Robert Gordon's latest film analyzes the intellectual battle that, he says, gave birth to today's culture wars.
In the new release "Best of Enemies," Gordon, along with his co-director Morgan Neville, examine the infamous series of televised debates between liberal author Gore Vidal and conservative editor William F. Buckley, Jr.
Their debates were ABC's contribution to the volatile 1968 Republican and Democratic primaries, taking place just months after the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy.
Buckley and Vidal each believed the other to be ideologically dangerous to the country. It soon became clear that their arguments were less about the candidates and the election, and more about winning.
Gordon, the author of "Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion," draws a line straight from 1968 to the politics and media coverage in this year's election.
