“Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same.”
A documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers, and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, "What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?"
Robert Gordon
Robert Gordon
Morgan Neville
Robert Gordon
Morgan Neville
David Leonard
Jonathan Kirkscey
Gore Vidal
Self
William F. Buckley Jr.
Self
Kelsey Grammer
Voice of William F. Buckley
John Lithgow
Voice of Gore Vidal
Dick Cavett
Self
Christopher Hitchens
Self
Noam Chomsky
Self (archival)
Reid Buckley
Self
Andrew Sullivan
Self
Todd Gitlin
Self
Brooke Gladstone
Self
Paul Newman
Self (archival)
... and 13 more
rsanek
Interesting watch. Vidal's name was recognizable to me but I had never really known how successful he was as a author (and playwright!). It is interesting to see how profit-seeking capitalism in media (in this case TV, but now also on social media platforms) really incentivizes content that is belli...
Best Of Enemies - Official Trailer
Trailer • YouTube
Best of Enemies Official Trailer 1 (2015) - Documentary HD
Trailer • YouTube
Tremolo Productions
Media Ranch
Motto Pictures