Network

Network

When my broadband limit was reached and I went to a video store to rent some movies this is what I came home with.

Plot:

The medium Television.

Review:

Taking best film of 1976 doesn't mean I had high expectations on it. Films, as I've already mentioned in another post, tend to get less interesting as the years go by and it was a while since 1976.

This film evolves around Howard Beale (Peter Finch) who is an old tv-anchor whom, according to his network UBS, has seen his expiration date a long time ago. He gets a two week notice and does something quite unexpected. He goes on air and says he's going to kill himself. This then, also takes an unexpecting turn, as the networks falling ratings goes up dramatically. Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) and Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) portrays the UBS executives that does a 180 spin and gives Howard Beale his own show on the network where he rants and raves like a madman. Howards friends clearly see this is an explotation of a mentally ill man. An interesting view on how far people in high positions can go to "sell" their product and how individual human lives are often just bricks in that scheme.

The Howard Beales ranting is a very genuine display of one mans view on the whole phenomenon of television and how people do everything that it tells them. These scenes really stand out for me in this film and its very close to a prediction over the years to come. Much like 1984 by George Orwell.

Trailer:

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