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Synopsis
The 2005 film, "Good Night, and Good Luck" is centered around a team of journalists at CBS News in the early 1950s. Edward Murrow, a journalist for CBS firmly believes in exercising his first amendment rights under freedom of speech and the press; He also advocates the importance of disseminating factual information to the public.
Unfortunately, at this particular moment in history, Sen. Joseph McCarthy was attempting to instill fear in Americans by alleging that communists were penetrating the U.S. government. Furthermore, CBS had received word that Milo Radulovich had been eliminated from the U.S. Air Force, as he had been accused of refusing to condemn communism within his family.
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Throughout the film, Murrow along with his news team are determined to publicly denounce Senator McCarthy for his bullying tactics. On one of their broadcasts, Murrow exposed Senator McCarthy's true character by attesting that he falsely labels anyone who contradicts him as a communist without any evidence to back it up.
The CBS team was aware that they would inevitably be villified by Senator McCarthy for taking this risk. Nevertheless, they were confident that the truth would ultimately prevail, which it did in the end.
My response/commentary
Good Night, and Good Luck is now one of the most inspiring and empowering movies I have watched to date. Edward Murrow was a hero and trailblazer throughout the whole film.
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I admired how he was unafraid to exercise his liberties and speak out against injustices. One particular scene that resonated with me was when Murrow talked about how Milo Radulovich had been tried without sufficient evidence.
As I listened to that part, it made me reflect back on Radulovich's television interview in the beginning of the movie when he said his children would be taught that he was a security risk. On one hand, I felt outraged because I believe people should be judged by their actions and characteristics; I also did not like how Radulovich had been penalized based on rumors and hearsay rather than solid proof.
I do, however, applaud Murrow for pointing this out because I doubt that anybody else would have had the courage to do that. Furthermore, this movie has helped me shape a clearer perspective on Joseph McCarthy, and it isn't a positive one.
I have zero tolerance for bullies, having been bullied myself by multiple people. Furthermore, I cannot respect anybody who implements scare tactics to get his or her way because that is downright immature.
My respect for CBS News is greater after watching this movie because I admire their integrity and objectivity when reporting their stories. As a matter of fact, I kind of would like to work for CBS now.
Takeaways from this film
One of the key takeways from this film is advocating for what is right and not allowing others to push you around. I am still trying to master this myself because in the past, I have allowed other people to push me around.
Although I knew what they were doing to me was not right, I was too intimidated to speak up for myself, as I feared how they would retaliate against me. After watching this movie, I now feel more confident to stand my ground and hold other people accountable for their actions.
I do not have time to be afraid, and I refuse to let anybody control me regardless of who or what they are. While I am aware that I will be persecuted and hated for doing what is right, I will not allow that to deter me.
At the end of the day, God is on my side, and He will always protect me against the evil of this world. Another takeaway from the movie aligns with the cliche that, "everyone is innocent until proven guilty."
I detest false accusations, especially that are based off of hearsay, and there isn't any solid evidence to substantiate allegations against an individual. I am a person who believes in listening to the facts, as well as all sides of a story before making a final decision as to whether someone is guilty or innocent.
Connections to other films/books
1.) I thought Senator McCarthy was similar to the character, Hilly Holbrook in the movie/novel "The Help." They both have authoritarian personalities and want to dominate everybody around them; And, if anybody challenges or exposes them, they will go to harsh lengths to retaliate. They both, however are defeated in the end when the same people they tried to bully and oppress confront them for their evil actions.
2.) Joseph McCarthy's claim that communism was infiltrating the U.S. government reminded me somewhat of a book I read titled, "The Color of Law." There was one chapter in The Color of Law that discussed how the Federal Housing Administration used to used blockbusting tactics to induce white flight during the 20th century. They would convince white homeowners that racial integration would cause property values to drop, as more black people relocated into the neighborhoods. Although statistics proved the exact opposite, many white homeowners sold their homes and relocated to suburban communities.
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3.) Edward Murrow reminds me of Attorney Brian Stephenson in the movie, "Just Mercy." These two characters are similar in the sense that they were willing to advocate for what was right and not be intimidated by those in power. They also fought for people who might have been deemed as the underdog, which I think is so nice to see considering it is rare for many people to do what they did.
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