Good Night, and Good Luck (2025)
“I’m a little busy bringing down the network tonight, Bill”
I was an easy sell for the 7th June 2025 CNN livestream of the Broadway play (and first ever live global broadcast of a Broadway play too) as “Good Night, and Good Luck” resides within my gargantuan list of all time favourite films and I’d argue, George Clooney’s finest achievement as director. Taking the lead role of “Edward R Murrow” (but living in the black and white shadows of David Strathairn’s Oscar nominated portrayal in the 2005 film) Clooney is magnificent, his three or four direct to camera monologues each receiving the grandest of rounds of applause from the audience and these, together with Georgia Heers incredible scene stealing jazz renditions and the use of real life stock footage of the time, forms the backbone of a brilliantly smooth and produced play that had me reaching for my DVD copy of the film instantly the play was over.
So in a break from the norm of my usual movie ramblings and musings, I’ll add nothing further whatsoever to the play above (aside from heartily endorsing it should you track down a copy) and instead:
My Youtube Channel appreciation of the film:
My original article:
My original article in full:
19th Century French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once wrote “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” or “the more things change, the more they stay the same” and what better example could you wish than the Clooney directed black and white marvel here? To fight off the ever present danger of a political ideology taking hold, a censorial mainstream media becomes ever more fragmented, supportive of and allied with mainstream political parties who may well report the news but whilst cloaked in the anonymity of being unbiased, are anything but. News has become entertainment, the spectre of terrorism, viruses and always the eastern European country of Russia are abused as a tool of fear and an ever present looming threat and journalism, “The Fourth Estate”, has been co-opted into the Empire Establishment and rather than challenging the narrative provided, they now wrap and warp the story via entertainment, gossip and fear, despair and always, Russia. Journalists have become well paid stenographers for the Establishment whilst actual journalists who challenge the status quo are ridiculed, smeared and discredited.
The more things change.
The more they stay the same.
“Fred Friendly” (George Clooney) This is another quiet, in the background role for Clooney as Fred Friendly, a CBS News Producer and close confidant of Edward R Murrow. Both a stylish and understated performance from actor Clooney as well as a stylish film for which as director he was nominated for an Oscar, quite the achievement in only his second directorial film. Clooney was also nominated alongside fellow screenplay writer Grant Heslov for an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, with the film as a whole receiving a total of six Oscar nominations. Again, quite an astounding achievement in only his second film as director. Another George Clooney film that became an instant favourite with me, the film is bookended with a speech made by “Edward R Murrow” (an incredible performance from David Strathairn) at a Gala Evening in his honour in 1958. A salute to his incredible achievements in television broadcasting and one in which he makes this telling pronouncement:
“We are currently wealthy, fat, comfortable and complacent. We have an inbuilt allergy to unpleasant or disturbing information. Our mass media reflect this. But unless we get up off our fat surpluses and recognise that television in the main is being used to distract, delude, amuse and insulate us, then television and those who finance it, those who look at it and those who work at it, may see a totally different picture too late”.
From this early speech in 1958 the film reverts back to 1953 and the main premise for the film is set: In the midst of the Cold War against Russia, Republican Senator Joe McCarthy is trying to root out “card carrying” Communists from the United States of America. A media war is brewing and Edward R Murrow together with Fred Friendly and his CBS News team uncover shockingly one sided attacks on American citizens whereby they are accused of being a Communist without a fair trial or evidence. From 1953 onward the film continues with a straight forward timeline until it loops back to bookend the film with a continuation of Murrow’s Gala speech.
Filmed in colour but reverted back to black and white to reflect the time period, the opening speech itself, albeit brief, encapsulates everything that is impressive about this film, the direction from Clooney, the cinematography from Robert Elswit, a stellar cast of quiet yet mightily impressive performances and numerous themes of the time. Firstly Clooney: His second film but far different from Confessions of a Dangerous Mind as this film has a quiet, purposeful and perhaps stoic air about proceedings. His slow, flowing camera work is again evident as is the merging and dissolving of scenes into one another, often with a continuing narration or conversation from the previous scene which really propels an already intriguing and engrossing story. Also reflective of the time and film making of the time, many scenes fade to black or are segued by an important date but whereas Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was frenetically edited, here, as with the film as a whole, it is now quiet with a gentle flow from one scene to another. This is in no way a criticism of returning Editor Stephen Mirrione, more an appreciation of the film’s style and quiet purpose. Of the six Oscar nominations received two were for technical excellence in Best Art Direction (James Bissell and Jan Pascale) and Best Cinematography for the continuing genius of Robert Elswit.
Brilliantly reflective of the time period, shadows and the contrast between light and dark are well captured as are the numerous scenes within the confines of a cramped room or office and all three collaborators noted above were well deserving of their Oscar nominations. One scene in particular encapsulates everything highlighted brilliantly, from a perfectly still performance from David Strathairn as Murrow hunched over his typewriter completing his script for the evening segment, the cramped room full of shadow and excellently lit as the camera, for the first time in the film, rolls away from Murrow as opposed to the almost constant full frame close up on him as his been apparent throughout the film up to that point. Murrow, whether on camera with his evening news segment or simply with his editorial team, is seemingly always framed close up displaying every nuance and touch, yet this brief but brilliantly captured snapshot of a journalist of the age captures everything perfectly.
