Classic 70s Movie: “Network”

September is Classic 70s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Nick Dykal.

Movie Title: Network

Year: 1976

Writer: Paddy Chayefsky

Lead Actors: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch

Director: Sidney Lumet

IMDB Plot Summary: A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchor’s ravings and revelations about the news media for its own profit.

Why I Think This Is A Classic 70s Movie: Network is a biting social satire masterfully crafted by one of American cinema’s great screenwriters. I can only assume that when this movie was first released, audiences enjoyed the dark humor of the absurdity on display, but a modern viewing makes this film seem eerily prophetic.

Chayefsky accomplishes this by building the perfect storm. Peter Finch gives an Oscar-winning performance as Howard Beale, a veteran anchorman who snaps after losing his job and announces he will commit suicide live on the air. This inevitably causes a media sensation and due to a recent corporate takeover, a couple of ambitious executives decide to exploit Beale for ratings. William Holden as Max Schumacher is Beale’s oldest friend and producer. He is the last bastion of dignity at the network but he is callously tossed aside and the show spirals into madness.

Network continues to resonate due to its core theme: the power of mass media to manipulate and dehumanize a populace. This power in the hands of a corporate mindset, one motivated solely by profit and responsible only to shareholders, threatens the sacred American values of individuality and freedom of thought.

My Favorite Moment In The Movie: It’s so hard to choose, but I’m going with this monologue by Beale after his news program turns full circus. I think this scene speaks well to the central theme of the movie.

My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie: Network is famous for its outrageous monologues and wildly ludicrous turns, but there are also a lot of very real and powerful moments between characters. This is one such scene, where Max’s relationship with the detached young executive Diana reaches its breaking point.

Max: You’re dealing with a man that has primal doubts, Diana. And you’ve got to cope with it. I’m not some guy discussing male menopause on the Barbara Walters show. I’m the man that you presumably love. I’m part of your life. I live here. I’m real. You can’t switch to another station.
Diana: Well, what exactly is it you want me to do?
Max: I just want you to love me. I just want you to love me, primal doubts and all. You understand that, don’t you?
Diana: I don’t know how to do that.
[phone rings]
Diana: I’ll be with you in a minute, Max.

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: There is so much to like about this film. Every time I watch it, I marvel at something new.

As I mentioned with the dialogue above, I was struck with this most recent viewing on how seamlessly the realistic scenes are interwoven with the bizarre and twisted. It’s hard to imagine how a movie with a touching scene between two old newsmen reminiscing about their younger years can also feature a scene where network executives meet up with a group of terrorists in their hideout to comb through the finer details of a television contract. Or how one minute you are in a heartbreaking scene where Max comes clean to his wife about his affair, and another you are watching a corporate giant proselytizing his capitalist gospel to a certifiably insane man.

I’m still not able to wrap my mind around how Chayefsky pulls this off, but I do notice how the personal relationships and interactions mirror the overall themes. Namely, how the sentimental older generation confronts this new unfeeling corporate paradigm. There are several key moments when a member of the old guard tries to stand up for his principles and express outrage at the situation. This righteous indignation isn’t met with hostility or debate, but cold indifference. As Max admits to his wife about his new flame, “I’m not sure she’s capable of any real feeling. She’s television generation. She learned about life from Bugs Bunny.”

Thanks, Nick! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

We already have a set of 80s Movies and 90s Movies. This month, we’re working on 70s Movies.

Thanks to all of you for your participation in this project, creating a resource for writers, movies we should all watch to help learn the craft of screenwriting!

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