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Trailer here. (http://playlist.yahoo.com/makeplaylist.dll?id=1377386&sdm=web&qtw=480&qth=300)
Release Date: October 7th, 2005 (limited)
Cast: David Strathairn (Edward R. Murrow), George Clooney (Fred Friendly), Robert Downey Jr. (Jimmy Darmondy), Patricia Clarkson (Jenny Darmondy), Jeff Daniels (Ted Church), Tate Donovan (Jesse Zousmer), Ray Wise (Hollenbeck), Frank Langella (William Paley), Alex Borstein (Natalie), Robert John Burke (Charlie Mack), Reed Diamond (John Aaron), Thomas McCarthy (Palmer Williams), Glenn Morshower (Colonel Anderson), Katherine Phillips Moser (Jesse's Wife), Matt Ross (Eddie Scott), Grant Heslov (Don Hewitt)
Director: George Clooney (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind)
Screenwriter: George Clooney & Grant Heslov (feature screenwriting debut for both)
Premise: 'Good Night. And, Good Luck.' takes place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950's America. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff - headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom - defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity will prove historic and monumental.
Opening night film at the NY Film Festival.
this looks really good. for some reason, unlike most other actors who direct, i take george clooney seriously as a director. i dont know why.
I'm looking forward to this as much as anything else coming out this year. Clooney, based on the one film he's directed so far, has an outstanding sense of visual storytelling, along with the balls to make challenging, original films. The balls of this guy, I tell ya...
For example: Cutting archival footage of McCarthy into the movie rather than having an actor portray him. Balls. Like grapefruits in a sling, this guy's balls.
Looks badass.
Confessions was directed really well, so I have high hopes for this, too.
I think his good direction starts with his better casting.
Hopefully I'll see this on the last night of the london film festival. With Clooneys love of Mike Nichols and Mo downey involved Ive finally got another film to add to my currently unimpressive "cant wait to see it" list.
He's a so-so director... let's see how his screenplay works.
Quote from: RegularKarateHe's a so-so director... let's see how his screenplay works.
yeah it's not that i think he is or is going to be a great director (he could be, who knows?) but it's that if i heard you know... liev schrieber i think oh okay an actor directing a movie. whatever, it could be okay. but clooney has a credibility with me and i can't put my finger on why. i literally have a bias against most/all other actors directing but not him.
Quote from: modage... clooney has a credibility with me and i can't put my finger on why. i literally have a bias against most/all other actors directing but not him.
I can tell you why. He has a history of not being scared to speak his mind and also then putting his money where his mouth is, and he has his name attached to several solid films as a co-producer with Section Eight, along with Soderbergh, such as Far From Heaven, Insomnia, Solaris, and many others.
He is also one of People's sexiest men alive.
These are probably the reasons you feel for him the way you do, and they are good reasons, all.
Quote from: modagebut clooney has a credibility with me and i can't put my finger on why. i literally have a bias against most/all other actors directing but not him.
Well, "Confessions" was way more of a "director" movie than an "actor" one. It wasn't at all what you'd expect from a career actor's directorial debut.
For example: "Ordinary People". Great flick, but far more of an "actor" movie than "director".
well he got robert elswit as his DP. that's our boy right there ain't he?
I don't expect to see Clooney excelling or even being the next Clint Eastwood (he just seems too jaded, too west coast to be truly moving) but I think he's smart enough to get the job done and to resemble some kinda entertaining derivative of Coen Bros/ Soderburgh.
This is legitimate.
Like watching Lenny for the first time.
every person has the same chance of being a good director including actors. there are way more bad director-directors than good, too.
Quote from: petewell he got robert elswit as his DP. that's our boy right there ain't he?
He also was the DP on Gigli :shock:
Quote from: FernandoQuote from: petewell he got robert elswit as his DP. that's our boy right there ain't he?
He also was the DP on Gigli :shock:
gobble gobble.
I'm looking forward to this one too.
Quote from: MacGuffinEdward R. Murrow
from a novel my Papa started to write:Quote"I shall never forget that day, September 3rd, 1944. A man walked into my room. He was with CBS Broadcasting and he had come from London to visit an associate, Charlie Shaw, who was in the next room recuperating from a leg wound. Mr. Murrow said Charlie had told him about the "Secret Agent" in the next room, who belonged to an organization working behind the lines to find escapers and bring them out to freedom.
Mr. Murrow said that it would make a fascinating story and that he would like my permission to ask my superiors for clearence to use censored stories in his broadcast.
okay page 101 is missing
....well trained agents working in the field with better organized undergroun units. Ed continued and said, "There was never a mention of your outfit"(IS-9)
Finally he had a talk with an old friend, a Colonel Danker at SHAEF headquarters.
The Colonel told him that MI-9 adn its counterpart IS-9 were strictly a British Intelligence operation and highly classified. Danker felt that they were overplaying the "very secret" part. The German Intelligence was surely aware of their existence. The escape teams were given carte blanche on any decision making and had "on demand" powers for materials, transportation, military intervention, etc. It has been noised around that these operations were sanctioned by Churchill and General Eisenhower.
"Anyway" he said, "they must be doing a good job because the men brought through Spain to Portugal and flown here to England are increasing daily."
Danker added, "I'm afraid that you will have to put your plans on the back burner for now."
Mr. Murrow shook my hand and said, "I'm sorry that it didn't work out.." He continued, "Charlie is being discharged today and we are going to London for a few days and then on to France to reopen the CBS in Paris." Then, he asked, "Is there anything that I can do for you before I leave?"
I laughed and in a joking way, I said, "You sure can. Take me with you. I got to get back to some unfinished business that needs my attention."
I shrugged and said, "But, I have to hang around here until all danger of infection is passed."
