Good Night, And Good Luck

George Clooney's masterful restaging of Fifties news anchorman Edward R Murrow's public feud with senator Joseph McCarthy signalled ol' George's arrival in the higher brow echelons of the Hollywood elite. Sadly, the DVD release of Good Night, And Good Luck isn't going to reach such lofty heights, but it doesn't really need to. The smoke-laced milieu of the film is carried through to the DVD's smooth menu system, although the coruscating tone is less evident. The film can stand on its own perfectly well in this regard, although there is just enough here to add to the experience and provide more context.

Despite the featurette, I can't help but think that with the none-too-obvious swipes Clooney is having at the Bush administration and modern news journalism as a whole, more focus could have been given to the contemporary issues the film so readily wants us the consider.

Commentary by George Clooney and Grant Heslov:

Fairly continuous, almost always engaging stuff from the director and writer, who clearly enjoy being able to wax lyrically and learnedly about their film - George especially, who does most of the talking. Some mutual back slapping is a given, but both come across intelligently throughout, so there are no real obsequious intonations. Lots of anecdotes about sets, filming and attention to detail, with George regularly pointing out when David Strathairn is using Murrow's exact words.

Have they deliberately beefed George's sonorous tones for the benefit of your bass speaker? Either way, it will be a clarion call to women streets away to come uncontrollably knocking.

Featurette:

15-minutes. Starts off with onset footage and intelligent interview pieces with Clooney, Strathairn, Heslov and others, conveying how committed to the project they were. Then it gives admirable amounts of illuminating time to the people who were there sticking their necks out for real back in the Fifties, leading to a slight slating of modern news reporting. Episodically edited, the interviews are divided by pithy quotes from the man himself, Edward R.

Photo Gallery:

I'm at a point where I'm getting increasingly frustrated with any photo gallery feature. Usually they're random images sliced from the movie that add nothing to the package and seem a cheap way of boosting a slim disc's offerings. Here, we have a couple of dozen black-and-white stills that at least highlight the well-framed shots Clooney went for, which might be of more interest to viewers than the usual pap. They also remind you how ubiquitous the smoking was!