Review of Network (1976) by Cindy I — 11 Feb 2010
Is Paddy Chayafsky a satirist or a prophet? This 1976 film about extreme TV, based on one of his stories, has nailed what TV is today in the 21st century.
The story is as follows: Howard Beale, an old-school news anchor for fictional network UBS, is being fired for bad ratings. He starts a wave of publicity by first announcing that he is going to kill himself live on-air in a week's time. The ratings go nuts, the next night he goes on a rampage against the system, and the network decides that excess is just what the network needs to get out of the ratings basement. They turn Howard Beale's show into the lovechild of Jerry Springer and the 700 Club,with more ranting by Beale and a TV psychic. Other shows are also suggested...the "Death Hour" that shows executions, car wrecks, etc., and a show based on a video made by a terrorist group robbing a bank. Eventually Beale's ratings start to drop again, and an extreme solution to the problem is put into motion.
Performances here are wonderful, with lots of Oscars to go around. Faye Dunaway is the programming exec so obsessed with her job that she even talks TV in the middle of sexual intercourse. William Holden is good as well, although in my opinion his role -- especially his relationship with Dunaway -- wasn't really necessary to the plot of the film. But it's Peter Finch who shines here, as the crazed news anchor Beale. His rant and call to the masses is now a classic movie scene. He's obviously losing his mind, and all the network execs care about is how his behavior affects the ratings. One particularly amusing scene to me is the self-proclaimed Communist woman (who is responsible for getting the terrorist group's show on-air) raising hell about her money and her ratings. The film ends rather abruptly, and it surprised me because I didn't really think it would end the way it did.
As I watched this, I had the thought "Change U-B-S to F-O-X and this film is practically a documentary!" For every example of crazy TV idea someone had, I was able to recall a program made in the last few years that meets or surpasses it in sheer bizarreness. Shouldn't we be embarrassed by this fact? What happened to the idea that Edward R. Murrow had that TV could be a teacher?
Come on everybody...let's say it together...
"I'M MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!!!".
This review of Network (1976) was written by Cindy I on 11 Feb 2010.
Network has generally received very positive reviews.
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