Network [Blu-ray]

My rating is more of a 4.5Thanks for reading!𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒅.𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒅.Network is a 1976 American satirical drama film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It is about a fictional television network, the Union Broadcasting System (UBS; sometimes referred to as "UBS-TV"; situated in the film as the "fourth television network" after NBC, CBS, & ABC), and its struggle with poor ratings.With Lumet and Chayfskys’ careers in production starting in the 1950s, 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 is informed by the then new and developing phenomenon that was television broadcasting, specifically in terms of finding out what American viewers wanted to watch in their free time; the concurrent affordability of T.V.s culminated in its usual indulgence, with the establishment of a given ‘fanbase’ often at odds with the Cold War and a general state of anti-communist paranoia. Often reduced to sitcoms meant to dramatize the lives of everyday citizens - or programs that could be cheaply produced - Lumet and Chayfskys’ observations run amok in the conversant and critical nature of 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 : namely as a sort of “hive-mind” for profit based margins and relative hierarchies within. Subsequently, it’s easy to get lost in relative jargon, much less downplay the effects of UBS-TV’s ratings proving poor (I can’t help but wonder as I watch: Does anyone besides Howard Beale worry about losing their jobs around here?), but perhaps what was allowed on air tells us a completely different story.Concerns about the misuse of broadcast licenses by the three main networks established at the time (NBC, AMC, and CBS), The Fairness Doctrine was enacted by Congress in 1954, and mandated the devotion of time to contrasting views on issues of “public importance”; this was namely meant to disrupt the presence of an obviously biased agenda, and is one of many things that underscores the importance of reporting on the news objectively.As has been observed over 40 years later, 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 puts what sells quickly versus what makes a lasting impression, bearing in mind to what end desensitization to the ills that should be reported on is a by product of having too much to report on in the first place. That in mind, 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌’s Diana Christensen finds herself on the forefront of a subsection of entertainment that emerged as a distinct genre in the 90s and more-or-less circumvents barriers to profitable broadcasting, albeit shamefully: ‘Reality TV ‘. Acting more in the ballpark of “contrived” over “scripted”, Beale’s fate speaks to more than just the danger of weaponizing “realism” with ulterior motives; we, as viewers, are forced to see the difficulty in reconciling journalistic integrity with what makes the most money, which turns out to be an imminent trainwreck conducted with prophetical (And almost know-it-all) charm.Of course, due to the transient nature of news and newsworthy topics or personas, some of 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 is but a doomed cacophony of ‘to-be-continued’ or unfinished business. Without due exposition or insight judgments can't really be made about who specifically is being called out as corrupt or shallow, except to say its grip on unempathetic broadcasting and subsequent consumption is reflected in social media trends and the like in this modern day. Reflected in the target audience is the extent to which real-life viewers are expected to bear through and anticipate an inundation of stories that run the gambit of heartwarming to hurtful to inciteful at record speed; the question becomes more a matter of frequency in terms of how much our feelings are manipulated by mass media, answered by what are stand-ins for an elusive ‘15 minutes of fame’, and ultimately resembles an antithesis to the stability people knowingly crave.Somehow, 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 at its best is something of betrayal given what Lumet and Chayefsky owe the institution that is television broadcasting as it made their talents known in the United States and beyond. At its absolute worst it starts suggesting that relative programming is reminiscent of some Satanic ritual that requires an excess of moral compromise to keep its gear sufficiently waxed; which, speaking of, the Fairness Doctrine as described above was abolished in 1987 on the account of it violating a person’s right to free speech. Almost ironically, there’s no room for gratitude here: a shame really, as this medium has its own role to play in efforts to globalize a message or unify groups of people by way of concern and the like. One shouldn’t be so quick to deduce this as some responsibility gauntlet, however: the more immediate high that ✨clickbait✨ exploits speaks for itself now more than ever. Some viewers will remain oblivious as to what 𝑵𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 suggests viewers keep on their person to avoid falling victim to reporting bias with jadedness, but then again: Is this really news?

