Here is the place for your opinions and comments of the film viewed in class. Consider the implications of the McCarthy hearings and the ensuing media coverage for the culture of television.
Well ill start off by saying this film was brilliantly shot. As a production major focusing on Film, I have a huge appreciation for black and white films. Non Color films can easily lose the focus of many audiences but Good Night and Good Luck had so many things going on it constantly kept you wanting to know what the next conspiracy was going to be. All and all it was a great story, you went through an array of emotions and the ending kept you wanting to stay in tune.
Good Night and Good Luck was not only an interesting film, but one that accurately portrays the fear that the media had to overcome during the McCarthy era. Anything that was not the "American Ideal" was deemed Communist, including media reports that were made during this movie that critiqued the senator's hearings. Many studios and corporations were afraid to report on anything against McCarthy for fear of being added to his "list" of Communist supporters/sympathizers. Edward Murrow and his producer to vowed to expose McCarthy as a man who exploits the American public's fear of the remnants of the Cold War; a vow that has serious consequences for both men and the CBS network.
I believe that this film is very important in regards to journalism. During the conclusion of Murrow's speech at the end of the film, he mentions that journalists have a responsibility to bring the public the truth. Murrow's story on McCarthy, as well as the words in his speech set the stage for what I think should be a standard journalist code. It is my opinion that if the media will not bring people the truth no matter how terrible or horrifying, then there is no point in reporting it. The same goes for good news as well - the truth is what is most important. I have heard before that it is the duty of the journalist to have an unbiased opinion when reporting. This is not to say that networks do not have their own political views in regards to what news is being covered, but I think that it is important to inform people of the truth. Unfortunately when it comes to coverage of trials, the media tends to influence a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset for those who pay close attention to these stories. The news story on senator McCarthy in Good Night and Good Luck aimed to give the American people peace of mind to counter the fear that McCarthy was forcing upon them. I find it interesting that in today's media, news reports have the capability of doing the opposite; that is, instilling anger and frustration into the minds of viewers at home with particular regard to trial and/or war coverage.
I also agree with Lena - this film was well-shot and interesting despite being a black and white film. There were a few times where I missed some of the dialogue so it was a little hard to follow what the characters were discussing, but I don't believe that was any fault of the film. I was able to understand the message of the film and what it stands for.
When we first started the film in class, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not. I was actually really shocked at how much I ended up liking this movie. I think it was really well done. I don't know how to really explain it, but I felt like the movie was incredibly simple, yet also really complex. And that weird combination is what really made it work. The concepts and theories that were being discussed we complex (the ideas of McCarthyism and what was happening in television at that time), but the way the movie was shot was simple. For the most part, there was one setting and there wasn't an overbearing amount of characters. It focused on telling one specific story and I believe it did it very successfully. I also thought that this was a very appropriate film to show seeing as we talked about this topic in class. I also happen to be learning about this same timeframe of the McCarthyism era in another one of my classes, so it actually ended up working perfectly. I also like the fact that they used real footage from the 1950s. It showed that the film was actually trying to stay true to historical accuracy, which is always good to see. Because of this the film was able to both entertain and educate.
I also find the whole idea of McCarthyism fascinating in the sense that I feel like something like that would never really happen our day in age. Television during that time had to be so different and it's crazy to think of how many people ended up losing their jobs (and lives) because of the accusations that were made towards them. I feel as though in today's society there would be a lot more revolt and rejection against the concepts and ideas if something along the lines of McCarthyism and intense censorship were to happen.
"Good night and Good Luck" was very successful in capturing the feeling of the 1950's. Having the entire film in black and white was a great choice along with the wardrobe. As far as capturing the feeling of fear and finger pointing, I believe this film handled an issue that some of the audience couldn't relate to because they weren't around in those times and made us understand to an extent what turmoil families and individuals truly went through. The use of media to combat McCarthyism was interesting because in the 1950's television was much newer and wasn't nearly as uncensored as we see in present day. Murrow and his crew really were venturing in to dangerous territory with there attempts so expose McCarthy. When McCarthy fired back at Murrow you are given the feeling that McCarthy really wasn't trying to help America, but he was using his power to blacklist anyone who opposed him. He accused Murrow of being a Communist Sympathizer. All and all on top of being a very hard hitting beautifully shot film, the purpose of "Good Night and Good Luck" is to show how strong media can be for both good and evil. Media is a very powerful tool, but it can fall into the wrong hands.
