A look back at when debating mattered.
“Best of Enemies” will teach you the majesty of the American political debate. Equal parts governmental procedure and wrestling match, William F. Buckley and Gore Vidal perfected the art for generations to come. As ABC News was struggling to cover the political debates of 1968, they found a way around the financial perks that NBC and CBS news experience with live coverage. ABC was going to stage 10 nights of live debates between Vidal and Buckley. That sounds insane for summer programming, but it worked.
Bouncing between archival footage and restaging efforts, we get the meat of the matter. Lithgow delights as Vidal, while Grammer offers up a stunning turn as Buckley. Trading barbs and emotionally baiting each other, we find no better men to represent the two Americas than these political blowhards. Will we ever have two political enemies that serve as party representatives like these two? I think not and maybe it should be that way.
The Blu-Ray comes with interview with the directors, interviews with the commentators and a trailer as the special features. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp for a documentary. The 1080p transfer holds up even for its archival footage. The DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track sports an amazing sound design. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase for political junkies.
RELEASE DATE: 11/10/2015
