Ok Let me start this review by asking this question first? How many of you heard of this movie? I guess not many…ok even I’ve not before watching this and that’s an irony in itself because This movie is a cinematic gem.
Network is a movie that raises the question: If television isn’t reality, then in what kind of reality do the people who create television exist? Originally released in 1976, Network blasts the falseness of television; corporate control of a TV network; and how television can succeed in destroying the lives of those involved with trying to produce high ratings.
Plot:-
The main plot of Network follows TV news anchorman Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) who works for a fictional fourth-rated TV network called UBS. He is an ageing TV anchorman who is about to be fired, effective in two weeks, after his ratings have been steadily deteriorating. He reacts to this by sensationally announcing on live television his intention to commit suicide on air. In doing so, Beale becomes a major TV icon . As a result he is given his own show as ’the mad prophet of the air-waves’. He appears live on television every week-day evening to tell the real truth to the people of America. UBS management, recently taken over by a multinational conglomerate called CCA, now sees Beale’s news show as the cornerstone of their network programming. Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway), the director of programming, takes the news show and makes it a weekly spectacle. The programme is a huge success but Beale uses his power to make startling revelations about CCA, leaving the company executives with a serious problem.
To Beale’s credit, however, he is not really a lunatic. Beale, for all his insane ravings, actually begins to see the truth behind television. He sees the madness of television and the falseness of what it has become and what he has become. Eventually, the novelty of Beale’s show begins to wear off and the ratings start to fall. Rather than being the top rated show, Beale begins to slip and actions are taken. As the ratings fall, so do the lives and fortunes of those involved with creating the program. In the end, television destroys them all.
One subplot in the movie is the affair between which involves an old-school news director with a young program director looking for her big break. Their affair ends with some great dialogues.
Analysis:-
Paddy Chayefsky’s brilliant screenplay coupled with Sidney Lumet’s solid direction and excellent performances by the cast make Network a simply outstanding movie. It has some of the best dialogues ever wriiten in the history of cinema. No doubt Network is listed in the American Film Institute’s "100 Greatest American Movies of the 20th Century, " it is ranked #66. The movie received 10 Academy Award nominations and won 4 Oscars for best screenplay (Chayefsky), best actress (Dunaway), best actor (Finch) and best supporting actress (Straight).
Though it has many moments of humor, it is a serious movie that makes a profound statement about the nature of TV broadcasting. Television is about ratings and advertising revenue. The audience is considered so far as the answer to the question: How many people are watching? The quality of the programs, the accuracy of the programs, and the integrity of the programs are never considered. Do people watch? Special considerations such as originality, creativity, compassion, and fairness are not aspects of TV programming. Do people watch?
Network may not be the greatest movie ever made; it remains my most favorite film because I don’t believe a better script has ever been penned. Please do comment. It’s my second review after a long time.
Amit G