Best of Enemies

A film on the debates between William Buckley Jr and Gore Vidal, is a fascinating study into the prevalent political mood in America and the yearning of a fast-evolving media setup to articulate it

In 1968, William Buckley Jr and Gore Vidal sparred on ABC News during the Republican and Democratic conventions held to select the candidates for the election. (Richard Nixon won the Republican ticket and ultimately the Presidency.) At the time, ABC News was the lowest ranked among network news channels and its executives hoped that the debates would be fiery enough to ensure a boost to the channel’s ratings.

In event, they surpassed that goal. Buckley was a noted conservative thinker whose interview series, Firing Line, had earned a reputation for its thoughtful analysis of conservative thought. As editor of National Review,