Network (1976)

Directed by

Sidney Lumet

Genre

drama film, comedy film, comedy drama, black comedy film, romantic comedy film, satirical film

Country

United States

Runtime

2h 01m

Rated

R

Rating

7.8 of 10 from 2,050 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

A struggling TV network finds huge ratings when its aging news anchor has a mental breakdown on live air and begins ranting. The network exploits his madness for profit, turning him into a media sensation.

satiricaltensebleakdarkly comiccerebralunsettlingfast-pacedcynical

What happens

Network is a 1976 American satirical black comedy drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky. It depicts a television network struggling with poor ratings until the nightly live broadcast of its longtime news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) inadvertently showcases his breakdown into increasingly psychotic behavior, which makes his show a surprise hit. Alongside Finch (in his final role), the film stars Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, and Beatrice Straight. Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and released by United Artists on November 27, 1976, Network was a commercial success, earning $23.7 million on a $3.8 million production budget. Network received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for its screenplay and performances. At the 49th Academy Awards, it received ten nominations, including Best Picture, and won four: Best Actor for Finch (posthumously), Best Actress for Dunaway, Best Supporting Actress for Straight, and Best Original Screenplay for Chayefsky. In 2000, Network was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In 2002, it was inducted into the Producers Guild of America Hall of Fame as a film that has "set an enduring standard for American entertainment". In 2005 the Writers Guild of America voted Chayefsky's screenplay one of the 10 greatest in history. In 2007, the film was 64th among the 100 greatest American films as chosen by the American Film Institute. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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