by Cookie N Screen
There is an advert bounding around right now that sees a man and his dog who walk around his unknown town screaming, understandably mad about this expensive designer store. The message is something along the lines of not allowing a middle man to take all your money and head to made.com to get your coiffed posh cushion straight from the designer. Ok so this isn’t a plug for made.com* but instead, a note on the advert. See this man is rambling “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to pay it anymore” which is a wonderful tribute to this 1976 satirical film by Sidney Lumet.
There is an advert bounding around right now that sees a man and his dog who walk around his unknown town screaming, understandably mad about this expensive designer store. The message is something along the lines of not allowing a middle man to take all your money and head to made.com to get your coiffed posh cushion straight from the designer. Ok so this isn’t a plug for made.com* but instead, a note on the advert. See this man is rambling “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to pay it anymore” which is a wonderful tribute to this 1976 satirical film by Sidney Lumet.
Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Actor for Peter Finch, Best Actress for Faye Dunaway, Best Supporting Actress for Beatrice Straight, Network is a powerful and angry look at television and entertainment. The plot revolves around Howard Beale, a long time news anchor who has been sacked by UBS due to poor ratings. Resentful, Beale takes to the airwaves and announces his suicide in two weeks. Only, instead of being aghast, the television heads use it as a scheme to win more ratings and there the plot unravels crazily.
Network is a film that thematically stands strong and even more so in this abundance of degradation for entertainment. Here, Lumet and screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky are unashamed to throw shots at the entertainment industry, particularly those hind shots parted at the entertainment industry as well as its audience. Lumet’s direction may, indeed, underline, highlight and hammer home the themes but the film becomes this sickening depiction of just how media businesses work to accrue those big numbers. The spectacle of suicide and assasinations, the rantings of a seeming lunacy that wags sparking speeches of truth and the deep seated disturbing element of watching a man fall apart for entertainment; All the bashing against an industry like television whilst simultaneously throwing shots at audiences and their feverish obsession with another person’s breakdown make Network a highly glorious film.
Network is a film that thematically stands strong and even more so in this abundance of degradation for entertainment. Here, Lumet and screenwriter Paddy Chayevsky are unashamed to throw shots at the entertainment industry, particularly those hind shots parted at the entertainment industry as well as its audience. Lumet’s direction may, indeed, underline, highlight and hammer home the themes but the film becomes this sickening depiction of just how media businesses work to accrue those big numbers. The spectacle of suicide and assasinations, the rantings of a seeming lunacy that wags sparking speeches of truth and the deep seated disturbing element of watching a man fall apart for entertainment; All the bashing against an industry like television whilst simultaneously throwing shots at audiences and their feverish obsession with another person’s breakdown make Network a highly glorious film.
A lot of this is centred on Peter Finch’s undeniably stellar performance as Beale. The gradual and slow unravel as he is ruthlessly thrown about the Network that peddles him. In the glorious “I’m mad as hell scene” (better explained by Paul’s monologue piece) and the subsequent rants, Beale humanises Chayevsky’s and Lumet’s message so it is utterly enthralling to watch. His anger is justified only to be abused and commercialised. It is a bitter rage that Finch truly blisters and escavates the inner turmoil of Beale. It’s sadly Finch’s last performance before he died and earned him a well-deserved Academy Award posthumously.
I’d definitely argue that last year’s Nightcrawler does a much better job at scrutinizing are need for scummy entertainment despite a lot of roots from Gilroy’s debut feeding off the platform Lumet created (even though, at the time, Lumet wasn’t the first to comment.) However, looking back at this classic, you cannot deny the ferocity in which it came. Fierce and funny, Network becomes this bark against the idiot box and it’s culture. It seems almost ludicrous, then, that the film is being used to sell things in this heavily media focused world. More so with our obsession of reality television and documentary that allows us to sit back and judge.
Heck, there are even shows about people watching television shows. It seems Network is even more needed.
I’d definitely argue that last year’s Nightcrawler does a much better job at scrutinizing are need for scummy entertainment despite a lot of roots from Gilroy’s debut feeding off the platform Lumet created (even though, at the time, Lumet wasn’t the first to comment.) However, looking back at this classic, you cannot deny the ferocity in which it came. Fierce and funny, Network becomes this bark against the idiot box and it’s culture. It seems almost ludicrous, then, that the film is being used to sell things in this heavily media focused world. More so with our obsession of reality television and documentary that allows us to sit back and judge.
Heck, there are even shows about people watching television shows. It seems Network is even more needed.
What Do You Think?
Network had it's fair share of criticism but are you a Hit Play?
Or are you mad as hell and aren't going to play it anymore?
Let us know in the comments below!
Network is available on Blu-ray now thanks to Arrow Films!
Or are you mad as hell and aren't going to play it anymore?
Let us know in the comments below!
Network is available on Blu-ray now thanks to Arrow Films!
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