When I saw that we were going to watch Good Night and Good Luck I was insanely excited. It had always been on my list of movies that I wanted/needed to watch, but I just never got around to it, but, after watching it in class, I wish I had seen it sooner. Besides the writing, which was astounding, the overall look of the film was perfect. The black and white filter gave the feel that you should be watching this in a movie theater in 1958; I even felt like I should have been wearing a 50s dress with my hair in swooping curls. I was in love with the costume choices, mostly because the designer would have had to pick clothes that looked good and made the people looked good in black and white, which now a days isn't a common practice that has to be thought about. I was also in love with the direction that the film went in. George Clooney did many interesting things with the shots of the movie, close ups in unusual places and things of the like, and he seemed very connected with the story he was trying to tell. I could see the admiration he had for Edward R. Murrow and what he did for television and the truth. Above everything else though, the selling point of the entire movie was the work of the cast. Everyone performed their roles phenomenally, from Robert Downey Jr. as the loyal and secretly married Joe Wershba to David Strathairn as Murrow during a crazy time in the world of media and entertainment. Each person brought something to the table to bring their characters alive. I am in complete awe of this movie and can't wait till I have time to watch it again.
I agree with Katie on a lot of her points. The acting was pretty phenomenal, especially on the part of David Straithan. I'm not too familiar with Edward R. Murrow but somehow I still know that Straithan played the role perfectly. Robert Downey Jr., George Clooney, and Patricia Clarkson also gave great performances that carried the movie along and were very entertaining. I also agree with her that Clooney's decision to have the movie in black and white is a really good one. It transports the viewers back into the 50's. There was nothing in the movie that made me think it wasn't shot in the 1950's. I love period pieces, and this one, from the costumes to the props to the sets, really takes the cake. The cinematography is gorgeous. The script is well written as well. It really gives us kids who weren't around at the time a perspective into McCarthyism and how it was a scary thing at the time. I definitely felt really bad for Murrow at the end, when the head of CBS changed his slot from a Thursday night or whatever it was to a Sunday afternoon. That really didn't seem fair, after all the positive press their report on McCarthy received. In a way, he kind of gave in to McCarthy and let him win. I think the CBS head should have stood by his news team.
Good night and Good luck, gives us an idea about how news broadcast try to hide true information about America or the world from the public. Throughout the movie, you can see Edward R. Morrow's struggle to air real news and the truth to the world, but William Paley stopping in his way or Morrow being stuck interviewing hollywood stars. Edward R. Morrow had that problem of hiring the truth in 1953. To us that is ages ago. Just imagine that this problem occurred during his time, and now I'm positive that this problem got even bigger in our day and age. During the 1950s, there were a lot of big media conglomerates that owned a lot of media vehicles. So let's say one news broadcast didn't inform good real news, other broadcasts would probably be different. Now in the 21st century, we only have five big media conglomerates that own a lot if not all information that goes out to the public. Even though the TV feels like there is a lot of channels, most of these channels are owned by one of the five. So definitely there are news out there that is being hidden from the public. When Morrow gives his speech to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, he tells the audience that TV is not something the public should waste their time being informed about education or just news, just because he knows the dirty truth that happens behind the news broadcast.
Probably the bravest thing that CBS news did, was attacking Joseph McCarthy and his hatred towards Communism. Morrow and Fred W. Friendly took a stand and showed the world McCarthy's tactics to scare the public about Communism. That is a big major move to bring down McCarthy, as he is a famous American Senator who influenced America to believe that Communism is frowned upon. Of course there were consequences, for example Don Hollenbeck who killed himself after he was accused of being a sympathetic towards Communists in one of the biggest news paper during their time. We don't see that happening now a days. I'm thinking if someone were to bring down a senator of America, they would murdered or reported missing the next day.
