Network (DVD)

"He's saying life is bullsh*t... and it is... what's your problem?" One may as well begin with a disclaimer. I'm a Lumet idiot (possibly a general idiot as well, but that's up for debate). Before having Network recommended to me as "typical Lumet" all I had to apply this to was, ironically, the two films he made directly before Network: Murder on the Orient Express and (half of) Dog Day Afternoon (I've always meant to watch the other half). All I can say now, is that whatever else "typical" Lumet is... it's a damn good thing. Network is more than just a blistering satire on the television industry. It's an indictment of ...  Read the complete review

Made in 1976 and directed by Sidney Lumet, this film has become all the more relevant in the current climate of reality TV and ratings wars. The film tells the story of news broadcaster Howard Beale (Peter Finch) whose ratings have begun to slip and is being fired from the Network. Beale has a breakdown and on air declares that he is going to kill himself on his final broadcast. Rather than pull him off air it is decided that this event will pull ratings so they let him go on. He doesn't go through with it but instead rambles about the doomed world. Another opportunity is seen and he is kept on as a TV evangelist/ prophet. This film is exceptional in my ...  Read the complete review

note: also appears on Flixster and The Student Room in part One of the best satires ever written is Network, a biting look at the nature of the media, and the insatiable need for ratings at any cost. Directed by legend Sidney Lumet (who also made 12 Angry Men, among other classics), and starring a superb line-up of actors, many of whom recieved Oscar nominations, this is one of the greatest films ever made, both hilarious and also disturbing in its portrayal of the mass media beast. The film depicts Howard Beale (Peter Finch, in his final role, which won him a posthumous Academy Award for Acting, one of only two to win in this capacity, with Heath ...  Read the complete review

Criticised at the time for being hysterical and over the top, some aspects of 'Network' now seem like a documentary. Peter Finch, a genuinely great actor, gives his last and best performance as a newsreader who has a nervous breakdown on air after being sacked, and suddenly becomes the number one attraction. The TV station, initially horrified, gradually begin to see Finch as an asset, but his madness cannot be controlled as easily as they imagine, and events spiral out of control. This is an old man's film, with the central characters an ageing burn-out (Finch) and a decent man in late middle age (William Holden) being replaced by young, aggressive ...  Read the complete review

I watched this film the other day and it has immediately become one of my favourite films of all time. In essence its a biting satire on television and the way it was becoming less about education and fun and more about ratings at any cost. The film was made in 1976 but has a stinging resonance today which is possibly even more relevant than it was when made. So whats it about: Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is a Network news anchorman, a journalist who has spent his life perfecting his craft, one day his best friend Max Schumacher (William Holden) is forced to tell him that they are getting rid of him, its not Schumachers choice, its the ...  Read the complete review