talent and love of the fifties and television to create a realistic and brilliant film
HDFEST grading scale
-Good Night, and Good Luck.-
Story A
Acting A
Visuals A
Originality B
Enjoyability B+
Overall Grade A-
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