"Good Night and Good Luck" was a brilliant film in my opinion. Not to mention the great casting of the roles in this movie, but the fact that it was filmed in black and white was certainly intriguing to me. Besides the production aspect of this film, the content was also extremely interesting. I have of course learned about McCarthyism in all of my history classes but I have never been able to watch a film about it. This movie did an excellent job portraying the sequence of events that occurred during this time and how the media, who are the people that should be reporting everything about the news, were too scared to report on certain events, such as the Air Force issue, because they lived in fear of being considered a communist. It was incredibly brave and willful of CBS to essentially attack McCarthy and the way he was treating innocent civilians just because he had suspicions of people being communists. It was not only brave of Edward Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly to face McCarthy and report on the events that were occurring, but it was extremely ethical on their part. When it comes to reporting on stories in the media, ethics always come into play. What is right and what is wrong when it comes to what the public should know? Murrow, after being exposed by McCarthy for being an alleged communist, still refused to stand down. Murrow and Friendly stood by their convictions on McCarthy and changed not only the media today but helped bring down McCarthy. If we think about the media and major news outlets today, we are pretty much informed about everything that is going on. For example, when it comes to the NSA scandal, all of the main television networks are reporting on the issue and the fact that the government is spying on innocent civilians. I’m sure the government does not want all of this negative publicity but if this was in the 1950s, during the time of McCarthyism, this certainly would have been just as big of an issue to run as a story. All in all, this film was extremely well done and my hat goes off to George Clooney on directing such an informative and successful film.
I had never known George Clooney directed before and I was pleasantly surprised. The cinematography and acting are phenomenal and both concrete the era and feeling of the film for the viewer. In terms of the historical implications of these events on and because of television I would say they are an interesting set of events to explore. I think by looking back on a time when TV was the newest most popular medium we can see just how much it can affect our lives. Television was responsible for creating a mass hysteria over the red invasion due to McCarthy's accusations. Not only would he be scaring the masses about possible spies but more so of being accused as they seemed to have no evidence against the masses taken to trial. Television offered the news industry the platform to combat McCarthy with a trustworthy attacker, Murrow. After such a public battle against a political icon and television icon people would need to be more cautious about making enemies in the media. In today's day and age the media may be the only thing that can make or break your reputation.
I really enjoyed watching "Good Night and Good Luck." and its creative film shots. It was cool to see how life was back then for the television industry. Something that caught my attention was that the whole movie was in black and white. Usually when they reenact a time period they use color because that is what we are accustomed to. I think a quality that helped the picture although it was in black in white was the interesting choice of music and frame shots. the choice of shots helped me to focus more on the content opposed to the props and clothing worn. If the movie was black and white with no interesting shot choices it may have been boring but the subtle touches added great details to the film. Did anyone else enjoy the choice of making the film in black and white?
I really enjoyed Good Night, and Good Luck, more so than I thought I was going to. It offered a look into an issue that I have not had much experience studying – McCarthyism. It is a term that I have heard before but never really understood the context behind, and for that alone I found this a worthwhile film. What I found most interesting about it was the comparison it brought up in my mind between news media today versus in the ‘50s. In the film, there is a sense of intense fear and censorship of the journalists of being labeled as a communist for speaking out against McCarthy. This is something we don’t necessarily see today. It was bold for Murrow to step out and speak against McCarthy when most weren’t, and he did it because there was a sense that journalists should be unbiased and speak the truth, no matter what. I wondered how a similar scenario would play out today, because there is a sense in the general publics opinion that mainstream news corporations in American today do not necessarily expose all and instead focus on other stories. This is why there is an explosion of alternative newspapers on the internet, aimed at really telling “news.” This shows just how important the internet is to getting out news today. In the era of Good Night, and Good Luck there was no alternative way of getting news besides TV, and thus there was a greater responsibility Murrow felt in his reporting. If a similar scenario were to happen today, I don’t think that there was be as intense a fear of censorship.
