DVD - Network - Two Disc Special Edition
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In 1975 terrorist violence is the stuff of network nightly news programming and the corporate structure of the UBS television network is changing. Meanwhile, Howard Beale, the aging UBS news anchor, has lost his once strong ratings share and so the network fires him. Beale reacts in an unexpected way. We then see how this affects the fortunes of Beale, his coworkers (Max Schumacher and Diana Christensen), and the network.
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DVD information
| Release Date (USA): | 2006-02-28 |
| Rating (USA): | R |
| Release Date (UK): | TBA |
| Rating (UK) : | NA |
| Director: | Sidney Lumet |
| Producer: | |
| Studio: | Warner Home Video |
| Writer/s: | Paddy Chayefsky |
Cast
| Faye Dunaway | Diana Christensen |
| William Holden | Max Schumacher |
| Peter Finch | Howard Beale |
| Robert Duvall | Frank Hackett |
| Wesley Addy | Nelson Chaney |
| Ned Beatty | Arthur Jensen |
| Arthur Burghardt | Great Ahmed Kahn |
| Bill Burrows | TV Director |
| John Carpenter | George Bosch |
| Jordan Charney | Harry Hunter |
| Kathy Cronkite | Mary Ann Gifford |
| Ed Crowley | Joe Donnelly |
| Jerome Dempsey | Walter C. Amundsen |
| Conchata Ferrell | Barbara Schlesinger |
| Gene Gross | Milton K. Steinman |
DVD Features
Available Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
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Network [Blu-ray] (DVD)
Talkback
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RebMay 7th, 2008 - 17:31:50
'Network' is not a satire, it's a documentary. Even 32 years ago when I was only 16 I suspected that most of what was put on TV was just entertainment; not long after 'Network' KTTV in Los Angeles began airing 'Mero News, Metro News' right after 'Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.' I even worked for a couple of TV stations and a lead anchor of one looked me in the eye and said 'I am not a journalist; I'm a news reader' (this was a decade before, say, Jerry Springer.)
I feel Faye Dunaway's performance as Diana Christensen is stunningly accurate; some who work for TV stations and networks only care about what the Neilsen ratings are and how much money their station can sell commercials for. Those who are the stars of TV programmes sometimes can't see the forest for the trees; like Howard Beale they fancy themselves prophets or crusaders or the lone voice of truth overlooking the fact that they're part of the same machine that is partly causing a lot of the problems in the world today. Even 'The Great Ahmed Kahn' of the 'E. L. A.' is more intrested in the subsidiary rights of his contract than fighting against the alleged fascists. Or, as Diana prophetically said 'Howard Beale is voicing the anger of millions of Americans, he's processed instant God and he's getting better raings than Mary Tyler Moore!' *SIGH* 'The revolution will be televised.'
In this new millenium there are myriads of television programmes and networks instead of the old three (well, four if you remember P. B. S.), yet, they remain different shades of gray purely for entertainment (secondarily) and profits to the station (essentially.) 'Network' was a warning but instead of heeding it people used it as a blueprint. Bill Holden summed it up perfectly towards the end of the story; 'Music up with a swell. Final commercial. And now here are a few scenes from next week's episode.'
P. S.: I wonder if U. B. S. would have needed to re-title 'The Mao Tse Tung Hour' as 'The Mao Zedong Hour' since America is beginning to better understand the Chinese, especially since they now produce a huge amount of the products we purchase?
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