Film ReviewsBest of Enemies
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The stage was set for the 1968 Presidential election between Richard Nixon of the Republican Party, Hubert Humphrey of the Democratic Party, and Independent George Wallace. But before the November election, there were the Republican and Democratic conventions in the spring of '68. At the same time, the three major networks-NBC, CBS, and ABC-were competing for coverage and ratings. Of the three, ABC was last in prominence. Up until this point in television, coverage of events was rather bland and impersonal; and then ABC had a bright idea it would pair two intellectuals from opposing political spectrums, preferably a pair with an already-established loathing for one another, and pit them one-against-the-other in a philosophical showdown live on the tube. ABC found its pair of philosophical adversaries in William F. Buckley Jr. an ultra-conservative, and Gore Vidal, a liberal. The feature-length documentary, Best of Enemies, written and directed by Robert Gordon and Morgan Neville, focuses on the 10 televised debates between Buckley and Vidal moderated by Howard K Smith. The debates took place during the Republican convention in Florida, and the Democratic convention in Chicago. ABC's gamble paid off, it soared in rankings and provided a new format for making debates into dramatic and cerebral boxing matches. In addition to the two elite talking heads, the documentary also prominently stars John Lithgow as the off-camera voice for Vidal and Kelsey Grammer as the off-camera voice for Buckley. Additional observations and context is provided by Sam Tanenhaus, Buckley's authorized biographer, Dick Cavett, Noam Chomsky, and Christopher Hitchens.
The filmmakers do a poor job of introducing Best of Enemies to viewers who may have no idea who Buckley and Vidal are. The documentary opens up with wide shots panning the Mediterranean Coast to introduce Vidal and then abruptly jumps into the debate story, and while it eventually provides viewers with context and information, viewers born after 1970 may be at a loss and will have to wait to have all the information they need to understand the full impact of the debates on American political discourse, not to mention to enjoy the show. However, once Best of Enemies revs to full speed, using debate footage and allowing the adversaries to speak for themselves and about a time in television and political history that was a catalyst for a paradigm shift, the documentary becomes exceptionally interesting.
The Buckley-Vidal debates reflected the unraveling of a homogeneous illusion that the US or America is a white, Christian, straight, affluent nation. The irony is that both men were in some ways, more alike than different. They each had exceptional intellect, they each defined their own place in history as much as they could, and they both loved the US and its people; and yet the basic differences in political philosophies were magnified. When the two giants clashed on the air they broke open political dialogue that subsequently shattered and splintered into the media insanity that exists today. It's difficult to imagine how any debate of a caliber like the Buckley-Vidal confrontation would do in the current media climate awash in social media, blogs, print, television, talk radio, etc. especially in an anti-intellectual America. On the one hand, the social fractures that were caused by the Buckley-Vidal debates on political analysis and social understanding gave rise to many modes of new expressions about topics that are still contentious today; but they also unleashed the dynamics of identity politics and a gloves-off approach to winning arguments reflected through irresponsible media coverage of issues. Then again, the personal and bellicose nature of the Buckley-Vidal debates also gave rise to drama and comedy. Who knows if Saturday Night Live's "Jane, you ignorant slut!" skit would have ever come to fruition if it weren't for the iconoclasts of Best of Enemies.
Best of Friends shows at Bear Tooth on Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m.
The filmmakers do a poor job of introducing Best of Enemies to viewers who may have no idea who Buckley and Vidal are. The documentary opens up with wide shots panning the Mediterranean Coast to introduce Vidal and then abruptly jumps into the debate story, and while it eventually provides viewers with context and information, viewers born after 1970 may be at a loss and will have to wait to have all the information they need to understand the full impact of the debates on American political discourse, not to mention to enjoy the show. However, once Best of Enemies revs to full speed, using debate footage and allowing the adversaries to speak for themselves and about a time in television and political history that was a catalyst for a paradigm shift, the documentary becomes exceptionally interesting.
The Buckley-Vidal debates reflected the unraveling of a homogeneous illusion that the US or America is a white, Christian, straight, affluent nation. The irony is that both men were in some ways, more alike than different. They each had exceptional intellect, they each defined their own place in history as much as they could, and they both loved the US and its people; and yet the basic differences in political philosophies were magnified. When the two giants clashed on the air they broke open political dialogue that subsequently shattered and splintered into the media insanity that exists today. It's difficult to imagine how any debate of a caliber like the Buckley-Vidal confrontation would do in the current media climate awash in social media, blogs, print, television, talk radio, etc. especially in an anti-intellectual America. On the one hand, the social fractures that were caused by the Buckley-Vidal debates on political analysis and social understanding gave rise to many modes of new expressions about topics that are still contentious today; but they also unleashed the dynamics of identity politics and a gloves-off approach to winning arguments reflected through irresponsible media coverage of issues. Then again, the personal and bellicose nature of the Buckley-Vidal debates also gave rise to drama and comedy. Who knows if Saturday Night Live's "Jane, you ignorant slut!" skit would have ever come to fruition if it weren't for the iconoclasts of Best of Enemies.
Best of Friends shows at Bear Tooth on Monday, Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m.