Mr. Murrow stood looking at me in silence, then he spoke, "Now don't get your hopes up, but I may have the answer." He went on and said, "When I left Paris the Army had already taken over a large hospital complex used by the Germans. They were moving trucks of equipment. Doctors and nurses were arriving and before I left they were admitting patients." As he turned to leave, he said, "I'm going to have to talk to your doctor."
A short time later, he was back with the doctor. The doctor agreed that it would be a good idea to go to Paris where I could be examined periodically. He said that several of his staff had already left for the hospital for duty.
Mr. Murrow, Charlie and I arrived in London that afternoon. Before we went to his apartment, he took us out to dinner.
Talk about charmisa, he really had it. The maitre d'hotel and the waiters escorted us to the best table. They flitted about like a flock of sparrows. There was the ginger snapping bit and the bottle of vintage win (with compliments of the management, of course.)
Mr. Murrow seemed unaffected by all this attention. He ate little but he smoked continuously. I seldom saw him when he wasn't puffing on a cigarette.
We all stayed at his apartment.
After a couple of days, he managed to get us on Air Force flight to Paris. I didn't know how he managed it, because all aircraft were supposed to move only top priority items- gasoline and medical supplies.
When we landed at the airfield, he offered me a company car to get around in. I thanked him but I explained that I could requisition a vehicle from the nearby motor pool.
We shook hands and he drove off. They hadn't gone far when the car turned around in a wide circle and pulled up longside of me- Mr. Murrow leaned out the window and said, "Don't forget to report in at the hospital." He waved and drove away."
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I love that story. A local woman around here, gathered all the reports on my Papa and typed everything up and sent it to Tom Brokaw. He sent a letter back saying he was very interested in doing a story on my Pops, but September 11 happened. Brokaw sent everything back saying he didn't have the time to do a story at that point in time.
everything seems in place
this should be great.
The Hot Button review is pretty dead on. Personally, I think it'll do very well with critics awards. http://www.thehotbutton.com/today/hot.button/2005_thb/050901_thu.html
that review reminds me of Shattered Glass for some reason--when the reviewer talkeda bout how the audience probably won't be into journalistic hero stories. anyone remembers shattered glass? it's like just a tight little movie about a little journalistic fraud, which concerned no one in the audience really, but it was a very good movie simply because it was so detailed and really just sucked you into the world of journalism--there's not that much universality to the plot (aside from the whole getting caught lying thing), and what made the movie so watchable was the simple fact that it was just all about this one very specific place in time. this is way more common in Japanese movies and mangas where they'll have like stories that revolve around a very specific activity/ job/ hobby, but it's way less so in American [studio] movies which always try to be a bit more universal with their story telling. the trailer reminded me of this teleplay from the 50s that I'd once seen that was all about company politics in a department store. I hope this is just a very specific movie. I really love specific movies where the audience has to find his own idenfitication and extract universality by himself, instead of just a really broad movie with intentional universal appeal.
(that's why I love ping pong.)
I want to read that whole book Bethie, thats pretty interesting stuff. I think this movie will be good, at least entertaining. Think about what Clooney did with this world in confessions. It's not like Charlie kaufman's screenplay was the only saving grace of that movie. Clooney's in his world with this story and i think what he's going to turn out will be pretty imaginative. Is it just me? or could this screenplay possibly have some kind of paddy chayefsky influence? eh, i'm not sure i can't wait to see it though
At this point he gets to act as provocateur
Star power and lessons from dad helped George Clooney make "Good Night, and Good Luck," his film about legendary newsman Edward R. Murrow.
George Clooney loves to quote the lines in his new film, "Good Night, and Good Luck," that were written by Edward R. Murrow during the journalist's famed 1954 confrontation with communist hunter Sen. Joseph McCarthy: "We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty"; "Accusations are not proof"; "If we dig deep in our history and doctrine, we know we are not descended from fearful men."
The black-and-white documentary-style film, which Clooney co-wrote, produced, directed and in which he plays "See It Now" producer Fred Friendly, won best screenplay for Clooney and Grant Heslov and best actor honors for David Strathairn this month at the Venice Film Festival and will open the New York Film Festival on Friday. It will be released in the U.S. on Oct. 7.
Normally, the small, $8-million "Good Night, and Good Luck" would be the sort of politically relevant film that comes and goes and makes a paltry $500,000, Clooney said recently. But by coincidence, the film has hit at a moment when its main point — journalists need courage to combat both government officials who try to intimidate them and corporate bosses who want them to entertain viewers — is sparking in real life.
Just as CBS Chairman Les Moonves' comments about making the evening news more entertaining have reverberated through the media, broadcast reporters have been praised for holding government officials' feet to the fire after Hurricane Katrina.
With the national focus no longer solely on the questions about integrity and accuracy that have dogged the scandal-plagued media in recent years, the movie now seems to have the potential to inspire a deeper conversation about the purpose and power of the press.
"There are very few guys who are out-and-out heroes to writers," Clooney said. "In broadcast, the two most famous were Murrow taking on McCarthy and Cronkite taking on Vietnam. They had a direct and immediate impact on our country. I believe it's the responsibility of journalism to ask questions, and especially broadcast journalists since 90% of our news now comes from them."
In the film, the external enemy is communism, exploited by McCarthy, who is portrayed through archival film clips. In a climate of fear, journalists and producers are caught between McCarthy sympathizers in government, who can accuse them of being traitors, and their sponsors and higher-ups in their companies, who want them to back off controversy. "Murrow talks about 'a built-in allergy to stories that offend us,' " Clooney said. "The problem hasn't changed, really."
Clooney, 44, grew up hearing his father, Nick Clooney, a former Kentucky anchorman, hold up Murrow as a hero. At a time when television was in its infancy, Murrow took on McCarthy on the CBS news program "See It Now," first through stories about individual victims of the McCarthy hearings and later through editorials that exposed the senator's scaremongering tactics. He offered McCarthy equal time, and then found himself forced to refute charges that he was a communist sympathizer.
