Network

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Network

94% Liked It
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Network

Beatrice Straight, Conchata Ferrell, Faye Dunaway, Jordan Charney, Lane Smith, Lee Richardson, Ned Beatty, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Ted Sorel, Wesley Addy, William Holden, William Prince

Howard Beale, the dean of newscasters at the United Television Network, is put out to pasture because he too old. Network executive Max Schumacher, Howard's best friend, is forced to deliver the bad n...( read more  read more... )ews. Beale can't stomach the idea of losing his 25-year post as anchorman simply because of age, so in his next broadcast he announces to the viewers that he's going to commit suicide on his final program. What he doesn't count on is a media blitz surrounding his circumstance.

Id: 10903262

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Network Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    November 10, 2009
    SirPant
    A masterpiece and one of the best films of the 70's (and ever). The direction, performances and story are all perfect and the script is hilariously subtle and quite relevant to today's sociality. Perfect film making, definitely in my top 100, probably in my top 25! Howard Beale i...( read more)s also one of the best film characters ever written!
  • sanjurosamurai
    August 31, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    they just dont make films like this anymore. an absolute genuine masterpiece of filmmaking, the highlight of the already brilliant career of sydney lumet. the acting was stellar, especially the performance of william holden, and the film was flawlessly directed. a perfect comm...( read more)entary on the effect of t.v. and big business on the world and a brilliantly crafted film all around makes for one of the best american films in history.
  • pier007
    July 13, 2009
    pier007
    The cruel and caustic story of Howard Beale, a newscaster who had a breakdown due to the loss of his family, the booze, and all the fallacies he regurgitated to millions of automatous viewers.
    The ugly truth is Beale's new weapon of choice to bury everything he despises, includin...( read more)g the greedy and corrupt superiors who placed him in his new job and labeled him as "the mad prophet of the airwaves" or "angry media messiah", immoral individuals who own that old brainwashing machine par excellence called television and whose only religion is that of the money and ratings.
    Fine performances. Outrageous and brilliant screenplay.
  • kiriyamakazou
    April 4, 2009
    kiriyamakazou
    Network is a masterpiece. A true golden nugget of movie making. It may be 33 years old but the message rings true today. In fact it may have not dated at all. Howard Beale loses it, as a newsreader expected to deliver the news with no emotion. His outbursts at first cost him his ...( read more)job, but soon the network realises they have a ratings sensation on their hands. They begin to exploit Beale, but it becomes apparent he is not a prophet, but a very sick man. Meanwhile the news descends into absurdity and farce. We have Prophet Vs. Profit. It's a heartbreaking story of one mans illness used for personal gain. It's a satirical look at the industry. The news soon becomes just another source of mindless entertainment. Even today we see stupid and socially awkward people exploited on shows. It's funny but how often do we question the real devastating effect it can have. Stunning performances from every single cast member. Finch's speeches ring of both truth but also insanity and are delivered with passion and anger. Holden is the voice of reason amongst the exploited and exploiters. It's very rare to see a film this concise. A fantastically perfect script that evolves as it should, without contrivance.
  • smith44
    January 17, 2009
    smith44
    "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Network is one of the best films I've seen in a long time and easily one of the best films ever.
  • sabrinagramos
    December 4, 2009
    sabrinagramos
    showy, clever writing: it relies too heavily on the intelligence of the script. also not as subversive as it thinks it is, but still: a terribly self-conscious film about 70s american pop culture nonetheless. Yet the brief simplified statement of the U.S.'s financial servitude to...( read more) "Arabs" and the public's ensuing outrage foreshadows the lack of specificity that limns the present political paradigm; you don't need to be that thoughtful of a viewer to dock points for this. Even when the semi-racist contours of this notion is toppled in Ned Beatty's speech ("there are no longer nations or ideolgies") the idea lingers....I know its supposed to be a satire, but how come the the leading caucasion characters seem more sympathetic? (Or in the case of Robert Duvall's character, more realistic?) I know it isn't just a matter of good acting, although William Holden is damn perfect for this role. There are other crude stereotypes of non-white, non-uppermiddle class men and women that impinge upon the possibility of popular-insurrection-by-entertainment, which this movie playfully seeks to inspire and aspire to in a sort of meta commentary/satirical act. "Network" is more bark than bite-- it knows this but tries to fool its audience by serving up repeated portions of Faye Dunaway saying "goddamnit" and "to hell" over statistical and financial data reports. Her quips are snacks for those who care to analyze further; her habit of schematizing real-life, personal situations into digestible sitcom pitches not only mime the industry she works in, but the film "Network" itself. Again, this is clever craftwork by the film's creators, but it gets old.

    Still, the movie is kind of fascinating as an example of how the popular imagination took stock of its mid-seventies situation. plus the best "how dare you cheat on me" monologue ever.
  • adfill7
    November 21, 2009
    adfill7
    Though I appreciate the satire, this movie was almost too ridiculous for my taste. Maybe I just don't get it.
  • agonzalez7000
    November 4, 2009
    agonzalez7000
    Deep and somewhat okay very twisted movie that has the evils of television as its core.
  • Nighthawk246
    October 23, 2009
    Nighthawk246
    "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Network is a great film, with superb acting on display, especially from Peter Finch, and a fantastic script. The movie is truly prescient regarding the current state of media culture as well as modern day corporate and bu...( read more)siness attitudes. It?s a searing and caustic satire that?s entertaining from the beginning to the very end.
  • anastasia57001
    October 12, 2009
    anastasia57001
    Sidney Lumet's "Network" was at least a few decades ahead of its time - that's why it feels so relevant today. It's an excellent take on the power of the media and an ever better one on media frenzy!

    An excellent cast works wonders with the reality hammered by a very accurate a...( read more)nd very inspired script. William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, you just can't pick who's doing the best job here- and Dunaway does her part a solid.

    All in all, a classic piece of film-making that's worth spending 2 hours on, as it addresses issues that are very much alive today, like terrorism, capitalism... and mentally challenged television prophets.
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