Good night & good luck...(13/1)

One of the best films I have seen recently. A serious film that needs a lot of concentration and reflexes from the audience. Directed by George Clooney, the film describes how Joseph McCarthy was brought down from his political career by the programme of CBS, "see it now", in the 1950's...The theme of the film is the role of broadcasting and journalism. How should the tv news programme 'reports facts and news' to the general public?
David Strathairn plays Edward R. Murrow, one of the legendary journalists in the CBS programme history, and his act in the film was introvertedly attractive. Indeed, most of the actors in the film played quite well. It reminds me another Hollywood drama classic, the L.A. Confidential, years ago. The way of editing and act in the film has given me a fantastic feeling.
With the use of a documentary shooting style, Clooney clipped the real footage of the McCarthy's speech in reaction to the report of Murrow, and with the nicely constructed black and white atmosphere in the film, it's simply perfect that matches the shots in the film. (the script of the programme can be found at http://www.honors.umd.edu/HONR269J/archive/Murrow540309.html). Another insertion of the hearing of Annie Lee Moss who was accused being a communist is another contemplative moment during the 90 mins. As Murrow said, 'We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home,', the freedom of speech and the conduct of journalism can be critically analysed in his words. In this film, the stage has mostly been plotted in the recording studio of CBS, together with the drinking pub where the elite team went, and somewhere in the CBS office building like the lift or the office of William Paley. It's all enclosed environment leaving the programme team a cozy yet concentrated working space. To do a good programme needs some focus and determination. The team seemed to be connected to the outside world while the threatening telephone lines and the commentary from the newspaper column. The profession and consciousness of the team Clooney tries to depict in the film was deeply shaped. Smoking is not, however, necessarily a way to express an identity of profession. Perhaps what the director wanted is to remind how the figure died at last due to lung cancer. I quite like the narration of the ads appeared in the film, the Alcoa and the Kent cigarette. From the embryonic stage of tv broadcast industry, sponsorship determines to a considerable extent the expression of commercialism as well as its influential role to programme direction. The jazz pieces of Dianne Reeves are easy listening music but yet a sort of comfortable transitions. A few use of wide to close up shots or the reversed did strengthen the heavily down mood of the broadcasting room. The work of Clooney seems to be a kind of work that can arouse the interest of Oscar...The end of the film was clean and sharp. However, the tragic incidence of Don Hollenback was not clearly filmed. Perhaps it would be a way to digest further the film and the history by downloading a copy of the script...(A-)
(see the film trailer at http://wip.warnerbros.com/trailerplay.html?id=goodnightgoodluck )