The broadcasts ultimately put McCarthy in a spotlight that is acknowledged to be the beginning of his downfall. Murrow became, as Barbara Cochran, president of the Radio Television News Directors Assn., put it, "a tremendous symbol for all television-radio journalists of what the very best practices and standards can be."
Many writers and students still ask for transcripts of Murrow's famous 1958 speech before the news directors' group, in which he observed television's power to teach, illuminate and inspire but added that "it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise, it is merely wires and lights in a box."
The conflict between reporters' drive to cover important events without compromise and management's need to please shareholders and board members was spotlighted last year when CNN President Jonathan Klein asked anchors to show more personality. It came alive again this month when Moonves was described in a New York Times Magazine article as hoping to raise the entertainment quotient of his nightly news shows. He later qualified his remarks, saying he aims only for "change."
Movie studios too are under pressure to produce blockbuster crowd-pleasers, and in this climate, only someone with Clooney's clout and passion would be likely to make a politically engaged movie that aspires to also be entertaining, as "Good Night, and Good Luck" does.
"No one else could have gotten this film made," said Andy Friendly, Fred Friendly's son and a longtime television producer, executive and consultant. "He could easily sit at home and collect his $25-million paychecks for making big commercial movies, enjoy his home in Italy and hang out."
Lessons from home
When Clooney talks about his father, it's clear he feels the long shadow of the ex-anchorman. His father's ideals set the standard for his own. "There were plenty of times he'd say, 'Don't come back and look me in the eye unless you did this ...' " Clooney said. Even now, "He's the dominant one in the room. He's funny and smart. If he were here, he would be telling stories and we'd be sitting there listening."
"Good Night, and Good Luck" is "ultimately a love letter to my old man," Clooney said. "It's me saying, 'Thanks for setting the bar that high, for believing so strongly in the responsibility of information,' and taking it to the level where it cost him a lot of things over the years. There were jobs he left because he wasn't willing to compromise."
Clooney initially tried to follow in his father's footsteps, studying journalism for a bit and working briefly on a cable access channel. "I realized quickly I wasn't good enough to be able to play the game. I didn't finish college. I wasn't well-read. I spent a great many years trying to make up for my lack of curiosity in my early 20s," he said. "I had very little interest in anything. I was sort of floating by."
By his mid-20s, he had started to focus, partly as a result of watching his father grow frustrated and discouraged by the shift toward entertainment in television news. "They sent him to consultants for what color of suit to wear, how to part his hair. 'Don't write the news. Read the news.' All the things that were killing him....
"I'd be watching some crappy news show and my dad would go, 'They're not talking about this or this. They didn't ask these questions.' It was a good education."
Clooney also absorbed his father's liberal politics — on issues including civil rights, gun control and equality for women. Earlier this year, he helped raise campaign funds for his father, who ultimately lost a Kentucky congressional race to GOP business consultant Geoff Davis.
But over time, he said, they grew apart politically, as his father drew closer to his Catholic faith. "Some of that wide angle of liberalism narrowed and actually formed some friction between the two of us. It became harder for me to be completely supportive if my father would say, 'They should have a different name for it besides "gay marriage." ' To me, that's one you can't cop out on.... It made it complicated for us at times, but not complicated enough to not be proud and to not campaign for him," Clooney said.
He and his dad knew the Hollywood connection could be a liability in the campaign. "My father's lived 68 years in Kentucky and has very little to do with Hollywood," he said. "And suddenly he's a Hollywood hippie." An inveterate letter writer who still uses an electric typewriter because he likes to feel the imprint of the keys on paper, Clooney fired off a letter to the editor of the local paper complaining that Davis had unfairly linked his father with him. "I said my father had earned the right to be judged on his own merits, not mine.... If you have questions about where he stands, ask him. He'll tell you. But don't use me as a weapon against him."
Parlaying his success
In a way, Clooney has carried on that independent spirit in the film world, finding creative ways to produce the sort of socially and politically relevant films that have faded since the '60s and '70s. In 1999, Clooney formed a joint venture with partner Steven Soderbergh, called Section 8, to use profits from commercial films such as the "Ocean's Eleven" franchise to finance less-commercial fare.
"I'm in the enviable position of being able to force studios to make films that they wouldn't ordinarily make," he said. Besides "Good Night, and Good Luck," he cited "Syriana," a political thriller set in the Persian Gulf, which Clooney persuaded Warner Bros. to make partly by taking no money upfront. Clooney plays a career CIA operative, based on real-life agent Robert Baer, who uncovers a disturbing truth about his life's work. The film will have a Nov. 23 limited release and go into general release Dec. 9.
"I had to go to [Section 8 partner Warner Bros.] and say, 'Here's the deal. Say someone would pay me $20 million to be in the film,' " Clooney said. " 'If someone were to pay me that, which I've certainly been offered, that would basically mean I'm a $20-million investor in this film.' It makes me gambling with them. I'm saying, 'I'm taking no money upfront, I'm already investing in this film. Now do you want to come on board or do I raise the money somewhere else, which I probably can.' "
Tan, talkative and friendly, Clooney slouched in a leather chair in his dimly lighted cottage office on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank. He rested both feet on the oversized wood and leather desk he shares with Soderbergh. He wasn't relaxed; it was the best position to relieve the ongoing pain from a spinal injury he suffered earlier this year on the set of "Syriana."
"Good Night, and Good Luck" started shooting after Clooney, who had gained 35 pounds for the role, was injured during some fight scenes. Mysterious and excruciating headaches turned out to have been the result of a spinal leak, which requires in-hospital treatment every two weeks.
"We'd already written the script, hired all the people. I knew there was no way I could not do it. It's one of those things that forces you to go," he said. "It's actually good for you. People think you should stay in bed and get well. Had I not had all this work to do, I would have sat around and felt sorry for myself."
