Ryan Scott
31st May 2007, 08:56 AM (08:56)
I've really been on a movie kick lately. I had a gift certificate to Best Buy and this one was only $5, so I picked it up and we watched it last night.
This is George Clooney's homage to his father, a long-time local newscaster. It tells the story of Edward R. Murrow's public stance against Sen. Joe McCarthy and the private struggles that went on behind the scenes. It's a short film (93 minutes) and in black and white.
Clooney directed the picture in the same way Murrow went about his challenge, by using only McCarthy's own words. While the newsroom characters are played by actors and events in the newsroom largely fictionalized, the only images of Sen. McCarthy are from archival footage.
The very obvious theme of the movie is that television has a noble purpose, but even in 1953, when it was relatively new, it was already being hijacked for the sort of mindless entertainment that isolates people from real life and the real world to the point that even the news has become a product.
I saw a number of things that reminded me of current situations, although I believe few, if any, were intended. The acting was well done and the production simple. It's not the most entertaining movie you'll ever see, but if you're into learning about past events it will probably be interesting.
This is George Clooney's homage to his father, a long-time local newscaster. It tells the story of Edward R. Murrow's public stance against Sen. Joe McCarthy and the private struggles that went on behind the scenes. It's a short film (93 minutes) and in black and white.
Clooney directed the picture in the same way Murrow went about his challenge, by using only McCarthy's own words. While the newsroom characters are played by actors and events in the newsroom largely fictionalized, the only images of Sen. McCarthy are from archival footage.
The very obvious theme of the movie is that television has a noble purpose, but even in 1953, when it was relatively new, it was already being hijacked for the sort of mindless entertainment that isolates people from real life and the real world to the point that even the news has become a product.
I saw a number of things that reminded me of current situations, although I believe few, if any, were intended. The acting was well done and the production simple. It's not the most entertaining movie you'll ever see, but if you're into learning about past events it will probably be interesting.