Good Night, And Good Luck Blu-ray Disc Review

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!

Title: Good Night, And Good Luck

Media: Blu-ray Disc

Genre: Drama

Stars: David Strathairn, Patricia Clarkson, George Clooney, Jeff Daniels, Robert Downey Jr. Frank Langella, and Ray Wise

Writers: George Clooney and Grant Heslov

Director: George Clooney

Feature length: 93 minutes

Extras: Feature Length Audio Commentary With Director/Co-Writer George Clooney and Producer/Co-Screenwriter Grant Heslov, Featurette, and Trailer

Languages: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Subtitles: English Subtitles For The Deaf And Hearing Impaired and English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles

Packaging: Elite Blue HD Case

Chapter Stops: 22

Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Year of Theatrical Release: 2005/Blu-ray Disc Release: 2006

Theatrical Distributor: Warner Independent Pictures

Home Video Distributor: Warner Home Video

MPAA Rating: PG

Reviewer: Mark A. Rivera

“Good Night, And Good Luck” focuses on the battle of words that took place in the court of public opinion through broadcast television between CBS newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy in the early 1950s. George Clooney’s feature film, which he co-wrote with Producer Grant Heslov, focuses specifically on how Murrow used the media to reveal the persecution that had occurred during the McCarthy era and yet it never demonizes the man beyond the use of real filmed footage from the McCarthy hearings and so forth. There is even an instant towards the end of the film where one of the characters played by Robert Downey, Jr. confesses fears to his wife, played by Patricia Clarkson, regarding whether or not bringing down McCarthy was the right thing to do. Ray Wise plays a tragic role with extra pathos as well. The film is extremely timely when one looks at the contemporary issues that haunt us today whether it is American policy in the Middle East or the domestic neglect and cutbacks in education and environmental protection that has created a terrible legacy for future generations to contend with. Even the recent issues regarding the FCC and it’s reaction to broadcasters since the post Janet Jackson halftime show mishap has relevance here. There can be no doubt that if the events of the film are truly accurate then Murrow’s warnings about the future of television were truly prophetic and like many serious dramas that have come before it where even if we know the historical outcome, the viewer is extremely compelled by the tight and at times claustrophobic screen direction of George Clooney and David Strathairn’s intense performance that builds tension throughout the movie.

This is a film destined to be used as a companion piece for studies on the media and history in schools with students of all ages for decades to come. At the college where I earned my BA and Masters degrees there was a special screening of “Good Night, And Good Luck” followed by a conversation with Brooklyn College of the City University of New York alums Joe Wershba ’41 and Shirley Wershba ’43, former CBS employees whose work with Edward R. Murrow is depicted in the film. Professor Anthony Mancini, Director of the Journalism Program and Professor of Film Foster L. Hirsch, a noted film historian, moderated.

Warner Home Video’s widescreen Blu-ray Disc edition presents “Good Night, And Good Luck” with a widescreen aspect ratio that preserves the black and white photography beautifully and as close as possible to the original manner in which the film was exhibited theatrically for along with the added clarity of 1080p high definition resolution where available for Blu-ray Disc users. Blu-ray Discs released in America are designated as being Region A, but there was no marking on the packaging or disc art work for me to tell if this Blu-ray Disc is regionally encoded or if it is region free. The English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack is appropriately subdued and clear. English Subtitles for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired as well as English, French, and Spanish Language Subtitles are encoded onto the disc as options too. There is also a feature length audio commentary with Director/Co-Writer George Clooney and Producer/Co-Screenwriter Grant Heslov that when Clooney is not trying to be cute, is actually quite informative from both the point of view of the filmmaker’s commenting on the production process as well as their feelings and understandings related to the historical context of the motion picture.

A companion featurette with cast interviews as well as comments from people who were actually involved with the events portrayed in the film (15:01) and the theatrical trailer (2:25) round out the extra value materials included in this Blu-ray Disc release. There are also no high definition exclusive materials encoded onto the disc either, but of the four first wave Blu-Ray Disc titles released by Warner Home Video that includes “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, “Training Day”, and “Rumor Has It…”, “Good Night, And Good Luck” is the only Blu-ray Disc release that is not yet available on HD DVD. The interactive menus are appropriately plain and easy to navigate. The actual blue case is the same type used by the studios and independent software distributors for HD DVD and this packaging is sturdier in my opinion when compared to the variation Sony and Lionsgate are using for their Blu-ray releases. Hopefully the packaging style Warner Home Video has chosen will become the standard for all future Blu-ray Disc releases regardless of who produces the software inside. “Good Night, And Good Luck” is available on Blu-ray Disc now at retailers on and offline courtesy of Warner Home Video.

Return To The Previous Page

Buy This Blu-ray Disc Now By Clicking On The Icon Below!