‘Best of Enemies’ Due Nov. 3
A riveting documentary that takes a look at a rivalry between two of the most cutthroat and opinionated political commentators in American television history: William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal. In the summer of 1968 television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, Gore Vidal was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insults — their explosive exchanges devolving into vitriolic name-calling. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted. Ratings for ABC News skyrocketed. And a new era in public discourse was born. Vitals: Director: Robert Gordon. Stars: William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal. 2015, CC, MPAA rating: R, 82 min., Documentary, Box office gross: $.876 million, Magnolia Home Entertainment.
