Best of Enemies

7.1 / 10

(131 votes)

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?"

Country:

United States of America

Genre:

Documentary,

History

Duration:

87 minutes

Year:

2015

Director:

Robert Gordon

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Company:

Tremolo Productions,

Media Ranch,

Motto Pictures,

Magnolia Pictures,

Participant,

ITVS,

JustFilms / Ford Foundation

Cast:
Gore Vidal

Self

William F. Buckley Jr.

Self

Kelsey Grammer

Self

John Lithgow

Self

Dick Cavett

Self

Crew:
Aaron Wickenden

Editor

Robert Gordon

Director

Morgan Neville

Director

Robert Gordon

Writer

Morgan Neville

Writer