Best of Enemies: Buckley vs. Vidal
“Buckley vs. Vidal. 2 Men. 10 Debates. Television Would Never Be the Same.”
Synopsis
*Best of Enemies* is a documentary that examines the 1968 series of nationally televised debates between the liberal public intellectual Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Originally intended as a forum for commentary on contemporary issues, the debates became known for their intensity and confrontational style, and are often seen as a pivotal moment in the evolution of public discourse on television, when presentation and rhetoric began to play a central role in political communication. The film explores the intertwined lives of Vidal and Buckley, highlighting the rhetorical and performative aspects of their exchanges, and raises the question of how television has shaped political discussion in American democracy.
Credits
- Todd Gitlinas Self - Media Studies, Columbia University
- Brooke Gladstoneas Self - Host, NPR's On the Media
- Richard Waldas Self - Former President, NBC News
- William Sheehanas Self - Former President, ABC News
- Frank Richas Self - Writer, New York Magazine
- Sam Tanenhausas Self - Biographer, William F. Buckley Jr.
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How many hands made this film
The scale of the collaboration
A crew of 106+ credited
Why a floor?
This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.
Craft leads on file
Edited by Eileen MeyerShot by Mark SchwartzbardScored by Jonathan KirksceySound by Pete Horner
Box Office
2015 · Box office
Produced on a $1.0M budget
Production budget
$1.0M
Also known as
- (English)Best of Enemies
- (Japanese)Best of Enemies
- (Mandarin)政论双雄
Release dates around the world1 country · showhide
- United StatesJan 23, 2015
Production & Distribution
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Cast & Crew
106 unique people credited
Top billed cast
Todd Gitlin
as Self - Media Studies, Columbia University
Brooke Gladstone
as Self - Host, NPR's On the Media
Richard Wald
as Self - Former President, NBC News
William Sheehan
as Self - Former President, ABC News
Frank Rich
as Self - Writer, New York Magazine
Sam Tanenhaus
as Self - Biographer, William F. Buckley Jr.
Gore Vidal
as Self - Debater
William F Buckley
as Self - Debater
Dick Cavett
as Self - Talk Show Host
Noam Chomsky
as Self
Patricia Buckley
as Self - Buckley's Wife
Lee Edwards
as Self - Historian, The Heritage Foundation
Supporting cast
41Reid Buckley
as Self - Buckley's Brother
Linda Bridges
as Self - Buckley's Personal Assistant
Matt Tyrnauer
as Self - Vidal's Editor & Friend
Sam Donaldson
as Self - Correspondent, ABC News
Howard K Smith
as Self - Anchor, ABC News
George Merlis
as Self - ABC Publicist
Christopher Hitchens
as Self - Political Essayist
Norman Mailer
as Self - Author
Godfrey Cambridge
as Self - Comedian
Muhammad Ali
as Self - Boxer
Eric Alterman
as Self - Media Historian
Ginia Bellafante
as Self - Culture Writer, New York Times
Elmer Lower
as Self - President, ABC News
John Mcwhorter
as Self - Linguist, Columbia University
James Wolcott
as Self - Writer, Vanity Fair Magazine
Andrew Sullivan
as Self - Political Editor & Blogger
Everett Dirksen
as Self - Senator, Illinois
Richard J Daley
as Self - Mayor, Chicago
Arthur Miller
as Self - Playwright
Paul Newman
as Self - Actor
Al Capp
as Self - Political Satirist
Shana Alexander
as Self - Point Commentator
James J Kilpatrick
as Self - Counterpoint Commentator
Christopher Lehmann Haupt
as Self - New York Times Writer
John Lithgow
as Self - Gore Vidal
Kelsey Grammer
as Self - William F. Buckley
Walter Cronkite
as Self
Woody Allen
as Self
Aretha Franklin
as Self
Barry Goldwater
as Self
Hugh Hefner
as Self
Hubert H Humphrey
as Self
John F Kennedy
as Self
Robert F Kennedy
as Self
Eugene Mccarthy
as Self
Richard Nixon
as Self
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis
as Self
Mason Pike
as Self - Klan Member
Nancy Reagan
as Self
Ronald Reagan
as Self
Raquel Welch
as Self
Directors
2Writers
3Producers
8Other crew
48Dan Moore
additional assistant editor
James Lea
additional photography
Jim Flynn
additional photography
Martim Vian
additional photography
Martin Albert
additional photography
Nelson Hume
additional photography
Emily Mcallister
additional researcher
Steve Dorst
additional stills photography
Tom Foster
animator
Jonathan Bruno
assistant camera
Lee Rosch
assistant editor
Charlotte Moore
bidding & scheduling
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