I must say that I really enjoyed “Goodnight and Good luck”. Without a doubt one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. I found myself very attracted to many different aspects of the movie. Particularly to the character of Edward R Murrow and the directing style of George Clooney. I loved the way Clooney had many closeup camera shots in this film. It allowed the audience to capture the emotions and thoughts of each character and to analyze every emotion. You could easily follow the detailed actions of each character and get a better sense of the how they were feelings or what they were thinking. I also believe that because the movie was filmed in black and white it was easier for the audience to follow the story line and not be distracted by other things in the background of the film. This directing style made the viewing experience a more personal one in my opinion. I also found myself very intrigued by the character of Edward R Murrow because his personal views and values on media greatly reflected mine. I strongly believe that Murrow’s fear of television for the future has come true in modern television. The inaccuracy of news reporting and the poor quality of content on many programs has created a very poor and unreliable informational and educational system for all American television viewers. I also loved the way Murrow had believed and understood how important it was too present the public with factual and unbiased news information. I believe it is American broadcast journalists like Murrow that our country needs more than ever right now. As our news broadcasts today are becoming more and more unreliable to obtain accurate information from. David Strathaim portrayed the character of Edward R Murrow in a phenomenal way, showing his bravery and passion for journalism and his determination to help the American public.
I enjoy watching a film that can captivate an audience without shoot outs, explosions and bikinis. The dream team cast delivered amazing performances. They were true to the time period which gave the audience an authentic account of a major occurrence in the history of our country. I also enjoyed the cinematography. The way they used close-ups and how they manipulated depth of field blurring images through cigarette smoke was very innovative. I see why they won two awards in this category. When you think that these events truly happened you appreciate old school journalism and its practitioners who were dedicated to keeping the public informed about issues that impacted their lives. These guys were fearless. The story they needed to tell was bigger than the adversary they would confront. Clooney did an amazing job bring us this epic battle.
Hi everyone, I'm sorry I'm so late to the conversation. A couple people pointed out the responsibility our media has in delivering truth -- with equal recognition of the biased approach to delivery. Reference Vic's point to "a 'guilty until proven innocent" mindset.' A complementary point to Vic's about Murrow's intention being to give viewers peace of mind while today our media infuses anger, I would add that our media also aims to instill fear.
During the climactic report when Murrow and his network risked professional suicide, I found myself wondering if this helped frame editorialization for the future of media. In other words, being that Murrow's report was so charged and countered with an attack of unpatriotic propagandizing, is this part of the reason -- so many years prior to the OJ chase -- that we now have "reporters" delivering opinion rather than information?
Although I didn't quite "get it," I found this film brilliant. This is one of those films I will need to watch time and time again to understand it. It's very subtle. But, in my experiences of taking film classes (at my previous college before I transferred) this film hits all the points made that make a film, brilliant. The acting, the dialog, the cinematography, the camera angles, and of course, the directing. It was simply great. I think I'll need to watch it again because I missed some of the dialog, but I grasped enough of the plot by watching it and Professor's comments to understand it. I'm really glad I watched this film and I can mark it off on my list of "films to watch" I will be reviewing this film.
this was my first first time seeing good night and good luck, and i really enjoyed it. in fact i watched it again at home just so i could see it all the way through with no interruptions. it was engaging thanks in part to George Clooney's directing as well as casting and cinematography. In regards to the McCarthy hearings and their media coverage and their affect on American television culture i think it really gave some courage to reporters and journalists by showing them that you don't have to sit back and just let something happen for fear of it happening to you for trying to stop it. by doing so it paved the way for today's reporters, newscasters and satirists such as john stewart and stephen colbert.
Goodnight and Good Luck was eye opening for me. I had learned about the McMarthy hearings in high school and college history courses but this depiction was downright amazing. I think that it was smart to film the movie in black and white. I felt like it really put me in the moment. It made me feel like I had gone back in time and that I was actually a person sitting in my living room watching them on TV. I think that it impacted media coverage greatly because now suddenly things that people weren't necessarily privy to were. Visually you were able to experience seeing McCarthy and seeing the journalists. Nonverbal cues are important in deciphering someone's true meaning. When McCarthy stands up and leaves in the middle of a trial, you see that. You see exactly what he is doing. I think the braveness of journalists also opened something up in media culture. They took a chance and took down a man who needed to be taken down.
Well ill start off by saying this film was brilliantly shot. As a production major focusing on Film, I have a huge appreciation for black and white films. Non Color films can easily lose the focus of many audiences but Good Night and Good Luck had so many things going on it constantly kept you wanting to know what the next conspiracy was going to be. All and all it was a great story, you went through an array of emotions and the ending kept you wanting to stay in tune.
