Best of Enemies

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

7.220151h 27mReleased
Documentary
History

Overview

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?"

StatusReleased
Release Date2015-07-31
Runtime1h 27m
LanguagesEnglish
CountriesUnited States of America
Budget$1,000,000

Videos

2 total
Trailer
Best Of Enemies - Official Trailer

Stream

Netflix
Netflix
Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video
YouTube TV
YouTube TV
Netflix Standard with Ads
Netflix Standard with Ads
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Dox Amazon Channel
Dox Amazon Channel
Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel
Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel

Buy

Amazon Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Apple TV Store
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Google Play Movies
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YouTube
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Rent

Amazon Video
Amazon Video
Apple TV Store
Apple TV Store
Google Play Movies
Google Play Movies
YouTube
YouTube
Fandango At Home
Fandango At Home

US data via JustWatch

Reviews

1
R

rsanek

Apr 11, 2021

7/10

Interesting watch. Vidal's name was recognizable to me but I had never really known how successful he was as a author (and playwright!). It is interesting to see how profit-seeking capitalism in media (in this case TV, but now also on social media platforms) really incentivizes content that is belligerent and argumentative. I have a hard time belie

Full review