Good Night, and Good Luck

Good Night, and Good Luck Imagery

Further Away

Murrow completes his closing statement for his show and we see the camera pulling away from a close up of him typing. The space created in the image shows us that this topic is growing, spreading out into reality, and also that Murrow is an independent man, isolated by his convictions and his belief in reporting the truth. The image of Murrow in a mostly empty office, as the camera zooms out from him, is at once isolating and valorizing.

Separated

Don Hollenbeck comes to Murrow asking him to go after the reporter that has been ripping him apart. Murrow refuses to go after the reporter and McCarthy at the same time and Clooney shoots the men framed by two sets of window frames in the office as well as opened blinds. The image shows how separated the two are in this moment, and that though there are mere feet between them, there is a chasm that cannot be crossed in this moment. Murrow cannot help Hollenbeck, except to offer words of support, and this puts a huge gulf between them.

Murrow's McCarthy Speech

During the McCarthy episode, the camera closes in on Murrow's face as Murrow gives his speech. By zooming in on the image, the director reveals the deep internal struggle that Murrow is going through, that this is serious business for the newsman and a lot depends on it.

The Show

Clooney gives us a tracking shot of Murrow pulling out his final words for his show from his typewriter and then walking to set. The tracking shot creates an image that reveals that the segment is no longer just words in Murrow's head, but a story that is ready to be delivered to the public. What he values is going to be brought out, and as we follow Murrow down the hall to set we can feel the weight of his project.