ReplyDeleteGood Night and Good Luck was not only an interesting film, but one that accurately portrays the fear that the media had to overcome during the McCarthy era. Anything that was not the "American Ideal" was deemed Communist, including media reports that were made during this movie that critiqued the senator's hearings. Many studios and corporations were afraid to report on anything against McCarthy for fear of being added to his "list" of Communist supporters/sympathizers. Edward Murrow and his producer to vowed to expose McCarthy as a man who exploits the American public's fear of the remnants of the Cold War; a vow that has serious consequences for both men and the CBS network.
ReplyDeleteI believe that this film is very important in regards to journalism. During the conclusion of Murrow's speech at the end of the film, he mentions that journalists have a responsibility to bring the public the truth. Murrow's story on McCarthy, as well as the words in his speech set the stage for what I think should be a standard journalist code. It is my opinion that if the media will not bring people the truth no matter how terrible or horrifying, then there is no point in reporting it. The same goes for good news as well - the truth is what is most important. I have heard before that it is the duty of the journalist to have an unbiased opinion when reporting. This is not to say that networks do not have their own political views in regards to what news is being covered, but I think that it is important to inform people of the truth. Unfortunately when it comes to coverage of trials, the media tends to influence a "guilty until proven innocent" mindset for those who pay close attention to these stories. The news story on senator McCarthy in Good Night and Good Luck aimed to give the American people peace of mind to counter the fear that McCarthy was forcing upon them. I find it interesting that in today's media, news reports have the capability of doing the opposite; that is, instilling anger and frustration into the minds of viewers at home with particular regard to trial and/or war coverage.
I also agree with Lena - this film was well-shot and interesting despite being a black and white film. There were a few times where I missed some of the dialogue so it was a little hard to follow what the characters were discussing, but I don't believe that was any fault of the film. I was able to understand the message of the film and what it stands for.
I agree, it is easy to miss some of the dialogue, it is done in a very naturalistic and subtle way much of the time.
DeleteWhen we first started the film in class, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it or not. I was actually really shocked at how much I ended up liking this movie. I think it was really well done. I don't know how to really explain it, but I felt like the movie was incredibly simple, yet also really complex. And that weird combination is what really made it work. The concepts and theories that were being discussed we complex (the ideas of McCarthyism and what was happening in television at that time), but the way the movie was shot was simple. For the most part, there was one setting and there wasn't an overbearing amount of characters. It focused on telling one specific story and I believe it did it very successfully. I also thought that this was a very appropriate film to show seeing as we talked about this topic in class. I also happen to be learning about this same timeframe of the McCarthyism era in another one of my classes, so it actually ended up working perfectly. I also like the fact that they used real footage from the 1950s. It showed that the film was actually trying to stay true to historical accuracy, which is always good to see. Because of this the film was able to both entertain and educate.
ReplyDeleteI also find the whole idea of McCarthyism fascinating in the sense that I feel like something like that would never really happen our day in age. Television during that time had to be so different and it's crazy to think of how many people ended up losing their jobs (and lives) because of the accusations that were made towards them. I feel as though in today's society there would be a lot more revolt and rejection against the concepts and ideas if something along the lines of McCarthyism and intense censorship were to happen.
"Good night and Good Luck" was very successful in capturing the feeling of the 1950's. Having the entire film in black and white was a great choice along with the wardrobe. As far as capturing the feeling of fear and finger pointing, I believe this film handled an issue that some of the audience couldn't relate to because they weren't around in those times and made us understand to an extent what turmoil families and individuals truly went through. The use of media to combat McCarthyism was interesting because in the 1950's television was much newer and wasn't nearly as uncensored as we see in present day. Murrow and his crew really were venturing in to dangerous territory with there attempts so expose McCarthy. When McCarthy fired back at Murrow you are given the feeling that McCarthy really wasn't trying to help America, but he was using his power to blacklist anyone who opposed him. He accused Murrow of being a Communist Sympathizer. All and all on top of being a very hard hitting beautifully shot film, the purpose of "Good Night and Good Luck" is to show how strong media can be for both good and evil. Media is a very powerful tool, but it can fall into the wrong hands.
