When watching Network for the first time some 45+ years after its initial release, it could be easy to write off its satirical criticism of television (especially TV news) as outdated. But think about it deeper and you may realize that it only feels that way because so many of writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Sidney Lumet's proclamations have already come to pass.
For a very basic overview, Network tells the story of Howard Beale (Peter Finch), a TV news anchor told he's about to be let go. On his next broadcast, he announces he's going to kill himself the following week on live television. Though horror from network execs like Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) and Max Schumacher (William Holden) is the anticipated initial reaction, Howard's rantings draw ratings to the struggling UBS network. So, the media conglomarate makes the decision to "double down"--even going so far as to bring in TV drama writer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway)--to see how far (or how long) they can exploit this newfound success.
In terms of prognosticating the rise of "crazed talking heads" and multi-national corporations taking over news television, Chayefsky & Lumet hit the bullseye. Here in the 2020s, the content--skewering the "TV generation"--may seem a little trite, but it's only because we are already on the other side of those concerns. It basically all came to pass (if of course not quite as dramatically as can be attained in a screenplay). But the foresight to make a film like this in 1976 is remarkable.
Another interesting angle to consider: if bothered by Network's focus on the medium of TV, simply swap in "the Internet" or "social media" and it works just as well. One of the true beauties of the flick is that it very much recognizes how cyclical media criticism is--one generation's end-of-civilization bogeyman is another's placid instrument and something else is on the hit list. In other words, the themes of Network's satire are far more important than the TV medium itself.
Is Network a top-tier perfect film? I don't think so. It features an odd, off-putting romance between the Dunaway & Holden characters, and plot-wise it takes the "strike out at anything/everything" approach without always following all those threads to their logical conclusions. It also takes a solid 30-40 minutes to really settle into its social/tech satire. But when Network works, it is a truly fascinating look at media criticism in the 1970s.
For a very basic overview, Network tells the story of Howard Beale (Peter Finch), a TV news anchor told he's about to be let go. On his next broadcast, he announces he's going to kill himself the following week on live television. Though horror from network execs like Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) and Max Schumacher (William Holden) is the anticipated initial reaction, Howard's rantings draw ratings to the struggling UBS network. So, the media conglomarate makes the decision to "double down"--even going so far as to bring in TV drama writer Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway)--to see how far (or how long) they can exploit this newfound success.
In terms of prognosticating the rise of "crazed talking heads" and multi-national corporations taking over news television, Chayefsky & Lumet hit the bullseye. Here in the 2020s, the content--skewering the "TV generation"--may seem a little trite, but it's only because we are already on the other side of those concerns. It basically all came to pass (if of course not quite as dramatically as can be attained in a screenplay). But the foresight to make a film like this in 1976 is remarkable.
Another interesting angle to consider: if bothered by Network's focus on the medium of TV, simply swap in "the Internet" or "social media" and it works just as well. One of the true beauties of the flick is that it very much recognizes how cyclical media criticism is--one generation's end-of-civilization bogeyman is another's placid instrument and something else is on the hit list. In other words, the themes of Network's satire are far more important than the TV medium itself.
Is Network a top-tier perfect film? I don't think so. It features an odd, off-putting romance between the Dunaway & Holden characters, and plot-wise it takes the "strike out at anything/everything" approach without always following all those threads to their logical conclusions. It also takes a solid 30-40 minutes to really settle into its social/tech satire. But when Network works, it is a truly fascinating look at media criticism in the 1970s.