Review of Network (1976) by Nick H — 03 Jan 2015
News anchor Howard Beale has a nervous breakdown on air, but viewers (and the network) embrace him as a modern prophet. But the real prophet is screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, who managed to predict twenty-first century infotainment at a time when traditional journalism (think Woodward and Bernstein) was riding high.
Other aperçus include the rise of globalization and the decline of the individual. Perhaps most insightfully, the film explores the internal contradictions of a system in which "human interest" masks impersonal forces.
This tension builds to a legendary climax, in which the rotten structure very nearly collapses.
This review of Network (1976) was written by Nick H on 03 Jan 2015.
Network has generally received very positive reviews.
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