Sidney Lumet's Network is crude and exaggerated to the point of earning the monikers of satire and farce, but neither term is sufficient in itself. Rarely does a movie seem so crazy and somehow believable. Then again, it is not believable at every moment. The film goes nowhere near as far as Robert Altman's Nashville in making the sideshow circus the main event, but it is enough to have to pause before the question of what the film is about.
The film is about two people in the news business. Max Schumacher (William Holden) is a symbol of the old guard, replete with references to Murrow years of journalistic integrity. Opposite of Max is Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) who subverts news into a quest for ratings. In fact, her approach is prototypical of reality television: she offers fifteen minutes of fame to whomever she thinks will get ratings. Thus, Max and Diana end up in a relationship, mostly as a matter of contrast.
While Max and Diana are the main characters, Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is the caught in the crossfire as an old friend of Max and a ratings magnet for Diana. Howard is exactly who the audience remembers, if only for the phrase, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Howard is also the most dynamic character, going from traditionalist news anchor to suicidal to "the mad prophet of the airwaves."
Alongside performances by Robert Duvall and Ned Beatty, the film is well acted with a director who works to get good performances from his actors. Lumet also brings his penchant for finding a good script and his eye for the lighting that a situation would actually have. What sells the movie beyond believable lighting, a great screenplay, and top notch acting, is its impeccable balance between the main characters and the sideshow. Without Holden and Dunaway continually pulling the story back in to a struggle between integrity and results, the tragedy of Howard Beale at the hand of ratings would not likely be credible.
While Max and Diana are the main characters, Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is the caught in the crossfire as an old friend of Max and a ratings magnet for Diana. Howard is exactly who the audience remembers, if only for the phrase, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Howard is also the most dynamic character, going from traditionalist news anchor to suicidal to "the mad prophet of the airwaves."
Alongside performances by Robert Duvall and Ned Beatty, the film is well acted with a director who works to get good performances from his actors. Lumet also brings his penchant for finding a good script and his eye for the lighting that a situation would actually have. What sells the movie beyond believable lighting, a great screenplay, and top notch acting, is its impeccable balance between the main characters and the sideshow. Without Holden and Dunaway continually pulling the story back in to a struggle between integrity and results, the tragedy of Howard Beale at the hand of ratings would not likely be credible.
