Take Responsibility and Take Action
By Anne Rodriguez, with comment by Brian Carroll
[1] Good Night, and Good Luck climatically explores Edward R. Murrow’s heroic broadcast illuminating the ethicality of Senator Joseph McCarthy’s anti-communist investigations. The scene in which McCarthy is criticized on Murrow’s March 9, 1954, See It Now shows Murrow’s speech against McCarthy and the crew’s reaction to his assertions (0:41:04). Though my analysis below dissects Murrow’s real words, Clooney only used parts of the original speech, and he chose the sections because they imply his reactions to the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. The significance of Murrow’s speech can be separated into two important parts: revealing and condemning McCarthy’s tactics and persuading the public to debate the situation and take a stand for what they believe in. Although Murrow’s condemnation of McCarthy’s communist witch-hunt was eye-opening and brave, I believe his message to his audience urging them to hold themselves accountable was much more moving and brilliant.
[2] The first important section of Murrow’s speech is the examination of McCarthy’s communist accusations. Murrow begins by complimenting McCarthy for his insight that “the republic cannot endure very long as a one-party system†(0:41:40). McCarthy argued that America’s Republican party and Democratic party must join forces to fight against communism; the fight cannot be the Republicans versus the Democrats, for one will lose and the country will crumble. Though he stated it in an interview, McCarthy’s actions do not support his assertion, as Murrow subtly suggests this fight does seem to be between America’s two parties. As the film shows both McCarthy (footage from the interview) and Murrow in side-by-side televisions, Murrow drops the subtlety to show McCarthy’s consistent disregard for individual rights: “Often operating as a one-man committee, he has traveled far, interviewed many, terrorized some, accused civilian and military leaders of the past administration of a great conspiracy to turn over the country to communism†(0:42:13). Murrow points out that McCarthy often is not supported and takes it solely upon himself to search out and accuse the “communist†civilians and leaders in the country. Furthermore, the inclusion of “terrorize†reverberates in the ears of the audience today. Though Clooney (as director) used parts of Murrow’s real speech in the film and is not suggesting that McCarthy is tied to the terrorism of today, the word still has an extremely negative connotation because of 9/11. The film is clearly insinuating the evilness of McCarthy. Moreover, terrorizing American people is an unmistakable violation of the First Amendment.
[3] After viewing footage of McCarthy, again on a television screen directly contrasted by Murrow, and watching the crew listen intently to part of the Reed Harris hearing, Murrow highlights ways that McCarthy twists reality. Looking sideways at the camera, Murrow asserts that McCarthy lied about the American Civil Liberties Union because it has never been listed as subversive and it has “letters of commendation from President Truman, President Eisenhower, and General MacArthur†(0:43:47). If Murrow is as correct as the film suggests, McCarthy not only lied to the public, but he lied in a court hearing. Again, McCarthy is the un-American in the situation. Murrow takes another stab at McCarthy: “It is necessary to investigate before legislating, but the line between investigating and persecuting is a very fine one and the junior Senator from Wisconsin has stepped over it repeatedly†(0:44:16). Though Murrow does not look at the camera as he reproaches McCarthy, I think this is the cleverest criticism of McCarthy; it introduces a distinction regarding his tactics that could have gone unnoticed. Though many felt that McCarthy crossed a line in his investigations, Murrow was able to define the line and show that McCarthy does not respect individual privacy and rights.
[4] To drive his condemnation of McCarthy home, Murrow looks sideways into the camera and declares that “the actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad and given considerable comfort to our enemies†(0:45:20). At the height of the hysteria of the Cold War, Murrow claims that McCarthy’s communist witch-hunt actually helped America’s enemies. Murrow might not have directly influenced the demise of McCarthy, but he definitely influenced the public’s opinion of him and of the safety of America. Ironically, McCarthy was fighting to protect America by identifying its enemies, and Murrow asserted that McCarthy was in fact putting America in jeopardy and was an enemy himself. Murrow’s last criticism of McCarthy is ambiguous, weak yet strong, conceding yet reproving: “He didn’t create this situation of fear, he merely exploited it, and rather successfully†(0:45:32). Looking almost straight into the camera, Murrow takes some of the blame away from McCarthy yet still reproaches him for exploitation of the American people. The film asks: is exploiting the fear of communism worse than creating it? Murrow implies a resounding yes.
[5] Murrow is not only brave for his attack on McCarthy but also, and more importantly, brilliantly eloquent in his call for self-accountability and action. He uses patriotism to his advantage to show how McCarthy bullies the country. Looking sideways at the camera, using his eyes to persuade his audience, Murrow begins by appealing to ideals that America has always striven for: “We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law†(0:44:26). Dissent and freedom has always been unique to America, where peaceful protests are welcome and people can disagree with the current government without being disloyal and unpatriotic. His plea to remember our virtues rings true when the movie was made as well, when President George W. Bush’s approval rating was plummeting because people were unhappy with his government and clung to the Bill of Rights. Furthermore, our country’s legal slogan is “innocent until proven guilty.†Murrow is prodding his audience to remember that and to shed the light on McCarthy’s scare tactics and accusations.
