Best of Enemies

Best of Enemies

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

2015 en 87 minutes

Rating: 7.173

Plot

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?"

Trailer

Cast

Gore Vidal

Gore Vidal

Self

William F. Buckley Jr.

William F. Buckley Jr.

Self

Kelsey Grammer

Kelsey Grammer

Voice of William F. Buckley

John Lithgow

John Lithgow

Voice of Gore Vidal

Dick Cavett

Dick Cavett

Self

Christopher Hitchens

Christopher Hitchens

Self

Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky

Self (archival)

Reid Buckley

Reid Buckley

Self

Andrew Sullivan

Andrew Sullivan

Self

Todd Gitlin

Todd Gitlin

Self

Brooke Gladstone

Brooke Gladstone

Self

Paul Newman

Paul Newman

Self (archival)

Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller

Self (archival)

Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali

Self (archival)

Sam Donaldson

Sam Donaldson

Self (archival)

Norman Mailer

Norman Mailer

Self (archival)

Matt Tyrnauer

Matt Tyrnauer

Self

Godfrey Cambridge

Godfrey Cambridge

Self (archival)

John McWhorter

John McWhorter

Self

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Self

James J. Kilpatrick

James J. Kilpatrick

Self (archival)

Richard J. Daley

Richard J. Daley

Self (archival)

Everett Dirksen

Everett Dirksen

Self (archival)

James Wolcott

James Wolcott

Self

Woody Allen

Woody Allen

Self (archival)

Similar Movies

We Were Soldiers

We Were Soldiers

en

March 1, 2002

The Untouchables

The Untouchables

en

June 3, 1987

Weiner

Weiner

en

May 20, 2016

Print It Black

Print It Black

en

April 28, 2024

The Swedish Theory of Love

The Swedish Theory of Love

sv

November 15, 2015

Grizzly Man

Grizzly Man

en

July 28, 2005

The Mauthausen Resistance

The Mauthausen Resistance

fr

October 24, 2021

Red, White and Blue

Red, White and Blue

en

March 1, 1971

The Record Man

The Record Man

en

March 10, 2015

Hollywood Rated 'R'

Hollywood Rated 'R'

en

June 19, 1997

All These Sons

All These Sons

en

June 12, 2021

The Election Campaigners

The Election Campaigners

de

October 29, 1993

Fahrenheit 9/11

Fahrenheit 9/11

en

June 25, 2004

An Inconvenient Truth

An Inconvenient Truth

en

May 24, 2006

Pride & Attitude

Pride & Attitude

de

October 9, 2025