Best of Enemies

The Fiery Feud That Defined Modern Media: Behind the Scenes of Best of Enemies

The 1968 televised debates between Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley Jr. weren’t just political sparring—they were a cultural earthquake. The documentary Best of Enemies (2015), directed by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon, revisits those explosive encounters, revealing how they reshaped public discourse. latestnetflix.com's read is that but what went into making a film about two intellectual heavyweights whose rivalry still stings decades later?

Five Years in the Making

The film didn’t come together overnight. According to the Wikipedia entry, Best of Enemies took five years to complete . That’s a long haul for a documentary, especially one centered on archival footage. The delay suggests the filmmakers faced challenges—whether securing rights to the debates, tracking down rare clips, or piecing together the broader context of 1968’s chaotic political landscape. The film premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, where it likely drew buzz for its sharp focus on a defining media moment .

The Debates That Went Nuclear

The heart of Best of Enemies is the 10 debates between Vidal and Buckley during the 1968 Republican and Democratic conventions. ABC News, then the underdog network, gambled on the duo as a way to boost ratings. What unfolded was less a civil discussion and more a verbal cage match—culminating in Buckley’s infamous on-air outburst, calling Vidal a "queer" and threatening to "sock [him] in the goddamn face" . The film doesn’t just replay the fireworks; it dissects how these clashes foreshadowed today’s polarized media landscape, where outrage often trumps nuance .

A Star-Studded Commentary Track

While Vidal and Buckley are the undisputed leads, Best of Enemies enlists a roster of modern voices to contextualize their feud. The documentary features Kelsey Grammer, John Lithgow, Dick Cavett, Christopher Hitchens, Noam Chomsky, Reid Buckley (William’s brother), Andrew Sullivan, and Todd Gitlin . Their appearances suggest the filmmakers wanted to bridge the gap between 1968 and today, showing how Vidal and Buckley’s war of words still echoes in contemporary punditry. Cavett, a TV legend himself, likely provided insider perspective on the era’s media circus .

Why This Feud Still Matters

The film’s reception hints at its relevance. Roger Ebert’s review called it "extraordinarily fascinating," noting how viewers’ minds would "constantly shuttle between then and now" . PBS later aired Best of Enemies as part of its Independent Lens series, signaling its appeal beyond niche documentary circles . Rotten Tomatoes lists it with a solid (though not blockbuster) rating, while a French review site gives it a 6.7/10—modest but respectable for a film built on archival material .

The Unanswered Questions

Despite its depth, Best of Enemies leaves some gaps. The evidence doesn’t reveal how the filmmakers convinced Buckley’s estate or Vidal’s camp to participate, if they did at all. There’s no mention of behind-the-scenes tensions during production, though the five-year timeline suggests it wasn’t smooth sailing. And while the film’s trailer and clips exist online , the snippets don’t spill any juicy secrets—just the debates themselves, which speak loudly enough.

One thing’s clear: Best of Enemies isn’t just a history lesson. It’s a warning about how quickly intellectual combat can devolve into personal destruction—and how that dynamic still dominates our screens.