Point of Order!
Directed by Emile de Antonio
1964/USA
Point Films
First viewing/YouTube
[box] “Let us not assassinate this lad further, senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency?” – Joseph Welch, Counsel to the U.S. Army[/box]
IMDb Plot Summary: Point of Order is compiled from TV footage of the 1954 Army-McCarthy hearings, in which the Army accused Senator McCarthy of improperly pressuring the Army for special privileges for Private David Schine, formerly of McCarthy’s investigative staff. McCarthy accused the Army of holding Schine hostage to keep him from searching for Communists in the Army. These hearings resulted in McCarthy’s eventual censure for conduct unbecoming a senator.
The film is straight-forward edited footage without narration or commentary of any kind. Nevertheless, it is constructed to have maximum impact, causing this viewer to want to reach through the screen and strangle several people. The battle between the oh-so-clever Joseph Welsh and the oh-so-venal Sen. McCarthy is mesmerizing. Unfortunately, the senator was not the last politician to give the finger to the American people. Highly recommended to anyone with an interest in thisl period in US history.
Exchange between McCarthy and Welch
