One of the biggest reasons my wife and I embarked on this movie-watching quest was because we wanted to be able to understand all the references made to classic films in various other forms of media. Thanks to “Network” and its iconic “I’m mad as Hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!” speech I now understand those J.G. Wentworth commercials where the people are yelling out their windows “It’s my money and I need it now!” Hey, I didn’t say it made those commercials any less annoying, I just get the reference now.
Since I wasn’t alive when “Network” came out, I have to come to my own conclusion as to whether or not it was eerily prophetic in depicting how sensationalized media would become or if the writing was already on the wall. What is the most shocking is to see how in 1976 this film showed extreme examples of how trashy TV could theoretically get and how close to the mark they actually came in their forecasting. Watching this film today one can easily identify elements of “The Jerry Springer Show,” “World’s Wildest Police Videos” and The Bible Network as complete hypotheticals that wound up being so.
A well-respected evening news reporter, Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) finds out quite coldly that he is being let go due to poor ratings. After a night of drinking and reminiscing with his producer/best friend Max (played by William Holden, one of my favorite actors of all time) he facetiously comments about how he should commit suicide the day of his last broadcast for the sake of ratings. Quite unintentionally, Max muses along with him, commenting on how big the boost would be.
“I love it! Suicides, assassinations, mad bombers, Mafia hitmen, automobile smash-ups. The Death Hour! A great Sunday night show for the whole family. We'll wipe fucking Disney right off the air!” (Max Schumacher, “Network”)
The next night, Howard decides to announce to the world that he is going to do just that- blow his brains out on live TV. Of course there is the initial outrage and backlash, but the more the talking-heads, particularly Diana Christiansen (a morally loose programming director played by Faye Dunaway) start thinking about it, the more they decide that, while letting him kill himself off on the air might not be so good in the long term, letting him continue to rant without any kind of filter might be a ratings windfall.
Not only does this sensationalism lead to resurgence in Howard’s career, but also a complete retooling of the struggling network’s programming lineup. Soon sitcoms are replaced by shows that depict real footage of crimes being committed (the precursor to the “reality show” as well as any number of cop-chase, shootout programs narrated by John Bunnell). Prime-Time dramas are jettisoned in favor of real-life drama. The nightly news becomes a mockery complete with “psychics,” celebrity gossip-mongers and Howard Beale himself espousing opinions, some well researched and some not with all the overdramatic shouting of “The O’Reilly Factor.” Beale is shown to be more than just frustrated, but clearly unhinged, however, the network continues to exploit him even in spite of the very serious possibility that he is suffering from some sort of dementia or mental condition.
As morality goes even further to the wayside, the lines between real-life and fiction become blurred. Soon the characters’ lives begin to resemble TV shows, thus is where the true genius of “Network” begins to reveal itself. Beale enjoys a second lease on life by becoming a sort of demagogue to his loyal viewers; the irony of course being that his initial plans to end his life result in the rebirth of his career. Meanwhile, Diana and Max engage in a long-term mutually self-serving affair. Diana’s intention is to take over the network and not only would Max be a powerful ally, but he also likely wouldn’t resist her plans to sensationalize the news programming even further once she has him under her thumb. Max however feels the pressure of time and, in classic midlife-crisis form, leaves his wife for the much younger Diana, seemingly knowing all along that things will not end well.
The affair between Max and Diana represents a paradox of the entire point of the film. Not only just the absence of morality but also the negative long-term effects of immediate gratification, be it in bad programming or illicit sex. There are several instances where their relationships is referred to in the context of a fictional storyline which at times belabors the point but also effectively drives it home- you can’t manipulate real life the way you can manipulate a script.
Lo and behold, the house of cards begins to fall apart for everyone. Max realizes he misses his wife and that Diana is too obsessed with her career to ever be a viable partner. The radical Islamic leftist organization that is given their own program becomes consumed with greed, thus causing infighting that destroys their show. Howard Beale himself soon learns that people tend to be fickle in their viewing habits and is struggling to keep people interested in him.
On top of that, he begins to experience the downside of his influence when he motivates viewers to kill a deal that would give the Saudis overwhelming control in several American interests. As it turns out one of the biggest financial beneficiaries of this deal would have been the network that airs his show. Locked into a contract with Beale, who is now a liability for the network, the brass organizes a plan where Beale is assassinated on the air. Not only does this illustrate an obscene lack of humanity, but also shows us just how much the entertainment industry views people as commodities.
I loved this film, and I think anyone who would question its genius and its boldness would have to be an idiot. However, I have also heard the Great Debate about how this film should have beaten “Rocky” for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976. Having now seen both films now I can honestly say that an equally strong case can be made for both. However, it is simply common sense that this film would not have won under any scenario for one simple reason; politics. Any kind of film that shows us the behind the scene goings-on of the entertainment industry has already shot itself in the foot to some extent. It happened with “LA Confidential” it happened with “Sunset Boulevard” and it clearly also happened with “Network.”
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