Review of Network (1976) by Bob R — 27 Jan 2014

Network is an interesting satire on the power of television networks, and what it means to be successful in the television business. After everything is said and done, ratings triumph over all, and so does money. At the end of the day, whatever sells is what keeps you on the air.

Howard Beale is a news anchor that works for the UBS network. His superiors have planned to fire him. His best friend Max, who also works for the network, is told to give Beale the news. In a bit of a crisis, Beale sits down to do the news show. He doesn't do the news, he tells the truth. He tells everybody why he's going, and that he's planning to kill himself on live television in 2 weeks time. The Network scrambles as they try to assess the disaster, but soon learn that the ratings are going nowhere but up. Beale gets into heavy drinking and day dreaming, and comes back for every shift telling people the truth about life. It's interesting stuff, and more people are tuning in to watch. Since he is boosting the profile of a falling network, they decide to give Howard his very own show with a live audience. Here, he is free to talk about the false truths of the world, and play the lone prophet for the masses of blind sheep that watch with a vigilant eye. While all this plays out, drama at the station and unfaithful relationships progress, in a story about lies, greed, justice, and exploitation.

I've got a love/hate complex going on with Network right now. After watching, I've found a whole lot of the movie I think is great, but a lot of stuff that felt quite lousy to me. I'm gonna try and give it a proper run down. First off, the character of Howard Beale is what makes Network. The whole movie is not about him, but when the focus is directed to Beale, this movie really hits its high. Peter Finch is so damn good as Beale, providing manic energy for what is an excellent example of monologue acting. He is one of the big components that brings Network to life. There is one of the good things that comes to my mind when I look back on the film.

One of my bigger criticisms, which I might be alone on, is that Network can play out slow and dull, at times, while suffering from a whole lot of over acting. It's basically a two hour yelling marathon. It can be good, but annoying at times too. Howard Beale is an exception though, just because it's the nature of his character. Everybody else turns in solid performances, but a little too hard tried. Speaking of hard tried, the love story between Network employees Max and Diana took up too much time. I wanted more focus on what was going on with the Network's problems, and Howard Beale's show. The mish-mash of the plots made it feel a tad convoluted. Enough negative jabs, there are some positive things about Network that make this a solid movie.

First off, I love the ending. I don't want to spoil anything, even if the movie is nearly 40 years old, but it fits so well with the style and the concept of the movie. I didn't feel like it was a punch it the gut, which some people thought, I thought it was a surprising conclusion. This reminds me about the film's style. It's dramatic but, features a lot more jokes than I thought. Just ten minutes in, I realized Network is supposed to be a satire, and a good one at that. The biggest component that makes it work is the amazing writing. Network features such fresh, sharp dialogue, that the screenplay pretty much raises the whole movie up to a whole new level. The writing and dialogue is so good you could listen to this shit on a tape and it would still prove entertaining. It really is the strong point of a film that left me loving it but questioning and criticizing it at the same time.

Network can be slow and over acted, but features an amazing performance by Peter Finch, great writing, and the self referential satirical edge that it's so well known for.