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72% Critic Match
Best of Enemies
“Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same.”
7.2 / 10• 2015• 1h 27m•NR• English
DocumentaryHistory
Storyline
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?"
Cast & Crew
Gore Vidal
Self
Lead
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)
RB
Reid Buckley
Self
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Robert Gordon's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Best of Enemies is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
