Good Night and Good Luck

[Whitehall]

So Blue Lateral is just a "newbie" - with 755 posts?

I can see why political topics are discouraged given the above post.

But how does one discuss an overtly political movie with pretenses to a historical tale? Can we discuss "Gone with the Wind" without discussing slavery? "Triumph of the Will"? "Mrs. Miniver"?

We could, I imagine, talk "auteur" theory but I'm sure that "Good Night" is well constructed and done in a craftsman-like way.

Should we compel attendence at certain movies, as in "Clockwork Orange" because they are "good" for us? Of course not. I will rely on prior experience and reviews from others to determine what's worth my time and what's not. Sometimes I'll watch worthless stuff and sometimes I'll miss gems.

Oh well. We lived a long time without movies. I still think political movies are manipulative and I'd rather not be the passive receptor.

[theodoric]

See it first. Make your judgment afterward. YMMV.

[pmsummer]

Dianne Reeves is SPECTACULAR in "Good Night and Good Luck". I just may have to buy the soundtrack.

[pmsummer]

Originally Posted by Whitehall

I still think political movies are manipulative and I'd rather not be the passive receptor.

Insert "newspaper", "TV news", or "pop music". All "art" had better be manipulative, or it will flop. The trick is avoiding overt propaganda.

We won't see the like of Ed Murrow, Walter Cronkite, or Bill Paley again.

I took my most "right-wing" (VERY right-wing) friend to see "Syriana". He hates George Clooney, and he disliked the film for its presentation of the Middle East in relation to the USA, even though it was written by a right-wing maverick. He didn't like the messenger, didn't want to hear the message, and pre-judged it. As closed minded as they come.

But the soundtrack to "Syriana" is great, too.

[dr*audio]

I really liked the music, too! Ditto on getting the soundtrack. Frank Langella put in a great performance as Bill Paley.

[Whitehall]

My point is that deliberatively manipulative political fiction finds no audience with me.

Again, should one have had an open mind to "Triumph of the Will?" What did you come away feeling after "China Syndrome"?

Both "Syriana" and "Good Night" are efforts to persuade using the power of fictive media. They are not subtle about it - good art IS subtle, and ambiguous.

Likewise, newspapers that infuse their articles with blatant slants, one way or the other, are doing me no service. TV news is worst than worthless - I can barely watch Fox news even.

Having one's defenses up when faced with deliberate propaganda is a smart , self-protective move and one all citizens should practice. What happened to critical thinking?

So, was Joe McCarthy correct about the Communists? Were the methods he used good for our political health? Was he driven by self-interest or the country's good? Should Eisenhower have put the kaboosh on Joe earlier - and it was Ike who pulled the rug out from him, not Morrow, at least in most histories.

I don't expect this movie to really get to the heart of those issues. If you come away from just this movie thinking you understand the issues, you don't.

OK, I'll see it when it comes out on DVD....

[tentoze]

And with that little bouquet of sunshine, I say, in the words of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, "Well, King, this case is closed."