"Network" (1976) - Movie Classics

Corporate world battles are one of the rarest areas the talents of the movie industry opt to shoot out. This is due to the main reason that the internal small details are so necessary to build up the whole story in a short period of time. Moreover, it may be inadequate to perpetuate into the audience with such an environment totally alien to them and in fact, they do not want to know about it. “Network” is the 1976 film directed by Sidney Lumet, is about a fictional television network named UBS which has the key players trying hard to fight out the ratings and get into the top of the game as any other corporate will try to do in any other business.

Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is losing his Midas touch in the TV news industry and is at the edge of his career with two weeks away from his departure from UBS. His friend and boss, Max Schumacher (William Holden) out of getting back with the higher representative Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) for diminishing the news division allows the outrage of Howard Beale’s anger and frustration due to his firing in live television. Due to this act, Frank is ready to fire Howard Beale immediately when a charismatic, vivid and emotionally negligent and talented Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) uses the opportunity for publicizing the emotional rage of American people through Howard. She succeeds in her sale and thus the show of Howard Beale continues taking on some of the most horrific truths inside the entertainment industry of Television and the cut throat business of the show business.

This is a film which employs the strongest usage of language, the audience will ever witness in the history of film making. Even though one cannot believe in the implication of the language use of such vocabulary happening in any industry apart from literature, it adds the perfect ingredient to the movie which is driven by dialogues. The speech of Howard Beale is totally phenomenal. The sequences of the Howard Beagle’s speech are exemplary in the use of strong dialogues which gives the gruesome and violent exposure of truths in the most blatant and entertaining manner. Another interesting use of technique in story telling is that the majority of the movie happens in a closed room not alone to give the inside dungeons of the Studio but to confine the limitations of the viewer’s mind, as the film tries to say what the improper use of television does to the “humanoids”. The screenplay serves as the guide book reference for a movie heavily engulfed by thundering dialogues. “Network” won the 1976 Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Paddy Chayefsky and what more to say about it? The colour tone of the screen is the polished teak wood look to give the corporate ambience inside the viewer’s living room or theatre.

The performances make this movie of what it is. It is a movie about show business and every one needs to emote their candid character in the most believable and interesting way. All of them do it with finesse tune of acting skills. Take it the emotionally stressed and rejuvenated spiritually, Howard Beale played by Peter Finch or the honest and conscience minded Max Schumacher portrayed by William Holden or the emotionless, competitive maniac Diana Christensen by Faye Dunaway or the typical ruthless and chameleonic soft and hard spoken Frank Hackett done by Robert Duvall, they shine brilliantly and prove their presence. Special mention goes to the supporting actor Ned Beaty as Arthur Jensen and Beatrice Straight as Max’s wife who make their mark in the less than six minutes screen appearances.

There are enormous amount of heavy content spread across this film. Some may find it very harsh and insane. Some may find it amusing and jovial. Some may find it extremely truthful yet implausible to happen in this world. Out of everything, one truth emerge unaninamously and that is, the “Network” does show the generation blinded by the improper use of television. The most astounding fact is the supposedly “informative news channel” is taken as the example and delivered as a soap opera. This is a classic representation of how the presumably intellectualized material can be put into shambles by the most inappropriate people’s medium of mind. The intensity of the moment is so sharp in the dialogues and it is evident when Howard Beale in one his influencing speech says, “I am a human being, Goddammit! My life has value!” the viewers feel so much frustration and the veracity of the human kind raises out of it vehemently. Many may think, Howard as the psychotically broke down, edge of his life loser who shelters himself from the cruelty of the world through philosophy, while it may be the truth, the truth that he is telling the fact is undeniable. Underestimating the power of that truth and its consequences has been beautifully given before the near end of the movie when Howard takes on the Network in the most painful way along with him.

“Network” is a movie classic whose content holds strong and is speaking loud even in the current era of pre-programmed “humanoids”. As the movie progresses, the viewers will find the whole misuse of media, sickening and depressing wherein they will reach a point and yell, “I am as Mad as Hell and I am not going to take this anymore” reinstating what Howard says.