DVD Reviews

Network - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Feb 18, 2011, 11:57 GMT

Newscaster Howard Beale has a message for those who package reports of cute puppies, movie premieres and fender benders as hard news: "I\'m as mad as hell, and I\'m not going to take this anymore." Sidney Lumet directs Paddy Chayefsky\'s satire (an Academy Award-winning(R) screenplay) about the things people do for love…and ratings. Three performers won Oscars. Best Actress Faye Dunaway is the TV exec guarding ratings like a tigress ...more

I’m still mad as hell.  Howard Beale may have been the mad prophet of the airwaves, but Paddy Chayefsky was prophetic in his depiction of network television.   It still holds up after all these years thanks to the great acting and thought provoking content. 

Network is the story of Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the senior anchor on the UBS evening news for 15 years (think Dan Rather).  He’s told by the president of the news division, Max Schumaker (William Holden), that he’s been fired and has two weeks of newscasts left. 

Instead of giving the usual farewell address at the end of that evening’s news, Beale announces that in two weeks’ time he will commit suicide during the evening news.  This effectively makes Beale not the news announcer, but the subject of all the other networks news casts. 

Beale apologizes to Max and is allowed to go on the air for his final broadcast.  He announces that he isn’t going to kill himself, but that he’s just run out of bullshit.  Max, stinging from finding out that his budget has been cut and he was not told about it until the annual stockholders meeting, allows Beale to carry on with his rant. 

Again this makes Beale not the teller of the news, but the subject of every newscast and this time making the cover of the New York Times.  The suits want Beale canned but up and coming TV programming executive Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) gets a look at the ratings Beale is producing and thinks she smells a winner.

UBS Network head Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall), on Christensen’s advice, lets Beale have a commentary segment on the news.  The novelty wears off and Beale’s ratings begin to drop again. 

However, one evening Beale hears a godlike voice and goes on another rant about truth that both shows his insanity but is also hilarious.  Before his next broadcast Beale spends the day walking around in the rain in his pajamas and raincoat.  When he goes on the air that night he gives the speech that is in my opinion one of the greatest in movies.

“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore” is the line that everyone remembers but the whole speech is golden.  The ratings explode and the mad prophet of the airwaves is given his own network show, but what happens when the ratings start to fall?

In the days of only three major television networks, Network may have seemed more relevant.  However, don’t discount the film’s age, it was made in 1974, and subject matter as the telling script by Paddy Chayefsky still has parallels today. 

Sure, many major networks don’t have news organizations and just pass on tweets as stories, but we still have many “yellers” like Beale who may have questionable sanity.  As long as they’re getting ratings, they may be safe, but someday the mighty will fall.  I don’t think that they’ll suffer the same fate as Beale (conspiracy theorists may disagree) though.

Even more terrible is the spate of mindless entertainment “reality” shows that don’t have single thing to do with reality.  At least in 1974 there was seriousness to the news, now it’s all sound bites and entertainment styled pratter.

Network is still relevant and it may be miraculous that even though it was made 37 years ago that it still resonates today.  The late Chayefsky himself might be shocked at how much his fiction has become fact today.  Much of it has to do with the fantastic performances, especially the late Finch who was awarded a posthumous Oscar. 

The film would garner three more Oscars, one for Dunaway as best actress, one for Beatrice Straight as supporting actress, and Chayefsky for his writing. 

Network is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.85:1).  Special features are in standard definition and include a commentary from director Sidney Lumet, the 85 minute “Behind the Story” making of, a 14 minute clip of Chayefsky on the Dinah Shore show, the 54 minute “Private Screenings with Sidney Lumet” from Turner Classic Movies, and the films 2 minute trailer. 

“Prepare yourself for a perfectly outrageous picture” proclaims the original film poster, but what seemed outrageous at the time is more the new normal for today.  Prophetic, salient, and hilarious, Network comes onto Blu-ray and you’d be “mad as hell” if you didn’t pick it up.

Visit the DVD database for more information.