Network (Oblivious Opinion)

I’d always seen the classic clip of “I’m mad as hell…and I’m not going to take it anymore!” I thought it was in reference to a news team standing up to the network bosses and really pumping out some honest newscasts, full of journalistic integrity. I always thought that seemed like a noble premise for a movie, but in truth, I never really gave a shit about watching it.

Now that I’m watching all top 250 rated movies, I was forced into this one. And, Ho-Lee Shee-It, am I glad that I did. With the exception of Robert Duvall, I don’t know much of anything about anyone having to do with the movie,. From the writer to the director all the way down to the actors, I’m pretty much in the dark. But, it looks to me as thought I’m going to have to change all of that.

Television in the late 70’s was much different than it is now. A lot of bible belters felt that it was morally reprehensible and that is was corrupting the minds of the day’s youth but really, in terms of comparison, 70’s TV doesn’t hold a candle to the likes of Maury, Jerry, HBO, Spike, et al. Where it was once controversial to harshly question the actions of the President, it’s now completely all right to do an in depth show about 15 year old girls who loved to get fucked and think it’s time to get knocked up. Somehow, writer Sydney Chayefski saw what was to come. He’s created what was a satire at the time, but was, in fact, an accurate prediction of the current state of television.

The idea of network news selling its integrity for ratings is surely nothing new. Who’d have ever thought that shows like Entertainment Tonight and TMZ TV would come about as the top “news magazines” here, only 30 years later?

In order for this satire to have worked without coming across as a monumental joke, everything really had to be perfect: all the sub plots, the directing, the filming, and most especially, the acting. And, lucky for us, the viewers, it was.

Peter Finch’s portrayal of Howard Beale is obviously what the whole movie is staked on. His progression from depressed man to crazed fanatic is smooth, exhilarating and, most importantly, it worked. Here, though, it was the portrayals of supporting players that make the movie such a gem. From William Holden’s honorable newsman struggling with the transformation of ethics in the newsroom, to Faye Dunaway’s soulless television personified, utilizing any available weapon to claw her way to the top, to Robert Duval’s corporate shark, interested not in substance, but in profit, and of course Ned Beatty’s perfect CEO, brash, powerful, angry, and most of all the utter human representation of greed, this magnificent ensemble of bit parts make every inch of this movie a delight to relish in.

The long and short is simply that this is a masterpiece. There was not a dull moment, and the prescient nature of the film kept me baffled throughout. As the story become more fantastical, it mirrored modern television more and more. I’d not only recommend the film, but I feel like I need to watch it again.


[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQUBbpvXk2A]