Description
A look at the series of televised debates which took place between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. in 1968.
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"In the summer of 1968 television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. A Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, Gore Vidal was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted. Ratings for ABC News skyrocketed. And a new era in public discourse was born. Directed by Academy Award® Winner Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet From Stardom) and Grammy® Winner Robert Gordon (Shakespeare Was a Big George Jones Fan). Featuring Archival Footage, Photography and Readings by John Lithgow (Gore Vidal) and Kelsey Grammer (William F. Buckley). Official Selection: Sundance Film Festival; SXSW Film Festival."
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