Clooney financed the film, his second directorial outing after "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," with outside partners Todd Wagner and Mark Cuban's 2929 Entertainment and Jeff Skoll's Participant Productions. "I got a dollar for writing the script," he said. "I had to endorse my check for directing and turn in my acting salary. Grant [co-writer, actor and producer Heslov] and I each made a buck for doing it."
At first, Clooney hoped to play Murrow. But after watching the old clips, he realized that Murrow had the look of someone who was carrying the weight of the world and hardly anyone would buy the easygoing Clooney in the role. He hired Strathairn instead. Frank Langella plays CBS boss William Paley; Robert Downey Jr. plays reporter Joe Wershba, with Patricia Clarkson as his wife, Shirley.
Clooney did not want to hire an actor to play McCarthy. "I wanted to deal with the movie the same way Murrow dealt with McCarthy, in his own words," he said. To blend the old black-and-white footage with new shots, the film was shot in color, which is less expensive, and transferred to black-and-white stock.
Clooney said he researched opposing points of view for "Good Night, and Good Luck," and ended up incorporating the opinions of people who thought Murrow was inappropriately using his news show to editorialize. In one scene, Paley asks Murrow why he didn't correct McCarthy when he said Alger Hiss was a traitor, the implication being that Murrow didn't want to risk appearing to be defending Hiss. "Obviously Paley didn't say that," Clooney said. "I got that from one of the opposition. I wanted the arguments to be brought up."
One scene, taken from real life, has the editorial team meeting in a room, each one in turn revealing any potential past involvement with communism that could hurt the show later. "They knew they were risking everything to do this program. They were young guys in their late 20s and 30s, with new homes, families, mortgages. They knew the future of the country was at stake, and they knew they were targets. The government tried to intimidate them. Even Eisenhower, a courageous general, pretty much stayed silent on this topic of McCarthy."
But in lionizing Murrow, it's easy, of course, to forget what ultimately happened to him: Ironically, despite the overwhelmingly positive response from critics and the public, the McCarthy programs eventually led to the demise of "See it Now" and, for a time, squelched the airing of controversial documentaries on CBS, Friendly said. In the end, the constant static from advertisers and affiliates gave Paley, in his words in the film, "a constant stomachache." "See It Now" was moved from its weekly slot to Sunday afternoons, and two years later, it was off the air.
"Murrow left 10 years later, frustrated and depressed. My father left after that, after being president of CBS News," Friendly said. "He resigned in protest after CBS refused to run Senate hearings on Vietnam in favor of the third rerun of 'I Love Lucy,' " he said.
His own 'annus horribilis'
All things considered, Clooney said in all seriousness, "It's been the worst year of my life."
Besides his health problems, his grandmother and brother-in-law died, and his dog was killed by a rattlesnake, though Clooney tried to beat the snake off with a baseball bat. "The last thing the dog remembers is me hitting the dog," he said. "It was really traumatic."
Without any commercial films such as "Ocean's Twelve," he also lost more money than he had in a long time. That hasn't stopped him from forging ahead with a $3-billion Las Vegas casino development project with joint venture partners. In any case, if he needs quick cash, he said he can make a commercial or two abroad. In Italy, ads like the ones he's made for sunglasses, cars and Martini & Rossi, can bring upward of $500,000 each, he said.
Still, he and Soderbergh will close Section 8 within a year, he said. "That was something we decided a long time ago. Steven and I looked at it as a great, fun experiment that will go sour at some point, and rather than let it go sour, we're going to let it have a good run.
"We feel like we're trying to pick the right spot to pull the plug and walk away."
And yet, the projects keep coming: "The Good German," a film directed by Soderbergh, stars Clooney as an American journalist who, while seeking his mistress in postwar Berlin, becomes entangled in a murder mystery; and "Michael Clayton," starring Clooney as a high-profile New York attorney in the last and worst days of his career. Both are scheduled for release next year.
Even after Section 8 shuts down, he plans to keep working with Soderbergh. "We're really good friends. We just were afraid of becoming administrators. All of a sudden we were businessmen. Not only are we not tremendously good at it, we really don't enjoy it. It's not fun."
But Clooney said he wants to leverage his fame and power as a box office commodity while he still can. "I want to say I did it when it wasn't very easy. If it costs you a career, credibility and all those things, that means you did it on your own volition and you have to live with that. I'm OK with that. I'd rather be able to point back and say, 'At this exact moment in history when it was kind of tricky to do this, these are the stories I told.' "
And while it may be unrealistic to think a film might inspire young journalists to become Murrows or Friendlys, Clooney said, "The only thing you can do is raise that discussion again. What's been fun is to sit back and say, 'Tell me, what's so wrong about asking tough questions of all the government?' "
I saw this yesterday. It's really pretty damn great. Short and to the (very substantial) point.
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Back in 2002 film superstar George Clooney surprised a good chunk of the world with his directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Now he's generating major Oscar buzz for his latest effort, Good Night, and Good Luck. The film chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee starring David Strathairn as Murrow and Clooney himself as Fred Friendly, Murrow's producer.
This film has major resonance with Clooney since his father Nick Clooney was a TV newscaster for many years and often invited George into the studios at the age of five.
Check out the official site for Good Night, and Good Luck
Daniel Robert Epstein: Your film made me realize that there is no Edward Murrow today and the closest we might come to one is a satirist like Jon Stewart who speaks his mind nearly every day. What do you think?
George Clooney: I think Brian Williams is really articulate and really smart. I think he's the best of the guys I've seen so far, especially when he was on [The Daily Show with] Jon Stewart. He answered some funny questions and then he avoided answering the ones that would have got him in Dodge. I think the difference is there's still great reporting going on by a bunch of people. But I don't think there is going to be anyone ever again that will have 40 million people watching them like Murrow did. It may be good that there won't ever be the most trusted man in America again, depending on who that man is but I just don't think you could have that kind of access. The two great moments in news history is Murrow taking out McCarthy and Walter Cronkite coming back from Vietnam and saying it's a stalemate. Ultimately [President Lyndon] Johnson didn't run again because he said "Hey, I've lost Cronkite, I've lost the country."