This 1976 movie is an extraordinary masterpiece! Very few movies make an amazing experience like this. It's a satirical black comedy-drama film. The cast is the elite of this industry: Peter Finch (won Oscar), Faye Dunaway (won Oscar). William Holden & Robert Duvall (two of best actors EVER) & so many more. In 2005 the Writers Guilds of America voted Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay one of the 10 greatest in history. Sydney Lumet (Director) and the film were nominated for Oscars. It looks at a TV News Show that's losing ratings & the newscaster is given notice and proceeds to announce he will kill himself on TV. This shows you what it's like in the industry and how far people will go. RECOMMEND HIGHLY. DVD arrived on time and the DVD is in PERFECT SHAPE. It's in my top 5 "BEST MOVIES" of all time!

I must admit that I hadn't heard of this movie until 2011 (I was only 4 when it came out and it never played in my home country). I picked it up last year 2011 through Netflix and immediately fell in love with its prophetic and satirical power. This movie is even more relevant today than it was back in 1976.It brilliantly shows the hypocrisies of our time, mostly how profits and financial gain have become the only measure of things and how quickly values can shift as a result of this measure, how it deteriorates relationships between people, friends, lovers, employers-employees.First, the network wants to shut off Howard Beale, the anchorman who is angry over being fired for low ratings but when Beale goes on ranting on live TV and ratings go up, they immediately devise a plan to make profit out of it. Something considered obscene yesterday can be considered a corporate strategy today. I'd like to quote two of my favorite monologues from the movie (I think they sum up best what the movie is trying to say):This is the scene when Mr Beale goes to meet the president Arthur Jensen, and here's what Arthur Jensen has to say:"You are an old man who thinks in terms of nations and peoples. There are no nations!, there are no peoples! There are no Russians! There are no Arabs! There are no Third Worlds! There is no West! There is only one holistic system of systems. One vast and immane...interwoven, interacting, multi-variate, multinational of dollars. Petrol dollars, electro-dollars, multi-dollars. Reichsmarks, rins, rubles, pounds and shekels. It is the international system of currency which determines the totality of life on this planet. That is the natural order of things today. There is no America! There is no democracy! There is only IBM and ITT and AT&T..and DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide, and Exxon. Those are the nations of today."After this encounter, that evening Mr. Beale goes on TV to preach the corporate cosmology of Arthur Jensen:"....we know that democracy is a dying giant...a sick, sick, dying, decaying, political concept writhing in its final pain. I don't mean that the United States is finished as a world power. The United States is the richest and most powerful, the most advanced country, light years ahead of any country. And I don't mean the communists are gonna take over the world because the communists are deader than we are. What is finished...is the idea that this great country is dedicated to the freedom and flourishing of every individual in it. It's the individual that's finished. This is no longer a nation of independent individuals. It's a nation of some 200-odd million transistorized, deodorized, whiter than white steel-belted bodies...totally unnecessary as human beings and as replaceable as piston rods. Is "dehumanization" such a bad word? The whole world is becoming humanoid...creatures that look human but aren't. The whole world not just us. We are the most advanced country so we are getting there first. The whole world's people are becoming mass-produced, programmed, numbered insensate things".Blu ray is OK, not great but it's not terrible. Overall it's a little grainy, most likely, due to the nature of the film used. But still looks pretty good given the fact that it is 36 years old. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who is interested in social and economical issues of today. There aren't many movies that are as clever as Network.

This is one of the best Oscar winning films I've seen to date. It won 3 oscars for acting. It lost the coveted academy awards for best picture and director to Rocky. But won all other major award ceremonies for best pitcher. A ratings spike occurs one night when a news anchor looses his mind in middle of his nightly commentary, so the network chooses to do the only thing one can do in the situation. They give him his own show. His outrage and very direct views become an outlet for anger of a nation. The network finds itself riding high on one mans insanity. They reap the rewards and eventually the consequences of turning loose such a clearly disturbed man on airwaves.

