Mike Wallace Is Here

Showings

Mary D. Fisher Theatre Fri, Aug 16, 2019 4:00 PM
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Sat, Aug 17, 2019 4:00 PM
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Mon, Aug 19, 2019 4:00 PM
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Tue, Aug 20, 2019 7:00 PM
Mary D. Fisher Theatre Wed, Aug 21, 2019 4:00 PM
Film Info
Event Type:Documentary Feature
Release Year:2019
Run Time:90 minutes
Rating:PG-13
Production Country:United States
Original Language:English
Trailer:https://youtu.be/dDSq2fF9flk
Cast/Crew Info
Director:Avi Belkin

Description

“Mike Wallace Is Here” offers an unflinching look at the legendary reporter, who interrogated the 20th century’s biggest figures in his over fifty years on air, and his aggressive reporting style and showmanship that redefined what America came to expect from broadcasters.


Unearthing decades of never-before-seen footage from the 60 Minutes vault, the film explores what drove and plagued Wallace, whose storied career was entwined with the evolution of journalism itself.


Never before has journalism in America been so hotly debated. At a time when it seems like the hard-hitting question is fighting for its right to be asked, “Mike Wallace Is Here” turns the tough question loose on its inventor to understand how we got here and what’s really at stake.
 

We witness now on a daily basis the dangers of a fractured and disrespected press. Echo chambers abound, talking heads toe party lines, and politicians attempt to convince the public that facts — and truth — don’t matter. The sharp-edged, astute documentary “Mike Wallace Is Here” looks for inspiration in a different time, in the work of one of the most fearless, confrontational broadcast journalists of the last 50 years … and finds motivation for those holding truth to power in the present day.
 

“Mike Wallace Is Here” is told exclusively through archival footage, without one talking-head commentary or backward-looking interview diluting the immediacy and power of Wallace’s work. The film traces his career on the air from his invention of the “tough question” in his 1950s interview show Night Beat to his news specials of the ’60s and his extraordinary four decades on CBS’ 60 Minutes, examining how his genre-defining work changed the standards of broadcast journalism for good and for ill, while unpacking the personal qualities that made Mike tick.


“Masterful. Dazzling. Riveting. A prismatic portrait. Television needs him more now than ever.” — The Wrap


“Absorbing. If they were famous — or infamous — they likely sat across from newsman Mike Wallace at some point during his seven-decade career. And he made them all squirm.” — Associated Press


“Compulsively engrossing.” — The Hollywood Reporter