Best of Enemies-2015

Director Morgan Neville, Robert Gordon

Starring William F. Buckley Jr., Gore Vidal

Scott’s Review #467

Reviewed August 19, 2016

Grade: B

Best of Enemies is a 2015 documentary that transports the viewer back to the 1960s, specifically to 1968, during the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries.

I found the documentary to be a nice little history lesson for me as 1968 was before my time and the timing of my viewing (2016) was perfect as at the time of this review we are in the midst of an intense presidential race.

This is an adequate slice of political debate and rivalry with differing ideologies among the central figures.

At that time, ABC Primetime News was a floundering network, that needed something to attract viewers and compete with competitors, the much higher-rated CBS and NBC.

This was a time when audiences had merely three networks of news offerings to choose from.

The documentary references this fact as the power of the medium of television in 1968 was quite intense and still new. I looked back fondly on the limited choices of networks then, compared to oodles of offerings now. Still, everyone watched the same programming, which elicited better conversations the next day it could be argued.

ABC concocted a scheme to bring together two bitter rivals, ultra-conservative, William F. Buckley, and ultra-liberal, Gore Vidal. The pair, obviously of differing opinions, reportedly despised each other, and the possibilities were electric.

I found the documentary very genuine. 1968 was before reality television and mock feuds to garner ratings ever existed.

Their heated debates are now legendary and there was an authenticity to them.

The documentary is told in a structured way. Buckley and Vidal faced off during ten primaries, five for the Republican primary in Florida, and five for the Democratic primary in Chicago.

Other than their blowups, the conversations crackled with intelligence, both men passionate, and well-educated in their views.

Best of Enemies also gives an overview of Vidal and Buckley and how they each had come to achieve their respective fame. Interviews with family members, colleagues, and friends are interspersed in the documentary among the constant barbs between the two as the debates ravaged on.

A moment during the final democratic debate that would cement the loathing between Vidal and Buckley for decades to come.

Continuing to debate with a snarky, condescending tone by both, tensions came to a head as Vidal referenced Buckley as a Nazi, and Buckley, in turn, called Vidal a queer and threatened to sock him in the mouth.

The hatred in the eyes of both men is legendary as their rivalry knew no boundaries. The fact that this all took place on live television (before tape delay censors) made it all the more shocking.

Strangely, the documentary uses narrated voices by Kelsey Grammar and John Lithgow for Buckley and Vidal, respectively, for a few segments. I found this rather unnecessary and even distracting. The voices surmised what each felt at the time and did not work.

This is a documentary showing the real birth of political pundits (now a dime a dozen) and the realism that television was at that time- still rather novel.

Today it is filled with outrageous people and those looking for their ten seconds of fame.

Best of Enemies (2015) shows us the authenticity of television in the early days and sadly, reminds us what it has now become.

Independent Spirit Award Nominations: Best Documentary Feature