NETWORK

US, 1976, 121 minutes, Colour.
Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Beatrice Straight, Ned Beatty.
Directed by Sydney Lumet.

Network made a great impression in 1976 and earned itself many Oscar nominations, winning awards for Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Beatrice Straight. Nominations were for William Holden and Ned Beatty. The screenplay by Paddy Chayevsky also won the award. Chayevsky had won Oscars for "Marty" in 1955, "The Hospital" in 1971. Veteran screen and television writer Chayevsky must have vehemently felt the lines that he puts into his mad modern prophet's mouth "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore".

This makes Network an extremely acidic and savage parody of television's role in society and presents the monsters it can make of humans who run the industry and who usurp godlike power to control ratings and people's response. Network, in the vehemence of its dialogue, and in the strength of its characterisations and the extremes of its situations, lashes out everywhere. An interesting comparison in plot and treatment is Frank Capra’s "Meet John Doe", 1941; the resemblance in plot and themes is extraordinary. The treatment is quite different, highlighting the transition from the 40s to the 70s. However, the effect is unmistakeable, even to the outrageous ending (deliberately defying the cosy television series resolution).

Acting is excellent, especially Peter Finch's Howard Beal. However, William Holden rises to the occasion with an excellent performance as does Faye Dunaway with her TV generation dragon-lady executive. Network is strong entertainment.

1. The overall impact of the film? The critical favourable comment? The Academy Awards? What motivated the writer to present this kind of material about the world of media and communication? What motivated the particularly ironic presentation of this material? What accounts for the popularity of response in 1976 and 1977?

2. How valuable were the insights as visually and verbally presented regarding television as a threat, changing human beings into humanoids, depriving human beings of their very humanity, the quality of television as a means of communication, of propaganda, of brainwashing, of depriving people of true opinions, of free will? How does television make human beings dispensable individuals? How could the medium of television, the ruthless people behind it, so alter the human race that humans were valueless? How was this already presented in the visualizing in character portrayal of the T.V. generation? Diana? The masses in the audience? The ratings games and ruthlessness as a symbol of what was happening?

3. How much realism was there in the presentation of the screenplay? Characters, motivations, situations? How unrealistic and in the world of fantasy? How outrageous was some of the behaviour of the people, Howard Beale's breakdown, Diana's pressurization, the quick deals and the ruthlessness, the ending with the murder? How were the outrageous elements presented as parody so that even the exaggerations became real? The overall effect on this for identification and involvement? A way to communicate the message?

4. The importance of television scenarios and audience expectations of these, the names of the programs that audiences actually enjoy? The emphasis on the hour program where the happy ending comes up after sixty minutes, where all expectations are fulfilled, where all is safe even through violence and emotional turmoil? Where audiences go through the same thing in hour units? How did this screenplay build up these expectations and then by exaggeration, break them? As regards romance, breakdown, violence and the happy ending?

5. How well did the film create an atmosphere of authenticity, the presentation of the major networks in America, the particular network along with these and therefore a comment on these real networks? The credits' sequences and the opening, the flavour of work in a television station, rooms, machines, personnel, their way of behaving? The emphasis on meetings, techniques etc.?

6. The various commentaries on behaviour and television? The plain facts in so much of the dialogue, yet the ironic tone? which were the most memorable lines and why?

7. The presentation of Max as part of this world, yet its victim? The potential in his life for a variation on soap-opera: his long years with the network, his ageing and his being fired, his feeling a victim, the difficulties at home, romance, the friend of the man with the breakdown etc.? How did the film move from this potential to a real insight into this kind of character? The quality of his denunciation speeches, even though at times his motivation was suspect? A character of sanity within the maelstrom of insanity going on around him? How important was the character of Max as a balance for understanding everything else?

8. How were the points made via the various characters and their interactions? How were the points made visually, for example, life at the television station, the technicians doing their job despite the strange things being said? The meetings and the cutthroat competition? The mass audience calling out the slogan out the windows from their apartments and Max's looking out the window at them? The presentation of the revolutionaries having their meeting, discussing clauses, rights and contracts? The ending?

9. The importance of the authentic opening: Howard and Max and their stories, their memories, their drinking? How did it establish the characters and sympathy for them quickly? How important was this for what was to follow immediately?