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw that we were going to watch Good Night and Good Luck I was insanely excited. It had always been on my list of movies that I wanted/needed to watch, but I just never got around to it, but, after watching it in class, I wish I had seen it sooner. Besides the writing, which was astounding, the overall look of the film was perfect. The black and white filter gave the feel that you should be watching this in a movie theater in 1958; I even felt like I should have been wearing a 50s dress with my hair in swooping curls. I was in love with the costume choices, mostly because the designer would have had to pick clothes that looked good and made the people looked good in black and white, which now a days isn't a common practice that has to be thought about. I was also in love with the direction that the film went in. George Clooney did many interesting things with the shots of the movie, close ups in unusual places and things of the like, and he seemed very connected with the story he was trying to tell. I could see the admiration he had for Edward R. Murrow and what he did for television and the truth. Above everything else though, the selling point of the entire movie was the work of the cast. Everyone performed their roles phenomenally, from Robert Downey Jr. as the loyal and secretly married Joe Wershba to David Strathairn as Murrow during a crazy time in the world of media and entertainment. Each person brought something to the table to bring their characters alive. I am in complete awe of this movie and can't wait till I have time to watch it again.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Katie on a lot of her points. The acting was pretty phenomenal, especially on the part of David Straithan. I'm not too familiar with Edward R. Murrow but somehow I still know that Straithan played the role perfectly. Robert Downey Jr., George Clooney, and Patricia Clarkson also gave great performances that carried the movie along and were very entertaining. I also agree with her that Clooney's decision to have the movie in black and white is a really good one. It transports the viewers back into the 50's. There was nothing in the movie that made me think it wasn't shot in the 1950's. I love period pieces, and this one, from the costumes to the props to the sets, really takes the cake. The cinematography is gorgeous. The script is well written as well. It really gives us kids who weren't around at the time a perspective into McCarthyism and how it was a scary thing at the time. I definitely felt really bad for Murrow at the end, when the head of CBS changed his slot from a Thursday night or whatever it was to a Sunday afternoon. That really didn't seem fair, after all the positive press their report on McCarthy received. In a way, he kind of gave in to McCarthy and let him win. I think the CBS head should have stood by his news team.
ReplyDeleteGood night and Good luck, gives us an idea about how news broadcast try to hide true information about America or the world from the public. Throughout the movie, you can see Edward R. Morrow's struggle to air real news and the truth to the world, but William Paley stopping in his way or Morrow being stuck interviewing hollywood stars. Edward R. Morrow had that problem of hiring the truth in 1953. To us that is ages ago. Just imagine that this problem occurred during his time, and now I'm positive that this problem got even bigger in our day and age. During the 1950s, there were a lot of big media conglomerates that owned a lot of media vehicles. So let's say one news broadcast didn't inform good real news, other broadcasts would probably be different. Now in the 21st century, we only have five big media conglomerates that own a lot if not all information that goes out to the public. Even though the TV feels like there is a lot of channels, most of these channels are owned by one of the five. So definitely there are news out there that is being hidden from the public. When Morrow gives his speech to the Radio and Television News Directors Association, he tells the audience that TV is not something the public should waste their time being informed about education or just news, just because he knows the dirty truth that happens behind the news broadcast.
ReplyDeleteProbably the bravest thing that CBS news did, was attacking Joseph McCarthy and his hatred towards Communism. Morrow and Fred W. Friendly took a stand and showed the world McCarthy's tactics to scare the public about Communism. That is a big major move to bring down McCarthy, as he is a famous American Senator who influenced America to believe that Communism is frowned upon. Of course there were consequences, for example Don Hollenbeck who killed himself after he was accused of being a sympathetic towards Communists in one of the biggest news paper during their time. We don't see that happening now a days. I'm thinking if someone were to bring down a senator of America, they would murdered or reported missing the next day.
