Review of Network

Low Ratings are a Killer

I just finished reading a book called The Nightly News by Jonathan Hickman which is a graphic novel about a cult of men and woman who in one way or another had their lives ruined by the news media so in retaliation they decide to cause havoc and mayhem by killing several journalist and news anchors. After finishing the book I had to watch Network again. Where the truth is absurd and a ratings grabber, where people see lives as a script which always has a happy ending, Network is the original at parodying the media corporations and what will and will not sell. Both the Nightly News and Network work on such high levels because they take a matter that appeals to everyone, which is the idea of being lied to by people whom you expect to have the upmost faith in, and take it to the extreme by creating such an absurd plot which is unbelievable but frighteningly true at the same time.

Howard Beale is a lonely and depressed news anchorman who after learning he is being let go in a weeks time decides to go on air and announce he's committing public suicide. What follows is a series of unbelievable events highlighted by high ratings, failed marriages, and audiences around the country finally hearing what they want to hear on the news, the truth. Where the truth sells and political propaganda is seen as nothing more then a high ratings show, Network plays at the absurdity of a news station figuring out that someone saying the truth for once, that the news media is spreading lies and propaganda to sell stories, is a high seller and leads to their unabashed exploitation of Beale.

The 70's is a high-water mark for acting and Network is no exception. Faye Dunaway plays the ice hearted programming executive who cares about nothing other than her job and reaching those ratings that mean her shows are number one in the country. William Holden plays the tired old station manager who is ashamed of the new direction the station is going and the exploitation of his best friend Howard, not to mention he storybook affair with Faye Dunaway which leads to a "happy ending" as he puts it. Peter Finch is Howard Beale who hears the voice of god and decides to spread the truth which is that America is losing their ideals and that corporations are beginning to control everything around them only to do a 180 in the direction of his show by film's end.

Sidney Lumet was at his best in the 70's. Him and Paddy Chayefsky, the writer, know exactly what they want out of the story, playing it more at a comedy-drama rather than just a straight drama. Lumet creates some outstanding scenes here like when Beale says his famous words on air which later become his catchphrase for his series, only to cut away to the streets to see everybody responding to his speech by yelling out their windows. The writing is simply amazing, creating some of the most memorable monologues in film history and a story that hits on all points by highlighting the incredibly absurd ways television works and more importantly the news media.

Without Network you wouldn't have these books and movies and television shows about the media and all of it's flaws. It help pave the way for other stories that challenge our everyday ideas of what we're watching and what we should or shouldn't believe. An original that still has yet to be challenged by any other film dealing with the same subject matter, Network is a movie that doesn't come around often, if ever, so cherish it and remember that not everything you see on T.V. is true

Posted on 02/12/08 by: matt2648 12:09 PM