Best Of Enemies

Best Of Enemies is a stand-out 2015 documentary available on Amazon Addon, expertly directed by Robert Gordon and Academy Award-winning Morgan Neville, that brings the forgotten television event of the late 1960s back to life. In a whirlwind twist on the conventional documentary style, Best Of Enemies blends kinesthetic editing, candid interviews, and snatches of archival footage to present one of the most gripping and memorable debates in television history.

The documentary primarily revolves around the famous cold war of words between two brilliant, starkly contrasting intellectuals from the political spectrum's opposite ends: William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal. Buckley, a conservative commentator and founder of the influential right-wing magazine National Review, is introduced as Vidal's nemesis, the famous left-wing novelist, and playwright who shook his era's socio-political landscape. The edgy confrontation between these men goes beyond their personal hostility and provides a profound look into the elemental rifts in American society.

The ten televised debates took place during the highly dramatic and down-to-the-wire 1968 presidential elections. ABC, then a struggling network languishing in the third spot and unable to afford extensive coverage, came up with an ingenious solution. Rather than covering the Republican and Democratic conventions with the same breadth as CBS and NBC, they would comment, summarize and critique the events through Buckley and Vidal. “Democracy is all about healthy debate,” as ABC executives put it, setting the stage for an unforgettable duel of wits between two of the era's most prominent thinkers.

Best Of Enemies perfectly captures the seismic cultural shift happening at the time, the country's emerging conservatism against the growing progressive liberality, represented by the ideological nemesis. The heated and tense encounters between these two intellectual titans were frequently uncivil and personal at times, and Best Of Enemies doesn’t shy away from these intense moments. The film reveals the debates for what they truly were - not genteel intellectual discussion but an ugly slugfest of insults and robust verbiage. The film even goes so far as to suggest that these two erudite figures helped establish the trend of personality-driven commentary that now prevails in our 24/7 news cycle.

Executing a rich array of interviews with prominent cultural and social figures, the documentary brings in a fascinating array of perspectives. Interviews with prominent figures such as the late Christopher Hitchens and other contemporaries provide a larger historical context and illuminate the lasting impact of these debates on modern American media.

Furthermore, Best Of Enemies is visually striking, with its grainy, black-and-white footage of Vidal and Buckley's fierce debates contrasted with vivid, colorful moments of the combustible 1960s. The blend of archival and contemporary footage, interspersed with collages of Diebenkorn-like color fields, creates a sense of place and time that makes this documentary distinctive.

The filmy aesthetics and pacing of Best Of Enemies are also remarkably well-crafted. The editing is sharp, focusing on the key insights and most controversial moments of the debates. The filmmakers' decision to employ split-screen and overlapping montages enhances the narrative, conveying the tumultuous, chaotic spirit of the era and the private-war tenor of the debates.

The narrative isn't dry, filled with a deliciously good sense of humor that occasionally catches viewers off guard, lightening up the otherwise heavy sociopolitical commentary. The smartly clipped archival footages and revealing off-camera footage craft an engaging film that keeps viewers hooked from start to finish.

Overall, Best Of Enemies provides profound insights into today's ideological conflicts through a retrospective look at one of television's most exhilarating and groundbreaking moments. It's not just a story told in black and white but a nuanced exploration of the colliding passions, principles, and personas that make up the complex tapestry of American political debate. A must-watch for not only history buffs, political junkies, or media pundits, but also anyone interested in understanding the forces that continue to shape American society and television.