If GoodNight and GoodLuck is one of your set texts, you’ve come to the right place to plan your analysis!
We’ve compiled a summary of the film so that the themes, characters and context of the movie is easy to understand! So, even if GoodNight and GoodLuck is in black and white, you’ll have no grey areas in your analysis!
This article contains a summary, description of key characters, context, themes and a TEE table at the end to help you plan your essay.
Let’s dive right in!
Good Night and Good Luck by George Clooney Summary
Key Characters in Good Night and Good Luck
Context
Themes Explored in Good Night and Good Luck
Studying this text for Module B: Critical Study of Literature
Essay Analysis of Good Night and Good Luck
Good Night and Good Luck by George Clooney Summary
Set in 1953, during the early onset of TV journalism and the height of the Cold War, Good Night and Good Luck follows news anchor Edward R Murrow on See it Now who reports on a US Air Officer.
The film was released in 2005 and directed by George Clooney, It is a docudrama that features chiaroscuro lighting throughout the film.
Air Force lieutenant, Milo Radulovich, is forcibly discharged for refusing to renounce his family members for being Communists.
The decision to also discharge him was handed down in a sealed envelope and decided behind closed doors. Effectively, Radulovich himself and the American public does not know the real reason for his dismissal.
During this time, McCarthy had engaged in an ongoing ‘witch hunt’ seeking to purge the American government of supposed Communist threats despite having little or insufficient evidence.
For more filmic and visual techniques in black and white films, check out our full analysis of Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window!
Edward Murrow reports the story and questions the American government’s practices and McCarthy’s fear mongering tactics despite the repercussions he is likely to face.
The story gains the attention and support of the American public, meanwhile Murrow himself is also accused of close ties with the Soviet Union.
Murrow’s next major story was on Senator McCarthy himself, reporting on his ‘witch hunt’, having collected enough evidence to run a story.
After this story, McCarthy requests to appear on Murrow’s show so that he is able to justify and explain his actions. During the broadcast, McCarthy accuses Murrow of being a Communist.
Murrow’s reply is broadcasted the next week by noting McCarthy failed to explain his actions and instead continued to accuse others of Communist sympathies.
The movie ends with the US Senate commencing investigations against McCarthy.
Despite the apparent success of their reporting and journalism, their show’s air time is greatly reduced due to costs and Murrow’s controversial topics.
The movie ends with the performance of Murrow’s original speech when he reminds the public of TV’s ability to educate them and hold power accountable.
Key Characters in Good Night and Good Luck
Edward R. Murrow
Murrow is the host of a popular 1950s news program called See It Now on CBS.
Murrow rose to fame by reporting from London during WWII and is known to use the power of the press and his own popularity to shed light on the abuse of power and corruption. Murrow’s serious yet calm nature and articulate way with words reflect the integrity of this character.
Fred Friendly
Producer of See It Now, he supported Murrow in running the story on Joseph McCarthy despite the risks it entails. He acts as the voice of caution.
Sig Mickelson
Head of CBS news
William Paley
Head of CBS network
Don Hollenbeck
Journalist, who was also accused of being a communist
Context
The Cold War
Good Night and Good Luck is set in 1953 America, during the height of the Cold War. The movie explores the tension and fears of a post-War America, specifically those related to the threat of communism.
Following Germany’s defeat in 1945, the Communist Soviet Union rose to power in Eastern Europe.
Both America and the Soviets had developed nuclear weapons of their own resulting in a tense power struggle where both countries sought to maintain diplomatic, albeit strained, relationships with each other.
Red Terror and McCarthyism
During this time, Senator McCarthy cultivated fear and paranoia of communism to control and manipulate the American public. The era of ‘Red Terror’ enabled the government to overstep their powers and for civil liberties to be infringed.
The film highlights the fear-mongering tactics that politicians use to gain and retain power, while also highlighting the importance of free media and journalism to bring it to the public’s attention and hold the government accountable.
9/11 and the Aftermath
The movie itself was released in 2005, during the Bush administration’s ‘War on Terror’ which perceived the Middle East as a threat to American safety.