I don't find much fault in the journalist in general; I think everybody would like to break a good story. With Les Moonves [CBS television president] I understand his problems of saying "listen, I got to go back to shareholders and the market is getting smaller." I understand all those problems but it has always been and it will always be the battle between corporate and information. It's a tricky one and it's complicated so I don't know if there are great answers to it.
DRE: Did you first get interested in this film because of your father?
GC: Definitely. It started because I grew up on the newsroom floor watching my dad work with these really wonderful reporters in Cincinnati Ohio and seeing them piece a news show together. Murrow was always the high water mark that everyone aims for. It was certainly a tip of my hat to my dad and the sacrifices he's made over the years.
DRE: Did you ask your dad for advice?
GC: The one thing he said to me constantly is that we should treat the material as if we were journalists and double check every scene because there will be people that will want to marginalize it. This is important because there's a revisionist history going on right now with people saying that McCarthy was right and Murrow was a traitor. Page Six actually wrote a nice story about that and Ann Coulter has a book about Murrow getting the story wrong so it was important to recalibrate fact. So my dad said "get the facts right" and that was what was most important to us.
DRE: One of the great things about the film is that it doesn't really end on some kind of rousing note. Was there a point where you thought you had to go big at the end or have something large happen?
GC: Originally we had made a montage of some of the greatest hits of television moments and then they sort of rapidly decline to the OJ chase. It ended with that famous piece car chase where they follow the guy and he sets his truck on fire and takes off all his clothes and blows his head off on live television. You hear the people in the background laughing in the newsroom and the guys says "there's your lead news story." It was really a compelling ending but it was editorializing on my part and in order to get your facts straight and do it fair we decided we had to keep it in historical context and not do that. It's very tempting to do it because it's pretty explosive stuff but we're not trying to tell people how to think, we're just bringing up a factual piece and raising a debate.
DRE: Did you ever have any interest in going into journalism?
GC: I tried it when I was young but I don't have the talent for it. My dad's one of the best I've ever seen. There are people who ask the right questions and are fearless. After a few drinks at a party last night my dad cornered Les Moonves and I was like "take it easy, will ya"?
DRE: While doing your research, did you come across anything enlightening or new?
GC: In doing the research we learned it was important for us to go back to the original material. For instance, Point of Order is a documentary that was made about the McCarthy hearings. I'm an old liberal but this documentary was really unbelievably manipulative and bad. It has that scene where McCarthy is screaming and they cut to this wide shot of him and it looks like Frederick March at the end of Inherit the Wind. When we looked at the archival footage we found those shots were taken over two different days. So our job was to make sure that we went back to all of the source materials from the very beginning so that we weren't going to compound any sort of myth that had been made in an editing room. It made it more complicated because we thought we could just use the source material that we had but we found ourselves having to check everything.
DRE: Is Good Night, and Good Luck political?
GC: It isn't overtly political. It is a film by someone who happens to political but it's a historical piece. We were very careful with our facts to make sure of that. If that opens up a debate then good but if it doesn't, then that's okay, we did our job. If some kid in Cincinnati sees it in a journalism class and decides he wants to be a writer because of it and he wants to hold certain standards, then we win.
DRE: Could you talk about the parallels of McCarthy being censured in the Senate and Murrow being censured by the television executives?
GC: I think there is very little doubt of the idea that it was the clash of those two at the pinnacle of their career and for the both of them again it basically ended their career in many ways. It put Murrow is the tenuous position with [CBS founder William S.] Paley that certainly got worse after Murrow's 1958 speech because they didn't speak again after that.
DRE: Is the film an indictment of the Patriot Act?
GC: Not an indictment but a debate. People will have honest discussions about whether or not you want to give away certain civil liberties in the pursuit of saving the state. I don't have the answers for it but I think it's an important debate to be talking about.
DRE: What made you take the role of Fred Friendly?
GC: I didn't really want to act in the film. It isn't fun directing yourself but it was a black and white movie starring David Strathaim for seven and a half million dollars so they were going to make sure I was in it in one way or another. I took it just because I thought it was a big enough part that I can help get the money and I had a sense as the director of how little of Fred I wanted there to be.
DRE: What made you decide to use real footage of McCarthy instead of having an actor play him?
GC: There were a couple things, one is that we wanted to use McCarthy's own words much the way that Murrow did in his show and it was much cheaper.
DRE: What was the process of choosing the cast?
GC: David Strathairn was the only guy we ever talked about for Murrow. I'd worked with Frank Langella several times on Unscripted. I knew that David was going to hold his own and was going to have the screen for so long that you needed someone that can walk into three scenes and hold his own with someone who's going to be as powerful as David. Frank can do that. We helped too by making the sets bigger to make Murrow look smaller in all the Paley office scenes.
DRE: The current state of journalism seems to be all celebrity culture, what are your thoughts on that?
GC: That's not new. That has always been part of that is a driving element. I saw some real teeth in journalism during Hurricane Katrina. There was a tremendous amount of celebrity journalism before 9/11 and then it seemed to stop and suddenly there were some real conversations going on. I think it's cyclical. I'm not one to attack it since my father's been one for a long time and I do movies that are fluff at times to help get real news out. If sending Brad Pitt to Africa gets 18 million people to understand more about how dangerous that region is then that's part of the tradeoff.
DRE: In the past you've shown how frustrating it can be.
GC: That would be my own personal issues. You have to think on a much grander scale. For instance, it's a real pain in the ass to have a bunch of photographers hanging outside your house. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying it's a rotten thing. If you did it for a day you'd go "this isn't very fun". They're sneaky and they pop out of places to take pictures. They don't necessarily try to catch you doing something stupid, they try to create you doing something stupid by picking fights. But I must forever defend their right to be there because the idea of stopping them is so much more dangerous. It's like burning a book even if that book is Mein Kampf.
