Best of Enemies

"Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same."

Jul 31 2015 R 1h 27m
Biography, Documentary, History

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?"

Plot

'Best of Enemies' is 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?'

Written by

Robert Gordon, Tom Graves, Morgan Neville

Directed by

Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville

Production Countries

United States of America

Production Companies

ITVS, Participant, Magnolia Pictures, Motto Pictures, Media Ranch, Tremolo Productions, JustFilms / Ford Foundation

Languages

English

Awards

6 wins & 27 nominations

Scores
# of Votes
6,560
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
77
Popularity
NA