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Best of Enemies

Best of Enemies

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

7.16 - voted by 145
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

Gore Vidal poster

Gore Vidal

Self

William F. Buckley Jr. poster

William F. Buckley Jr.

Self

Kelsey Grammer poster

Kelsey Grammer

Voice of William F. Buckley

John Lithgow poster

John Lithgow

Voice of Gore Vidal

Dick Cavett poster

Dick Cavett

Self

Christopher Hitchens poster

Christopher Hitchens

Self

Noam Chomsky poster

Noam Chomsky

Self (archival)

Reid Buckley poster

Reid Buckley

Self

Andrew Sullivan poster

Andrew Sullivan

Self

Todd Gitlin poster

Todd Gitlin

Self

Brooke Gladstone poster

Brooke Gladstone

Self

Paul Newman poster

Paul Newman

Self (archival)

Arthur Miller poster

Arthur Miller

Self (archival)

Muhammad Ali poster

Muhammad Ali

Self (archival)

Sam Donaldson poster

Sam Donaldson

Self (archival)