"Good Night and Good Luck" was a brilliant film in my opinion. Not to mention the great casting of the roles in this movie, but the fact that it was filmed in black and white was certainly intriguing to me. Besides the production aspect of this film, the content was also extremely interesting. I have of course learned about McCarthyism in all of my history classes but I have never been able to watch a film about it. This movie did an excellent job portraying the sequence of events that occurred during this time and how the media, who are the people that should be reporting everything about the news, were too scared to report on certain events, such as the Air Force issue, because they lived in fear of being considered a communist. It was incredibly brave and willful of CBS to essentially attack McCarthy and the way he was treating innocent civilians just because he had suspicions of people being communists. It was not only brave of Edward Murrow and his producer Fred Friendly to face McCarthy and report on the events that were occurring, but it was extremely ethical on their part. When it comes to reporting on stories in the media, ethics always come into play. What is right and what is wrong when it comes to what the public should know? Murrow, after being exposed by McCarthy for being an alleged communist, still refused to stand down. Murrow and Friendly stood by their convictions on McCarthy and changed not only the media today but helped bring down McCarthy. If we think about the media and major news outlets today, we are pretty much informed about everything that is going on. For example, when it comes to the NSA scandal, all of the main television networks are reporting on the issue and the fact that the government is spying on innocent civilians. I’m sure the government does not want all of this negative publicity but if this was in the 1950s, during the time of McCarthyism, this certainly would have been just as big of an issue to run as a story. All in all, this film was extremely well done and my hat goes off to George Clooney on directing such an informative and successful film.
ReplyDeleteI had never known George Clooney directed before and I was pleasantly surprised. The cinematography and acting are phenomenal and both concrete the era and feeling of the film for the viewer. In terms of the historical implications of these events on and because of television I would say they are an interesting set of events to explore. I think by looking back on a time when TV was the newest most popular medium we can see just how much it can affect our lives. Television was responsible for creating a mass hysteria over the red invasion due to McCarthy's accusations. Not only would he be scaring the masses about possible spies but more so of being accused as they seemed to have no evidence against the masses taken to trial. Television offered the news industry the platform to combat McCarthy with a trustworthy attacker, Murrow. After such a public battle against a political icon and television icon people would need to be more cautious about making enemies in the media. In today's day and age the media may be the only thing that can make or break your reputation.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching "Good Night and Good Luck." and its creative film shots. It was cool to see how life was back then for the television industry. Something that caught my attention was that the whole movie was in black and white. Usually when they reenact a time period they use color because that is what we are accustomed to. I think a quality that helped the picture although it was in black in white was the interesting choice of music and frame shots. the choice of shots helped me to focus more on the content opposed to the props and clothing worn. If the movie was black and white with no interesting shot choices it may have been boring but the subtle touches added great details to the film. Did anyone else enjoy the choice of making the film in black and white?
ReplyDeleteGood points, when shooting in black and white there are many challenges to keeping visual interest happening.
DeleteI really enjoyed Good Night, and Good Luck, more so than I thought I was going to. It offered a look into an issue that I have not had much experience studying – McCarthyism. It is a term that I have heard before but never really understood the context behind, and for that alone I found this a worthwhile film. What I found most interesting about it was the comparison it brought up in my mind between news media today versus in the ‘50s. In the film, there is a sense of intense fear and censorship of the journalists of being labeled as a communist for speaking out against McCarthy. This is something we don’t necessarily see today. It was bold for Murrow to step out and speak against McCarthy when most weren’t, and he did it because there was a sense that journalists should be unbiased and speak the truth, no matter what. I wondered how a similar scenario would play out today, because there is a sense in the general publics opinion that mainstream news corporations in American today do not necessarily expose all and instead focus on other stories. This is why there is an explosion of alternative newspapers on the internet, aimed at really telling “news.” This shows just how important the internet is to getting out news today. In the era of Good Night, and Good Luck there was no alternative way of getting news besides TV, and thus there was a greater responsibility Murrow felt in his reporting. If a similar scenario were to happen today, I don’t think that there was be as intense a fear of censorship.
