Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal Political Debates Between 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 insult-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.
Nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival. Winner of Outstanding Historical Documentary at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
"THE BEST OF ENEMIES provides a rich, extraordinarily fascinating account that's sure to have many viewers' minds constantly shuttling between then and now ..." - Godfrey Cheshire, RogerEbert.com
Running Time
89 mins
Year
2015
Kanopy ID
2884708
Filmmakers
Features
Languages
Subjects
Show More
Related videos
Trump: My New President - A Look at the Lives of Trump Voters
The first 100 days of Donald Trump's presidency were unprecedented. This film follows the beginning of his presidency through the eyes of five ordinary Americans -- four of whom voted for him.
One is an African-American high school football coach from one of the most dangerous neighbourhoods in California, who…
The Newspaper Man - The Life and Times of Ben Bradlee
This feature documentary tells the fascinating story of one of America’s most influential and celebrated newspaper editors, utilizing rare home movies and photos, archival material spanning over 70 years, interview footage with family and colleagues, and voice-overs of passages from Ben Bradlee’s 1995 autobiography A Good Life: Newspapering and Other…
Rebel Citizen - Haskell Wexler: Political Documentary Cinematographer
Documentary Director Pamela Yates met master cinematographer Haskell Wexler in Nicaragua in 1984 on the set of Wexler's film Latino, about U.S. intervention aimed at crushing the Sandinista revolution. He became Pamela's mentor and life-long friend and together they've explored what it means to be a committed documentary filmmaker.
When…
The Words That Built America - The Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution, and The Bill of Rights
The Declaration of Independence, The U.S. Constitution and The Bill of Rights represent much more than the words used by America’s Founding Fathers to define a fragile, nascent country. They’re the living, breathing realization of America’s democratic ideal, the bedrock of a society that its people have built over nearly…
South Africa: The End of a Dream - Political and Social Turmoil in South Africa
As the 100th anniversary of Nelson Mandela's birth approaches, the Rainbow Nation seems to be in disarray. More than half the population live below the poverty line. The ANC is rife with corruption. White people still hold the wealth, leaving the black majority with little hope for social advancement.
But…
An African Election - Ghana’s Democracy in Action
In a world plagued by stolen elections, secret government agendas, and a renewed interest in the exploitation of African natural resources, what value does democracy offer, particularly in the tumultuous region of West Africa? For Ghana, a nation that has been Africa's barometer of political stability, democracy may mean the…
Post Truth Times: We The Media - Navigating Information in a Post-Truth Media Landscape
What is the Internet doing to information and journalism? The influence of fake news and false information on American and British election results seems undeniable, especially with politicians like Donald Trump offering an alternative to traditional media, and mainstream politicians actively branding journalists, experts, and the media as 'liars'.
The…
In the Intimacy of a Presidential Campaign
In the Intimacy of a Presidential Campaign brings a unique point of view on a man, his family and their intimacy: when the presidential staff is heading home and the political advisers are no longer there, when the mics are off and the cameras are not rolling, in the solitude…
The Corporation - Interrogating a Modern Institution
One hundred and fifty years ago, the Corporation was a relatively insignificant entity. Today, it is a vivid, dramatic and pervasive presence in all our lives. Like the Church, the Monarchy and the Communist Party in other times and places, the Corporation is today's dominant institution. But history humbles dominant…
11/8/16 - Americans React to the Election of Donald Trump
In the hours leading up to Donald Trump's unexpected victory on Election Day 2016, a cross-section of Americans go about their radically different lives.
In Washington DC, Hillary Clinton's Director of Video giddily anticipates a clean victory; in Massachusetts, a married couple who own a small business spar over how…
Erdogan - The Making of a Sultan
In this acclaimed new documentary, Emmy and BAFTA award-winning director, Gilles Cayatte, and expert on Turkish affairs Guillaume Perrier, profile President Erdogan.
He rose to power as the anti-corruption candidate, challenging the old order and advocating closer ties with the EU. But now, Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to epitomise the…
Fengming - A Chinese Memoir
Winter in China. A town in the snow. Night is falling. Wrapped in her red coat, an elderly woman walks through a housing complex to her modest apartment. Inside, Fengming settles into her armchair and remembers.
She begins to recount the gripping and almost unbelievably heartrending story of her troubled…
Comments (2)
WOW, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Never truer. Great, great film history.
Gore Vidal and Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis were not cousins or any sort of blood relations. Rather, Hugh Achincloss was at various time the step-father of each of them.