The film’s parallels to contemporary politics and underhanded government practices regarding corruption and powerful administration anchors a connection with modern viewers.
Themes Explored in GoodNight and GoodLuck
The following themes can be used to help you write your thesis or guide your thinking on the text.
If you get stuck analysing a quote or film technique and explaining its significance, a handy tip is to relate it back to one of the themes!
Power and Complacency
The theme of power and fear is evident throughout the movie. Through a combination of chiaroscuro lighting and small sets, Clooney not only engaged with the political issues prevalent in the 1950s but also created a suffocating viewing experience for the audience.
Fear and Paranoia
Fear and paranoia is undercut through the entire film through the symbolism of the film’s darkness and chiaroscuro. This speaks to the underlying fear permeated from the tension between the Soviet Union and America, as well as the tension between Murrow and McCarthy.
Integrity and Justice
Additionally, complacency and integrity are evident throughout the film. McCarthy’s oppressive methods and surveillance practices were allowed through his skilful manipulation of the fears of the American public.
Role of the Media and Hypocrisy
However, if the public, senators and other individuals had stood up against these practices it would not have been allowed. Murrow’s bravery in reporting on McCarthy’s actions despite the risk demonstrated his integrity while contrasting with the public’s complacency.
Another crucial film on the role of media is The Truman Show! Get more ideas of this theme here!
Studying this text for Module B: Critical Study of Literature
Excerpt of Module B in English Advanced Course Rubric from NESA
If you are studying this text as part of Module B: Critical Study of Literature, the rubric requires you to not only analyse the text but to consider the context surrounding it and how it affects the text.
Good Night and Good Luck takes on an intertextual form, engaging with media and issues of 1950s America during McCarthyism. This module requires you to explicitly engage with the form of the text and the various context that surrounds it in your analysis.
Module B you also need to consider why audiences today may still be drawn to the text and what it says about the themes the movie engages with.
So you want to explore the 1950s context, contemporary context and your own context that you are wanting to engage with throughout your essay!
Essay Analysis: How to Analyse GoodNight and GoodLuck in 3 Steps
Step 1: Choose your Example
When picking an example, ensure that you are able to identify at least one technique in the text.
Here, we’ve chosen to look at the presentation of Murrow’s speech at the end of the movie.
“We will not be drive by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember we are not descended from fearful men – not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate, and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular.”
Step 2: Identify your technique(s)
Ensure that the technique you choose for your quote supports your analysis or helps you to build your argument.
For the above quote, there is the breaking of the fourth wall, didactic, inclusive language, repetition and anaphora.
Step 3: Write the analysis
When writing the analysis, focus on the effect of the technique and how it supports your argument. (The quote we have picked out is quite long so that you have context on how it is delivered, but when you write your essay aim for quotes that are shorter than a line!)
The use of inclusive language and repetition as Murrow delivers his didactic to the audience not only serves a reminder to the American public of the 1950s but also the movies’ contemporary audience as he states “we are… not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes”. By breaking the fourth wall and using an anaphora, the delivery of the speech feels more personal since it directly addresses the audience and encourages them to stand up against manipulative government practices.
Need some help with your essay analysis of other texts aside from GoodNight and GoodLuck?
Check out other texts we’ve created guides for below:
- Jane Eyre
- Run Lola Run
- Howl’s Moving Castle
- Romeo and Juliet
- The Tempest
- King Lear
- In Cold Blood
- Persepolis
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Book Thief
- Things Fall Apart
- Blade Runner
- Mrs Dalloway
Looking for assistance on how to write a Feature Article? Check out our great article here!
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Tiffany Fong is currently completing a double degree in Media and Communications with Law at Macquarie University. She currently contributes to the university zine, Grapeshot where she enjoys writing feature articles, commentary on current affairs or whatever weird interest that has taken over her mind during that month. During her spare time, Tiffany enjoys reading, writing, taking care of her plants or cuddling with her two dogs.