David Strathairn leads an all star cast as Edward R Murrow and was fully deserving of the film’s sixth Oscar Nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role. Another quiet and purposeful performance full of stillness and resolution as the permanently smoking news broadcaster and journalist. Ably supported by Fred Friendly (George Clooney) as his loyal co-producer and friend, in a film so heavily dominated by male leads and characters Patricia Clarkson as “Shirley Wershba” stands out in a brilliant performance alongside an uncharacteristically quiet (but as you’ve read, purposely so) performance from Robert Downey Jr as “Joe Wershba”. Jeff Daniels stars as ruthless “Sig Mickelson”, screenplay writer Grant Heslov stars as “Don Hewitt” and there are two stunning cameos from Ray Wise as “Don Hollenbeck” and Frank Langella as CBS Supremo “William Paley”. Also notable is Dianne Reeves as “Jazz Singer” both for her superlative singing and for the insertion of her (and her band’s) jazz tracks throughout. The music itself is minimal throughout the film but always memorable, from the instrumental “When I Fall in Love” over the opening titles to Dianne Reeves’ singing “TV is the Thing This Year”, “You’re Driving Me Crazy”, “I’ve Got My Eyes on You” and “One For My Baby (And One For The Road)”. All of these latter songs are used brilliantly as we tour the television studios, a joyous bar scene or a scene accompanying bad news.
The film constantly captures “periods in time” very well as we follow a busy television studio and the workings and behind the scenes angst that goes with a live broadcast of the time. Section Producers, all smoking heavily in the cramped confines of a control room cutting and editing the piece being delivered by a cool and purposeful Murrow with Fred Friendly lying on the floor next to him giving timings and direction. To CBS Executives pacing in corridors, delivering ultimatums. But the real picture captured so brilliantly “of the time” is of the continual in fighting, paranoia, suspicion and of not wanting to step out of line in a time of the Cold War. This may in fact seem to be “of the time” and of wanting to root out Communists or anti Americans but this film highlights a highly prescient image of today’s media. Now owned by just a few major Corporations, the Mainstream Media of today is of little value and seemingly toes a party line on the war on terror, of terrorists being everywhere, ready to strike at any time and an all pervading sense of fear always and constantly propagated. The overt chasing of Communists has been replaced by a seeming covert chasing of terrorists and anti Government, anti Establishment viewpoints, all propagated by an unquestioning and docile Mainstream Media. The air of suspicion, intertwined by numerous pieces of stock footage from the real life events of the day are merged with paranoia of the CBS editorial staff and their affiliations. As perfectly summarised by Murrow himself “If none of us had read a dangerous book or had a friend who was different. Never joined an organisation that advocated change, we’d all be just like the kind of people Joe McCarthy wants”. Contrast this with ABC/NBC/BBC or the all pervading News International of today, their continual use of negative, fearful information and a dwindling faith we all have in their “news”.
Good Night, and Good Luck (Murrow’s signature sign off at the end of every broadcast) also raises the question of whether news broadcasts should simply report the news as is provided by national syndicates of news providers and/or Government institutions or in fact challenge the news they are provided with. Should television, and news in particular, be used as a means of debate and challenging the status quo or simply a vehicle for providing a sanctioned view of the news and the world, or indeed simply as a form of entertainment, revenue and ratings. Money, sponsorship and ratings are a continual theme too. The film itself also challenges another highly prescient theme of the time and of today, as free speech and violations of that singular right as a human being are being exploited every day despite our rights afforded us as both a human being and as part of national Constitutions. Above all, this film shines a light both into the past and into a very prescient present and future day with a documentary feel to it brilliantly helmed by Director Clooney and expertly though quietly portrayed by a stellar cast of devoted actors.
A brilliant film and well worthy of 93 minutes of your time.
Thanks for reading. I hope this message in a bottle in The Matrix finds you well, prospering, and the right way up in an upside down world.
Whilst you’re here I may as well brag about the release of my trilogy of recently self-published books. Beautiful covers eh! As the title(s) would suggest, this is my life at the movies or at least from 1980 to 2024, and in volume 1 you’ll find 80 spoiler free appraisals of movies from debut filmmakers, 91 of the very best films appraised with love and absent of spoilers from 1990–2024 in volume 2, and in volume 3 you’ll find career “specials” on Paul Thomas Anderson and Quentin Tarantino together with the very best of the rest and another 87 spoiler free film reviews from 2001–2024.
All available in hardback and paperback and here are some handy links:
"A Life at the Movies Vol.1" - link to Amazon
"A Life at the Movies Vol.2" - link to Amazon
"A Life at the Movies Vol.3" - link to Amazon