DRE: Are you going to be campaigning in Ohio with the democrats?
GC: I don't campaign because it's Hollywood versus the Heartland. I think actors in general marginalize the people that they are supporting and I don't think it's helpful. I will do fundraisers and do whatever I can behind the scenes. I'm not out to hurt a candidate. [John] Kerry called me and was like "Hop on the train." But I thought I would do more harm than good.
DRE: What else are you working on?
GC: We have another HBO show like Unscripted down the pipe.
DRE: Is it logical to think George Clooney will one day be running for elected office?
GC: That's a ridiculous idea. I think I should run on the "yes I did it" ticket. I drank the bongwater
DRE: Do you do frothy movies like Ocean's Twelve to get movies like this made?
GC: I like frothy things. Those are the things that bought me a nice house in Italy. If my sellout is Ocean's Eleven then I'm doing okay. If it's Batman and Robin I'm in a little trouble.
DRE: With actors in your rarified position, if they direct, they don't do it very often. Is that because of fear or even monetary reasons?
GC: I direct one when I can. We did this TV show Unscripted and I directed five of those. They're really fun to do too and we couldn't have done this film had we not done that show. We learned a lot about overlapping dialogue and some of the tricks we used like improvisation and where we wanted to put the camera. Realistically it's about finding the script I have some interest in or writing the script I had some interest in. But this is a subject matter I know pretty well, I mean it's a big part of my life and I researched the hell out of it too. So far I've done two films that have basically been about television because I know that world. Working backward I started with the low point in television [with Confessions of a Dangerous Mind] and now I've done the high point so I think radio is next.
DRE: I remember when Edward Murrow said "in the butt" on the air.
GC: [laughs] Yeah right.
Quote from: FernandoGeorge Clooney: Originally we had made a montage of some of the greatest hits of television moments and then they sort of rapidly decline to the OJ chase. It ended with that famous piece car chase where they follow the guy and he sets his truck on fire and takes off all his clothes and blows his head off on live television. You hear the people in the background laughing in the newsroom and the guys says "there's your lead news story."
i've never been happier to read a pseudo-spoiler. if that's not on the dvd, then we might as well burn our houses down. damn that sounds like sumthing spike lee would end on.
Quote from: FernandoGC: ... [John] Kerry called me and was like "Hop on the train." ...
haha kerry, how could america resist your turn of the century catchphrases "hop on the trolley"..
Quote from: FernandoGC: I like frothy things. Those are the things that bought me a nice house in Italy. ...
when will we ever stop hearing about that damn house?!
Quote from: FernandoGC:... If my sellout is Ocean's Eleven then I'm doing okay. If it's Batman and Robin I'm in a little trouble.
that's lol material right there.
I wanna go have a beer with Clooney. Him and I would be good buddies.
You would like him more than he would like you, I think. Just one of those things.
I would like a beer with him as well. Only if he pays.
No, no, him and I would get along kindly. I'm talkin' Brad Pitt like. We'd talk old movies over a few pints, he'd invite me to come party at his home in Italy, we'd build a couple of casinos, play practical jokes on others - that's pretty much the jist of it.
Oh, and we'd definately both agree that Adult Swim is a terrible, terrible show. Worse than most of the t.v. my pal GC did.
I was with you until you called Adult Swim a show. Be sure to do the practical joke where....*whisperwhisperssssssssss* hahaha, he'd love it.
Quote from: POZER!Oh, and we'd definately both agree that Adult Swim is a terrible, terrible show. Worse than most of the t.v. my pal GC did.
Actually, your buddy George would kindly inform you that there is no such television program as "Adult Swim"; that "Adult Swim" is actually a programming block on the Cartoon Network, and would you kindly get
the hell out of my Italian villa!!! (his words)
short review: this movie was good. B
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anyone else thinks clooney kicks ass in that pic? he kicks ass.
EDIT: HE FUCKING KICKS ASS.
looks like he could play a pretty convincing Saddam...
c'mon, i don't mean to insist but seriously, don't you people think that picture is awesomeness itself? why are they carrying him in a mesianic way? and why is he dressed like kubrick?. best picture ever.
Quote from: cronopiowhy are they carrying him in a mesianic way?
is it in a mesianic way? with the guns behind him, it looks like they might be escorting him outa there
Quote from: 72teethQuote from: cronopiowhy are they carrying him in a mesianic way?
is it in a mesianic way? with the guns behind him, it looks like they might be escorting him outa there
Well... it's like a modern day Passion. Passion of the Clooney or something. I dunno, there's a way to make that idea work. Big-bearded Clooney who seems to be loved by both men and women around the world even after gaining all that weight...
You can't deny it. Clooney has become more than just a man, and those dudes with the guns are too afraid of his power.
One of those "what the fuck was I thinking with that post?" was here.
Gots to lay off the home grown. Sorry about that renee.
edit: rane (see what I mean).
buddy, can you turn the geekdom down a notch or two?
I loved this. I smoked five cigarettes in a row afterwards. And I got a free poster! And the movie was free! Fun all around.
Quote from: Ultrahip Lobster SupperI loved this. I smoked five cigarettes in a row afterwards. And I got a free poster! And the movie was free! Fun all around.
Until you get
CANCER!
Well Mac, you have to die of something - may as well be cigarettes.
HaHa- no.
Agree to disagree.
Just saw this. As a friend put it, it's very monotonous. The movie's cool and very short, but between lengthy archive footage and long takes of Murrow speaking, this is like an anthology of highlights. The b story lines were so secondary they didn't matter. It escalated to something we already knew, which amounts to nothing.
The opening shot in black and white, smoke flowing, jazz music, was amazing and set up what should have been pretty good. Its message is not very relevant. I'd say the message of the film applies more to politics, so get to that movie Georgie.
I agree with mod, B.
Edit: Some post movie thinking.
