Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal (2015)

A documentary on the series of televised debates in 1968 between liberal Gore Vidal and conservative William F. Buckley.

Directors:

Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville

Writers:

Robert Gordon (co-writer), Tom Graves (co-writer)

Stars:

Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Dick Cavett

6 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gore Vidal	...	Self - Debater (archive footage)
William F. Buckley	...	Self - Debater (archive footage)
Todd Gitlin	...	Self - Media Studies, Columbia University
Brooke Gladstone	...	Self - Host, NPR's On the Media
Richard Wald	...	Self - Former President, NBC News
William Sheehan	...	Self - Former President, ABC News
Frank Rich	...	Self - Writer, New York Magazine
Sam Tanenhaus	...	Self - Biographer, William F. Buckley Jr.
Patricia Buckley	...	Self - Buckley's Wife (archive footage)
Lee Edwards	...	Self - Historian, The Heritage Foundation
Reid Buckley	...	Self - Buckley's Brother
Linda Bridges	...	Self - Buckley's Personal Assistant
Fred Kaplan	...	Self - Author, Gore Vidal: A Biography
Matt Tyrnauer	...	Self - Vidal's Editor & Friend
Sam Donaldson	...	Self - Correspondent, ABC News (archive footage)

Storyline

'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?'

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Plot Keywords:

year 1968 | debate | intellectual | politics | television | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexual content/nudity and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film-makers shot an interview with Gore Vidal, but ultimately decided not to use it, so he only appears in archive footage.

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Quotes

Richard Wald: ABC was the third of the three networks. It would've been fourth, but there were only three.

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Crazy Credits

There is a short scene after the credits showing footage of an interview with Buckley.

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Connections

Features Sunset Blvd. (1950)

User Reviews

Fascinating viewing

Best of Enemies is a fascinating documentary film about a series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. If that doesn't sound very interesting you couldn't be more wrong. This is a film about two men who absolutely hated each other. Two extremely clever men who fought each other live on television by debating with each that eventually led to personal insults being thrown at each other and it's mesmerising viewing. I have to admit I had never heard of these men before and that's probably because these debates happened a couple of months before I was born but I do know now and I feel much better off for it.

Details

Official Sites:

Tremolo Productions [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 July 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Best of Enemies

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$50,378, 2 August 2015

Gross USA:

$892,802

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$892,802

Company Credits

Production Co:

Media Ranch, Motto Pictures, Tremolo Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Color