ReplyDeleteI must say that I really enjoyed “Goodnight and Good luck”. Without a doubt one of the best movies I have seen in awhile. I found myself very attracted to many different aspects of the movie. Particularly to the character of Edward R Murrow and the directing style of George Clooney. I loved the way Clooney had many closeup camera shots in this film. It allowed the audience to capture the emotions and thoughts of each character and to analyze every emotion. You could easily follow the detailed actions of each character and get a better sense of the how they were feelings or what they were thinking. I also believe that because the movie was filmed in black and white it was easier for the audience to follow the story line and not be distracted by other things in the background of the film. This directing style made the viewing experience a more personal one in my opinion. I also found myself very intrigued by the character of Edward R Murrow because his personal views and values on media greatly reflected mine. I strongly believe that Murrow’s fear of television for the future has come true in modern television. The inaccuracy of news reporting and the poor quality of content on many programs has created a very poor and unreliable informational and educational system for all American television viewers. I also loved the way Murrow had believed and understood how important it was too present the public with factual and unbiased news information. I believe it is American broadcast journalists like Murrow that our country needs more than ever right now. As our news broadcasts today are becoming more and more unreliable to obtain accurate information from. David Strathaim portrayed the character of Edward R Murrow in a phenomenal way, showing his bravery and passion for journalism and his determination to help the American public.
ReplyDelete-Salvatore Vona
I enjoy watching a film that can captivate an audience without shoot outs, explosions and bikinis. The dream team cast delivered amazing performances. They were true to the time period which gave the audience an authentic account of a major occurrence in the history of our country. I also enjoyed the cinematography. The way they used close-ups and how they manipulated depth of field blurring images through cigarette smoke was very innovative. I see why they won two awards in this category. When you think that these events truly happened you appreciate old school journalism and its practitioners who were dedicated to keeping the public informed about issues that impacted their lives. These guys were fearless. The story they needed to tell was bigger than the adversary they would confront. Clooney did an amazing job bring us this epic battle.
ReplyDeleteHi everyone, I'm sorry I'm so late to the conversation. A couple people pointed out the responsibility our media has in delivering truth -- with equal recognition of the biased approach to delivery. Reference Vic's point to "a 'guilty until proven innocent" mindset.' A complementary point to Vic's about Murrow's intention being to give viewers peace of mind while today our media infuses anger, I would add that our media also aims to instill fear.
ReplyDeleteDuring the climactic report when Murrow and his network risked professional suicide, I found myself wondering if this helped frame editorialization for the future of media. In other words, being that Murrow's report was so charged and countered with an attack of unpatriotic propagandizing, is this part of the reason -- so many years prior to the OJ chase -- that we now have "reporters" delivering opinion rather than information?
Although I didn't quite "get it," I found this film brilliant. This is one of those films I will need to watch time and time again to understand it. It's very subtle. But, in my experiences of taking film classes (at my previous college before I transferred) this film hits all the points made that make a film, brilliant. The acting, the dialog, the cinematography, the camera angles, and of course, the directing. It was simply great. I think I'll need to watch it again because I missed some of the dialog, but I grasped enough of the plot by watching it and Professor's comments to understand it. I'm really glad I watched this film and I can mark it off on my list of "films to watch" I will be reviewing this film.
ReplyDeleteAlso, sometimes black and white films can be a little...dry. But this was done in such a way that it did not have this issue.
Deletethis was my first first time seeing good night and good luck, and i really enjoyed it. in fact i watched it again at home just so i could see it all the way through with no interruptions. it was engaging thanks in part to George Clooney's directing as well as casting and cinematography. In regards to the McCarthy hearings and their media coverage and their affect on American television culture i think it really gave some courage to reporters and journalists by showing them that you don't have to sit back and just let something happen for fear of it happening to you for trying to stop it. by doing so it paved the way for today's reporters, newscasters and satirists such as john stewart and stephen colbert.
ReplyDeleteGoodnight and Good Luck was eye opening for me. I had learned about the McMarthy hearings in high school and college history courses but this depiction was downright amazing. I think that it was smart to film the movie in black and white. I felt like it really put me in the moment. It made me feel like I had gone back in time and that I was actually a person sitting in my living room watching them on TV. I think that it impacted media coverage greatly because now suddenly things that people weren't necessarily privy to were. Visually you were able to experience seeing McCarthy and seeing the journalists. Nonverbal cues are important in deciphering someone's true meaning. When McCarthy stands up and leaves in the middle of a trial, you see that. You see exactly what he is doing. I think the braveness of journalists also opened something up in media culture. They took a chance and took down a man who needed to be taken down.
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