This movie is what it is. It chronicles, very plainly, the efforts of Edward Murrow. It exists as this and nothing more. Facts and events are thrown at you, very evenly and concisely, with no real anchoring. Just the strong monotonous voice of Murrow pounding away. It's kind of poetic in its understatement and stoicism. There is weight with everything Murrow says, there is consequence and controversy. I honestly remember thinking how no reporter could exist like Murrow today because no one is so brave or unafraid to say their views (specifically left ones). So in that sense, it is relevant. And McCarthy will always be relevant.
As a film, it could've been three hours and I would've liked it more. It is so short and succinct in what it has to say that it could have said it for much longer and been a great epic tale of modern history, maybe something like JFK. But it's nothing like that and doesn't want to be. It's pretty amazing the more I think about it. Just that Straitharn had a conversation with McCarthy and I didn't bat an eye is saying a lot. It's so real and straightforward, it's easy to think there's not much more to it. It's a smart film that doesn't stick around long enough to shove it in your face. I think I'll give it B.99999, because I'm on the edge of saying it's great.
out of everything he's done, I've only sen like three roles in which I really liked GC as an actor. But he has a lot of promise as a director. I'm stoked to see this and hope to god that he stops getting roles so he'll start making more films..... IMO
Quote from: dropsomesciencehope to god that he stops getting roles so he'll start making more films..... IMO
if he stops getting roles he'll lose his clout. if he loses clout he'll stop getting money to make films. so uh, maybe u should hope the opposite.
I almost understand the idea of him to stop acting in films. If you really look at his filmography, only 3 of his films really have made money (The Perfect Storm, Ocean's Eleven, Batman and Robin) and he despises one of them. I'm very excited for Good Night, and Good luck. Confessions of a Dangerous Mind was very well done. And as much as I want him to direct more, I don't. He's my Marcello Mastronioni. An actor so good looking he allowed for a few roles to peg him as a heart throb and then took roles really to destroy it. Its just with films like The White Night early in his career, Mastronioni showed he could act. George Clooney is getting a late chance to do so. Either way, he's still the truest Hollywood leading man. Clooney being Clooney makes a movie.
I enjoyed this film... I think Clooney will make a great film one day (or at least a really damn good one). He needs to get a decent script though.
I thought the point of a movie like this would be to see what we DIDN'T see on television. It was cool to watch, but I'd like to see some drama instead of some events.
My full review: B+
that's a full review?
Quote from: Losing the Horse:My full review: B+
Glad to have you on this discussion board.
Sorry.
Full review: B+.
Quote from: RegularKarate on October 27, 2005, 12:51:24 PM
I thought the point of a movie like this would be to see what we DIDN'T see on television. It was cool to watch, but I'd like to see some drama instead of some events.
I definitely see your point... on the other hand, it's a little refreshing to see a movie that finds its drama in the smallest moments. This very easily could have become this big, epic polemic, instead of a tight little movie about journalistic integrity. The former might have been more dramatic, but I was more than happy to see the latter.
Joe McCarthy for Best Supporting Actor.
Quote from: polkablues on November 05, 2005, 08:03:03 PM
Quote from: RegularKarate on October 27, 2005, 12:51:24 PM
I thought the point of a movie like this would be to see what we DIDN'T see on television. It was cool to watch, but I'd like to see some drama instead of some events.
I definitely see your point... on the other hand, it's a little refreshing to see a movie that finds its drama in the smallest moments. This very easily could have become this big, epic polemic, instead of a tight little movie about journalistic integrity. The former might have been more dramatic, but I was more than happy to see the latter.
Joe McCarthy for Best Supporting Actor.
:yabbse-thumbup:!
I set myself the challenge on page one of this thread of seeing this film at the closing night gala of the london film festival. Things got a little tense in the returns booth but after queuing for nearly two hours I made it with five minutes to spare. Understand that this film wont be out here untill February. Anyway, me and my dad headed out onto the red carpet to the sound of screams of "George!" (coincidentally my name) only to find Mr. Clooney himself two feet away from us signing some autographs for fans. I tried to play it cool but but my Dad had the courage to approach him in the middle of the carpet as he crossed to the press and shook his hand - to which Clooney was really charming. A sight I will never forget, surreal and exciting whilst at the same time wondering when security would launch at my dad, mistaking him for a fan who'd jumped the barrier.
Although such an experience might tint my appreciation of the film, I really thought it was excellent. A combination of All the Presidents Men and The Insider and the influence of 70's filmmakers particularly Mike Nichols, again.
Strathairn was perfect. Ive always loved him since The River Wild, which I've really got to see again because I'm sure he was amazing in that. My favourite perfomance was from an actor called Ray Wise who played Don Hollenbeck. One of the best shots in the film is a tigh closeup of his face as Patricia Clarkson reads the newspaper reviews. Its painful.
I have only a basic knowledge of the McCarthy era like most but my favourite issue in the film was not the history lesson but the downfall of television (recurring theme). It's something I've always felt pretty strongly about. I have a telelvision but no aerial plugged in. I'm not some kind of purist I just find it possible to cut through the bullshit by purchasing DVDs of the shows I like and honestly prefer listening to radio.
Anyway... A-
I agree with everything edlum said except the River Wild part.
Best Film of the Year
Atleast from what I've seen so far, it edges 2046. I understand the arguments that the film is to short, but I enjoy how concise it is. No fluff. Everything Murrow said really moved me. I have seen the See It Now when they interview the Air Force guy, so I was familiar with the subject material. The combination of real footage and portrayal is seamless. All the performances are top notch and Clooney is proving himself to be a very good director. Is Good Night, and Good Luck mindblowing? No, but it is still great.
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet, from the "ask the gold trumpet" thread on November 30, 2005, 05:55:28 PM
The closeness the film has to its subject, a dated one, is a good and bad predicament... The negative is that the closeness does not allow him to convey themes that transcend the period and situation.
the theme of refusing to be silent in the face of injustice is a theme that definitely transcends the period and situation.. remember,
"the fault, dear brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." to me it seemed quite obvious that by having murrow looking directly at the audience during the monologue scene that G-Cloon' intended to emphasize the urgency and relevance of his words. maybe it wasn't as obvious as i thought.
