Best of Enemies

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?"

Cast

Gore Vidal Self

William F. Buckley Jr. Self

Kelsey Grammer Voice of William F. Buckley

John Lithgow Voice of Gore Vidal

Dick Cavett Self

Christopher Hitchens Self

Noam Chomsky Self (archival)

Reid Buckley Self

Where to Watch

Netflix Netflix Standard with Ads Dox Amazon Channel Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel Amazon Video Apple TV Store Google Play Movies