[6] Murrow, then, appeals to our reverence for our Founding Fathers: “We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine and remember that we are not descended from fearful men, not from men who feared to write, to associate, to speak, and to defend the causes that were, for the moment, unpopular†(0:44:37). The camera slowly zooms in on Murrow, and the audience is made to feel that his words have the most importance and that his eyes penetrate us with virtue. He urges us to remember the courage of our Founding Fathers and to stand up for what we believe in. That is why I feel this is the most important part of his speech. His purpose is not just to reveal and condemn McCarthy but to call his countrymen to action, to think for themselves and not fear taking a stand. I am reminded of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s inaugural address and his call for action: “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.†Murrow is urging the same patriotism, for that is what America is. America is not silent: “This is no time for men who oppose Senator McCarthy’s methods to keep silent, or for those who approve†(0:44:57).
[7] Murrow continues his call with a claim that reverberates today with the war in Iraq: “We can deny our heritage and our history but we cannot escape responsibility for the results. We proclaim ourselves, indeed as we are, the defenders of freedom wherever it continues to exist in the world. But we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home†(0:45:03). The camera scans the other crew members, who all look deep in thought, awed, and proud, including Clooney’s character. It is clear, here, that Clooney is appealing to the liberal Americans who disapprove of the war in Iraq; he uses Murrow’s words and the hysteria of McCarthyism to parallel the war in Iraq and the hysteria of terrorism, and he’s very convincing. (see comment by Brian Carroll) Again, the camera zooms in on Murrow and his solemn face and sideways glance urges the audience to really think about what he’s saying, to weigh the evidence as to whether they are truly free or not under McCarthy’s anti-communism reign. Murrow makes a final compelling assertion to the camera: “Cassius was right: ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves’†(0:45:39). He urges his audience to reflect upon their silence, to realize that it only makes the situation worse, and to do something about it.
[8] The historically most important scene in the film Good Night, and Good Luck is Edward R. Murrow’s broadcast against Senator Joseph McCarthy on the March 9, 1954, See It Now. The film is in black and white, and Clooney uses portions of Murrow’s real speech that are as influential in today’s politics as they were in 1954. Murrow’s words and serious facial expressions, including his interesting sideways glance, and the crew’s pensive admiration urge the audience to consider the gravity of the McCarthy accusations and to gather the courage to act upon such blatant disregard for individual freedoms, even today in the twenty-first century. Though Murrow’s heroic stand against McCarthy was the important focal point of the scene, his call for self-reflection, accountability, and action was brilliant, eloquent, interesting, and persuasive.
Comments
While Anne raises valid points throughout her analysis of this pivotal scene, I attributed an alternate meaning to Murrow’s monologue on defending freedom -- revealing the many layers of Clooney’s film. Whereas Anne believes this section speaks to the current war in Iraq and the “hysteria of terrorism†present in America since the September 11th attacks, I would argue that Clooney’s cinematic techniques -- coupled with the scene’s powerful dialogue -- instead makes implications about the state of broadcast journalism. As Murrow delivers one of the film’s most famous lines, “We are not descended from fearful men, nor from men who feared to write, to associate, to speak and to defend the causes that were for the moment unpopular†(0:44:44), the camera cuts from journalist to journalist within the CBS newsroom. Through the utilization of a side camera-angle, Clooney portrays each individual triumphantly and honorably, establishing a level of commendation for the journalists’ collective bravery in defending those unpopular causes. By building up these individuals and promoting them as the “defenders of freedom,†the filmmaker allows contrasts to be drawn between the former state of broadcast journalism and the present. Murrow and his team were accepting of any backlash resulting from the coverage of controversial issues because they understood the necessity of such coverage. When they saw problems within our nation and threats to our founding principles, they didn’t sit back passively; instead, they used their means of exposure responsibly to inform and enlighten the public about troubles on the horizon. In contrast, journalists and newscasters of today are much less responsible in this sense. They report what they are told to report, afraid of venturing into the realm of controversy. Consequently, they fail to truly challenge the status quo or ask the difficult yet necessary questions. With such an unstable political and social environment in the United States presently, “this is no time for men who oppose . . . to keep silent,†as Murrow asserts (0:44:56). Murrow and his team surely didn’t remain quiet, but the same cannot unfortunately be said for contemporary journalists and newscasters. Clooney realizes this and thus shapes his film (and especially this particular scene) in a way that glorifies journalists of the past to condemn those of the present.