Quote from: Hedwig on November 30, 2005, 06:53:45 PM
Quote from: The Gold Trumpet, from the "ask the gold trumpet" thread on November 30, 2005, 05:55:28 PM
The closeness the film has to its subject, a dated one, is a good and bad predicament... The negative is that the closeness does not allow him to convey themes that transcend the period and situation.
the theme of refusing to be silent in the face of injustice is a theme that definitely transcends the period and situation.. remember, "the fault, dear brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves." to me it seemed quite obvious that by having murrow looking directly at the audience during the monologue scene that G-Cloon' intended to emphasize the urgency and relevance of his words. maybe it wasn't as obvious as i thought.
Certain elements are meant to transcend, but for me, they never did. The language of the film is so thick not only to the time period, but the direct situation that the film is more of a historical recording than it is a human drama.
I would agree in your assessment that it is more of a historical recording than human drama, but it still is an important movie. I never felt like I could relate Murrow, but I don't think that was Clooney's intention. People need to see this movie.
Warner Bros. has set George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck for release on 3/14 (SRP $28.98). The film will be presented in anamorphic widescreen video with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Extras are expected to include audio commentary with writer/director Clooney and co-writer Grant Heslov, deleted scenes and the film's theatrical trailer.
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Wow, saw this right after capote and what a great film to have capote joined with. The music in the film was utterly fantastic. The dry humor was pitch perfect. If munich wasn't in competition for the oscar, clooney would get it.
Ugh. What a gorgeous movie. I enjoyed the soft anguish in Murrow's character, kinda unplaced and just permeant. I also really liked the relationship between Murrow and Ray Wise's character. He sorta reminded me of Little Bill from Boogie Nights. I didn't really understand why they focused on the secret marriage though. That subplot sort of seemed a little too undeveloped. All in all, it inspired me to download some Diane Reeves songs. Limewire, here I come.
i enjoyed the movie alot. however, i feel i wasn't totally engrossed by the film as i should have been. maybe that has something to do with me feeling it was too short a film. i know it was only like 90 minutes, but it only felt like an hour when i watched it. but anyways, the cinematography and acting were great. i guess the story wasn't that..."important" to me. :ponder:
edit: i find it funny that this film isn't in the top imdb 250 while crash is pretty damned high on the list. ok, enough crash bashing.
Quote from: snaporaz on March 06, 2006, 10:34:33 PM
i know it was only like 90 minutes, but it only felt like an hour when i watched it.
i totally agree. i was pretty surprised when the credits came up. maybe you were secretly engrossed.
i am trying to catch up on shit before the awards here...and decided to check this out...its just good...nothing more...and i actually was bored near the end....i think stone should do these type of films...the good things were the look and feel and all the acting of course...i didnt see al lthe fuss about david straigth-ham..its all a one note performance.... :sleeping:...but i still think he's cool anyways...i think leland palmer has a gorgeous face for black and white photography an di hop epeole use this guy more...i honestly was more satisfied w/crash than this.....this film stole a history of violences spot on best picture...and david stole viggo's acting nod...but my admiration for all parties involved , kept me from totally dissing it..
reality check..its only a B [B-]
I watched this movie with a couple of friends and realised that unless you WANT to know what is being said, and unless you're interested in politics... this movie is nothing short of boring. I was thoroughly impressed with the blatant political message that George Clooney was sending. Although this was a historical drama, I felt that the issues were incredibly relevent, and proof that our political leaders have no concept of history. Furthermore, it broke the monotony of Bush bashing... which loses meaning...
Anyway, about the boredom thing... yeah, if you have no clue about what goes on in the news, and if you don't really know anything about history, you'll sleep through it. My friends did.
Quote from: Thrindle on March 22, 2006, 05:39:15 PM
Anyway, about the boredom thing... yeah, if you have no clue about what goes on in the news, and if you don't really know anything about history, you'll sleep through it we can do without you.
fixed.
Quote from: Thrindle on March 22, 2006, 05:39:15 PM
I watched this movie with a couple of friends and realised that unless you WANT to know what is being said, and unless you're interested in politics... this movie is nothing short of boring. I was thoroughly impressed with the blatant political message that George Clooney was sending. Although this was a historical drama, I felt that the issues were incredibly relevent, and proof that our political leaders have no concept of history. Furthermore, it broke the monotony of Bush bashing... which loses meaning...
Anyway, about the boredom thing... yeah, if you have no clue about what goes on in the news, and if you don't really know anything about history, you'll sleep through it. My friends did.
excuse me miss thang... :nono:, i understand all of the whats, wheres, whys, whos, and hows...and all the relevances to today's poliotics...but the emotional arc was nil...these kind of films [in order to be great] need to have somethign that makes your hair raise on the back of your nexts and gives you the chills...this film is the equivalent of vanilla ice cream....sweet but no flavor....
Quote from: Hedwig on March 22, 2006, 07:36:05 PM
Quote from: Thrindle on March 22, 2006, 05:39:15 PM
Anyway, about the boredom thing... yeah, if you have no clue about what goes on in the news, and if you don't really know anything about history, you'll sleep through it we can do without you.
fixed.
be nice sweety :therethere:
Quote from: pyramid machine on March 23, 2006, 08:44:48 PMexcuse me miss thang... :nono:
I realised after I posted that, that I'd inadvertantly insulted you... tee hee... no matter, I've been meaning to for a while anyway... :yabbse-tongue:
Vanilla ice cream has a flavor. It's called vanilla. (https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.coolemoticons.com%2Femoticons%2Feyes6-coolemoticons.com.gif&hash=092b0261f1f9e969385844496fda0a59f83f3f49)