I watched a movie last night that I don’t believe I ever actually saw before. Why? Because it was a huge hit in 1976 and I was busy having babies, raising kids and kicking butt in business. Network won a boatload of Oscars, but I can’t remember watching it. If I had seen it, I think I would have remembered.
I say I would have remembered it, but maybe I wouldn’t have. Network is a prophetic movie. Fast forward forty-four years with me. We are sheltering in place for weeks. The world as we know it has slowed to a snail’s pace. Why? Because of a pandemic that shot around the world before we even realized it was happening. There have been many theories floating around by our governments, our media, and yes, our self-proclaimed prophets of how it happened. Most agree that it started in China. We will survive this, but the scary part is how we are getting our news coverage. Yes, my friends, Network is alive and well and being revealed today.
Network is about a fictional television network that’s ratings keep plummeting. The News Anchor, Howard Beale (Peter Finch), is a veteran newsman whose wife has died, and he knows his professional days are numbered. The local stations are being taken over by the networks and the networks are being sold to major corporations. The major corporations are being bought up by foreign entities. Things are changing and competition is fierce. The News division has always been kept separate from the programming executives. All that is changing and the monster of commercial amorality is surfacing.
Howard Beale has a breakdown on camera and Max (William Holden), his old friend at the network, wants to remove him and get him help. The new programming Executive, Diane (Faye Dunaway), sees an opportunity for ratings and sets the wheels in motion to capitalize on his insanity. “Americans want someone to articulate their rage,” she says, and a new star is born; Howard Beale the anchorman who thinks he speaks for God. When insane Howard Beale asks the head of the network why they want him, the answer is, “Because you’re on television, Dummy!”
If you think the media is biased today, it’s been a long time coming. “It’s time,” in the words of Howard Beale to go to our window, open it, and yell, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” Maybe another way of expressing that sentiment is to not take every word that is said or written by the media as the “gospel truth.” Just maybe we should start verifying the stories. Everything is moving so fast today, it’s gotten too easy to feed us unverified information and when it’s proven wrong nothing happens—no retraction, no clarification, no apology, just on to the next spewing of hearsay.
I’m stopping just short of calling the whole media bunch a pack of liars, and lying is not acceptable! They follow the politics and the politics follows the money. The Big Money. The Global Money.
Watching Network is seeing the future with a most disturbing clarity. We see, quite literally, the “Takers being Taken.” Back in 1976, Network was entertainment, even satire; today it is truth, and it is alarming.
This brilliant film won four Oscars. Best Lead Actress and Actor went to Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway. Best Writing went to the amazing Paddy Chayefsky. There were also six Oscar nominations including Best Picture (Oscar went to Rocky).
This is not necessarily a “sit the family down with a bowl of popcorn” kind of movie. It is rated R. An R rating in 1976 isn’t quite the same today, but your younger children wouldn’t enjoy it anyway. So save it for after the kids are in bed and prepare to become illuminated.
Let me know what you think and even if you’re “mad as hell and you’re not going to take it anymore!” at Carolyn@carolynhastings.com
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