The Edward R. Murrow Collection | Edward R. Murrow, Larry LeSueur

The Edward R. Murrow Collection | Edward R. Murrow, Larry LeSueur | Required Viewing

DVDs:

The Edward R. Murr...

	The Edward R. Murrow Collection Edward R. Murrow, Larry LeSueur CBS Television, 2005 average customer review:based on 6 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A towering figure in radio and television, Edward R. Murrow is a name still whispered in reverent tones. He established the standards for broadcast journalists, and, when television was in its infancy, brought hard-hitting investigating reporting to prime time. In his inaugural broadcast of the seminal news magazine series, See It Now, a television version of his radio series Hear It Now, Murrow spoke of the new medium's potential to "illuminate and explain." He recognized the importance of television, and shared his hopes "to use it, and not abuse it." The Edward R. Murrow Collection is eloquent testimony to Murrow's impeccable legacy. The first disc, This Reporter, is Murrow 101, with highlights from his legendary career and praise from the likes of Ted Koppel, Barbara Walters and a pre-Memogate Dan Rather. The Best of "See It Now" offers a representative sampling of some of this series' finest hours. The technology may be primitive (that inaugural broadcast featured the then-unprecedented miracle of a live coast-to-coast transmission, with twin images of New York's Brooklyn Bridge and San Francisco's Golden Gate), but the stories remain compelling. Among them: race relations from the perspective two southern small towns; a Christmas visit with American soldiers in Korea; profiles of Louis Armstrong and artist Grandma Moses; and flying into the eye of a hurricane.

The McCarthy Years chronicles the fall of a demagogue. In these dramatic and controversial broadcasts, Murrow used McCarthy's own words to expose his reckless abuse of power, and, in the story of disgraced Air Force lieutenant Milo Radulovich, put a human face on the "epidemic of fear" that was McCarthyism. The final disc contains Harvest of Shame, a television benchmark. Broadcast the day after Thanksgiving, this "1960 Grapes of Wrath" exposed the agonizing plight of migrant farm workers. "We used to own our slaves," one farmer is quoted. "Now we just rent them." This indispensable set will hopefully serve as inspiration for budding journalists, and a reality check for network news executives. --Donald Liebenson

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That Silky Voice of His...

One fact that this DVD collection helps to realise beyond any doubt, is that Murrow had an unique TV-screen presence. I'm 23 years old Polish man, so naturally I hadn't anything to do with Murrow till now (I'm to write an essay on him--hance my watching of the collection). And so I wasn't biased in any way in my first contact with the material. Murrow's silky voice is not so much seductive, as it's reassuring--the listener cannot doubt that this man here really knows what he's talking about and is NOT constatntly thinking about his looks or presence.

Murrow's broadcasting and his performances are totally free of celebrity-bias that is common among our contemporary anchormen. There's wonderful line in James L. Brooks' BROADCAST NEWS (1987-and still not dated). Albert Brooks is introducing William Hurt to the subtle art of reading the news correctly. One of his tips is: 'stress one word in each sentence - it will give an impression that you know what you're talking about' (I may have misquoted this one, since I saw the film in 1998). And William Hurt's 'Tom' does exactly that: without, of course, knowing what he's really talkin' about--but making TV-viewers BELIEVE that he does know.

Murrow didn't need this kind of tricks. His calmness, his constant pauses, his left hand holding a ciggaret, and his absolutely disarming (if rare) smiles and (even rarer) bursts of laughter, make one feel that here is the man truly concerned with what he has to say.

My favourite bit in the whole collection is one short dialogue between Murrow and Grandma Moses. He asks her about death, she remarks that she's not affraid of it, and Murrow begins a sentence, which - we cen sense that perfecly - was to be something like: "Is then death something you long for?". But as he speaks he realises that it would be impolite, so he begins to stammer (he of all people!) and changes it to some other question. At this very moment he seems wonderfully vulnerable -- that one-of-a-kind man of a steady voice, which is so soothing to hear.

Micha³ Oleszczyk, Tarnowskie Góry, Poland

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Required Viewing

Anyone who thinks they are a journalist -- think again. Murrow used language as no one has, both in radio and television, in war and,as he said, an ueasy peace. Those who claim that Murrow fostered the likes of Springer and O'Reilley have not seen these videos from, what must seem to some, a "land ago, far, far, away." Murrow was a genius at stating things succinctly, more often than not as objectively as possible. I find it interesting that many young people complain about the over-acting of the guy playing Joseph McCarthy in George Clooney's film, something which should be seen with the "Murrow Collection." As us oldsters know, that wasn't an actor and the struggle for truth and to "see it now" continues.

Good Night and GOOD LUCK.

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Outstanding Companion to the Movie

I strongly recommend watching the film "Good Night and Good Luck" together with this collection. The documentary "This Reporter" is outstanding, providing much of the background information we only get a glimpse of in the film. At the same time, we realize how true and accurate the film is based on these materials -- a refreshing change at a time when Hollywood feels free to regularly bend and twist historical fact!

Five Stars!

How far we have fallen.

To watch what was the first television program to drive itself by way of a moral compass and the concern for the public good, was both refreshing and saddening. It felt so nice to see an honest reporter standing up for something despite endangering both his network and himself to do it. Also, it felt sad to know that this was in the 1950s and now...well, now we have FOX. It was Murrow who actually started the ball rolling in the long overdue decapitation of Joseph McCarthy and his fascistic crusaders...now we have FOX. Watch this series and know how far we have fallen, where television's morality, integrity and spine are concerned.

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AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS.

If Good Night, and Good Luck makes you yearn to dig further into the Murrow mania, then this box set fits the bill. Murrow was often creidted with inventing broadcast journalism, and it's easy to understand. The four-disc set includes live broadcasts from the London Blitz and shocking reports from Buchenwald, the best of See It Now (including Grandma Moses and Louis Armstrong), his bold challenge of Joseph McCarthy and his "Red Scare" and the landmark 1960 special documenting the plight of migrant workers. See it now. And forever.

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