10. The impact of the sacking on Howard? How evident was it that he was having a mental breakdown? How did this manifest itself? His drinking, his threat of shooting himself, the way that his madness was manifested in his speech on television? His reaction to the furore? The fact that he repeated this threat? The irony that Max's attempts at vengeance on being sacked paved the situation for Howard to appear again and to present his madness? The reaction to his being accepted? His own view of himself as a latter-day prophet, the importance of his slogan, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!"? The following that he gathered, the truth in so much of what he said, the way that this was dramatized and he dramatized his speeches? What were the real issues which he was talking about? Social and human issues of the world today? The pessimistic outlook? The prophetic kind of utterances? The decor that was used to present this? Did he realise that he was being used and 'show-bizzed'? The importance of the balance of his dreams and visions? The way these were presented in the night, his feeling himself as a prophet called, the role of God, the way he had to give his life? Comment on the irony in the way that Jensen used him and pretended to be God in indoctrinating him as regards his own ends? The way that Beale saw the world was to be redeemed, he was becoming the victim? How important were these months when his ratings were going up and down, when he was collapsing? People's reactions, the irony of the razzle dazzle television style to present him? in what way was he normal? Mad? How did he become a symbol for what the film was trying to say?

11. The contrast with the character of Max? His friendship with Beale, his memories, his anger at being sacked, his threats to Hackett, his threats to the other executives? The irony of the executive dying and Hackett controlling him? His capacity at his work, the News section in the network and the way that worked and the way this was presented? The victimization by Hackett and its effect on him? The question of the book about the old days and his cynical attitude towards this? The importance of the presentation of his marriage, his children, menopause and his attitude towards sexuality? His dislike of Diana and yet his falling in love with her? How much truth was told in the various conversations and confrontations with his wife? Her demands on him and his inability to live up to them? The importance of the lyrical weekend with Diana? The effect of Diana and her television talk on him? Their living together and the sequence of their tensions, where he spoke and Diana did not understand, his reaction to her involvement with the television world? His opting out of the liaison with her? His amazed attitude towards the exploitation of Howard Beale and his inability to do anything? Max as a victim of the progress of the network?

12. How intensive was the characterisation of Diana, television and the network personified, the fact that she was a woman and her relentlessness and ruthlessness? The nature of her ambitions, her character and ruthlessness? The way that she expressed herself, manoeuvred herself for jobs in the News section, her waking up to the potential of Howard Beale's madness, the fact that she was the main exploiter? Her attitude towards the ratings, towards money, advertising and the progress of the network? Her lack of a moral perspective? Her explanation of her marriages, psychoanalysis? Her attitude towards bad taste? Her heavy involvement with the revolutionaries and wanting to make a series from them? The irony of this? compromise between rampant capitalism and revolutionaries? Her hold on Beale, on Hackett, on Jensen? That she would use people rather than relating to them? Her continual chatter which was solely television? The reward when she received acclamation at the banquet? The irony of its not being long-lived? The contrast with her relationship with Max. her infatuation for him, their sparring and yet their love. her inability to talk about anything else but television, the weekend, the drama and bitterness of their confrontation in the kitchen? The effect on her and her not deviating from her ambitious course? Her acknowledging that Beale should be killed? How detailed a portrait of the evils of the modern communications' world?

13. The portrayal of the television executive and hatchet man in Hackett? How credible, his attitude towards Max,, his ambitions, his reliance on Jensen's support, his relationship with Diana, helping and fighting with her? Towards Beale? The irony of his downfall because of Jensen's financial interests?

14. The portrait of Jensen, his smug ownership of the network, his particular points of view, his deals, deals with the Arabs, his playing God in trying to control Beale? His influence on the network, his keeping Beale there for his own personal purposes? An illustration of modern multinational power?

15. The irony of the presentation of the communists, black revolutionaries, the Patty Hearst experiences? The way that they were photographed, used for communications purposes, exploited? The mocking attitude in the presentation of all the revolutionaries doing capitalistic deals with one another?

16. The ordinary people working in the Channel, the ordinary workings of the day by day network? A contrast with the executives who ran things?

17. The film's comment on the public? The fact that they could be roused, the way they listened to Beale and called his slogan from their windows, the public that turned up for his shows and applauded, even when he was killed?

18. The impact of the decision to kill him, the way that it was executed, even exploiting people and going for ratings?

19. How important was the message of this film?