Point of Order
Director: Emile de Antonio
Year Released: 1964
Rating: 3.0
Hundreds of hours of the Army-McCarthy hearings get pared down by director de Antonio to present a cutting critique of the (then) junior Senator from Wisconsin and the beginnings of his fall from grace - a proud moment in American history that came, for those whose lives he ruined, a little too late. It's difficult to defend de Antonio's construction as unbiased, however, and purposely included are the scenes in which McCarthy - and Ultra Repressed Roy Cohn - look their most foolish, although since history has made the two men out to look like the Worst Possible Americans Ever, cheering for their demise is 'safe' and easy. Still, the condensation of such a gargantuan scandal into a manageable nugget of viewing pleasure should not go un-praised, and students of American history/hysteria and/or Marxism might find this insightful.