Obra maestra de la historia del cine que aún en Europa, no ha sido editada en blu ray.Esta copia viene desde los EE.UU y tiene audio y subtítulos en español latino. Desgraciadamente los extras sólo están en inglés. La remasterización a HD es buena, aunque en algunas secuencias, y debido a la fotografía que el director de foto impuso al film, se ve un poco de grano o poca nitidez.Más que recomendable.

Le premier constat qui s'impose, presque quarante ans après la sortie de cette brillante satire sur la télévision, est que Lumet était véritablement un visionnaire. Tous les ingrédients sont réunis pour que l'on puisse parler d'un grand film : un scénario implaccable et solide, une réalisation glaciale et efficace, mais surtout des acteurs impeccables, Faye Dunaway en tête, qui campe parfaitement son personnage complexe de femme dominatrice et intéressée, que viennent compléter les interprétations de William Holden, Peter Finch et Robert Duvall. Rien d'étonnant à ce que "Network" est obtenu 4 Oscars (Meilleurs Acteur, Actrice, Second Rôle Féminin, et Scénario Original), et qu'il soit aujourd'hui considéré comme un classique indémodable !

"I love it. Suicides, assassinations, mad bombers, mafia hit men, automobile smash-ups... 'The Death Hour'. Great Sunday-night show for the whole family."The back of the DVD's box describes 'Network' as "even more compelling & relevant today than when it was first released, [it] is a wickedly funny, spot-on indictment of the TV news media." Very true - but I think there's also a lot more to it than that.The story revolves around Howard Beale, a news anchorman who is fired for his shows' poor ratings. As a result, he suffers a nervous breakdown & announces during a live broadcast that he will kill himself live on air, during his very last show in 2 weeks time. But as a result of his announcement, his viewing figures soar & ruthless TV executives aim to exploit him for all that he's worth & set him up as an anti-establishment, everyman preacher. Never mind that his message condemns them, forget getting him psychiatric help, it's the viewing figures that count.This is a stark reminder of the central theme in the recent documentary 'The Corporation', which states that US big businesses can be compared with psychopaths due to their unwavering will to increase profits at any collateral cost & irregardless of social impact or morality. As the Networks' CEO tells Beale, "there is no America. There is no democracy. There is only IBM & ITT & AT&T & DuPont, Dow, Union Carbide & Exxon. Those are the nations of the world." Made in 1976 'Network' certainly comes across as a prophetic work when watched today - consider the increased power of corporations & sensationalistic, 'black-&-white' coverage of warfare & terrorism, not to mention US news shows which film car chases live. Real human lives turned into Hollywood movies & packaged for entertaiment.The character of Howard Beale isn't actually in the film very much. A lot of the screen-time is given to one of his colleagues, played by William Holden - a menopausal everyman trying to make sense of the TV age, where everything & everyone is product to be exploited to increase viewing figures. He has an affair with an up-&-coming executive who 'scripts' her own life & those around them as if they were TV shows & wants to create "a show based on the activities of a terrorist group. Joseph Stalin & His Merry Band of Bolsheviks." Duvall says of her, " I'm not sure she's capable of any real feelings. She's TV generation. She learned life from Bugs Bunny." When Holden leaves his wife - representative of traditional American values - she tells him that "if you can't work up a winter passion for me, the least I require is respect & allegiance," comdemning the new dehumanising values which this new age has ushered in.'Network' is a very thought-provoking piece. which has been very skilfully put together by Sidney Lumet, director of one of my all-time favourite films, 'Dog Day Afternoon'. While both films are well crafted & leave their audiences with much to ponder, the pacing in both is a little slow at times. However, while watching one of the slower portions of 'Network', I began giving very serious consideration to throwing away my television - and I think I probably will. This is testament to the powerful way this film makes the audience question a lot of their assumptions & implores them not to loose their basic humanity - which can surely only be a good thing.

Sehr gelungen!