Rent Good Night and Good Luck (2005)

3.7 of 5 from 353 ratings
1h 30min
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  • Available formats
Synopsis:
Good Night, And Good Luck takes place during the early days of US broadcast. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television news pioneer Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) and Senator Joseph McCarthy. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, the ground-breaking Murrow, and his dedicated staff, headed by his producers Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba (George Clooney & Robert Downey Jr.) defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'.
In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on regardless and their tenaciousness eventually pays off when McCarthy is brought before the US Senate. Their legacy has remained intact and even reverberates today as the standard for high quality broadcast journalism.
Actors:
, , , , , , , , Christoph Luty, , Matt Catingub, , , , , , , , ,
Directors:
Writers:
George Clooney, Grant Heslov
Others:
Robert Elswit, Stephen Mirrione, Art Direction: Jim Bissell; Set Decoration: Jan Pascale, Jim Bissell, Jan Pascale
Studio:
Lionsgate Films
Genres:
Drama
Collections:
2006, A Brief History of Films About Television: Part 1, Award Winners, BAFTA Nominations Competition 2024, CinemaParadiso.co.uk Through Time, Getting to Know Eva Marie Saint At 100, Lions on the Lido, A Brief History of Film..., The Instant Expert's Guide, The Instant Expert's Guide to Steven Soderbergh, Top 10 Award Winners at the London Film Festival, Top Films
Awards:

2005 Venice Film Festival Best Actor

2005 Venice Film Festival Best Screen Play

BBFC:
Release Date:
26/06/2006
Run Time:
90 minutes
Languages:
English Dolby Digital 5.1
Subtitles:
English, English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.85:1
Colour:
B & W
BBFC:
Release Date:
03/08/2009
Run Time:
93 minutes
Languages:
English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Subtitles:
English, English Hard of Hearing
DVD Regions:
Region 2
Formats:
Pal
Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen 1.78:1 / 16:9
Colour:
B & W
Bonus:
  • Commentary by George Clooney and Grant Heslov
  • Featurette
  • Photo gallery

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Reviews (6) of Good Night and Good Luck

A highly intelligent piece of film making - Good Night and Good Luck review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
07/10/2008

First of all, feast your eyes on the black and white - think superb portrait, not grainy old films. The atmosphere of the period is beautifully portrayed and there isn't a poor performance in the film. Yes, it's still highly relevant and should, perhaps, be compulsory viewing for politicians on both sides of the Atlantic. If you aren't sure what the Mcarthey era was about, watch this - a gripping film on all levels.

4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.

Still important today - Good Night and Good Luck review by CP Customer

Spoiler Alert
26/05/2008

The movie tells the story of Ed Murrow of CBS during the mid-50's when McCarthy hunted "communists". It may not be completely historically correct, but in a time when we are in a "War against terrorism" and religious fundamentalists are trying to intimidate journalists, it is worth to repeat that journalists should be independent of money/politics/ideologies in order to investigate politicians who want to "protect" us from evil or minorities who think they should not be subject to criticism/investigative journalism. Seems to capture the time good with a chain-smoking Murrow!

2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.

Blend of old and new - Good Night and Good Luck review by JD

Spoiler Alert
19/08/2010

Footage from the era of fanatical commie paranoia serves to emphasise the reality of this worrying historical fact, that it is easy to fear being victimised and allow bullies to reign. Religions throughout time have had periods of this oppression of free thought, some much more intensely and for much longer. Even now in Western society there are fanatics keen to assert themselves in this way.

The acting of Clooney and Downey is excellent but some is mediocre. The black and white photography was well worked (lots of cigarette smoke curling through rays of back-light).

The reason that I don't rate higher is that it is not a particularly gripping plot nor did I feel the paranoia, which seemed to be the intention of the film. The moral is not new and has been done better.

1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.

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