X
- 1976
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 1 m
- 1976
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 1 m
Summary A devastating commentary on a world of ratings-driving commercial TV that is getting more on target every day, Network introduces us to Howard Beale (Finch), dean of newscasters at the United Broadcasting Systems (UBS). Having heard that he will soon be dumped by the UBS for "skewing too old," Beal announces to his viewers that he will c...
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Written By: Paddy Chayefsky
- 1976
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 1 m
- 1976
- R
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
- 2 h 1 m
Network
8.4
Where to Watch
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Summary A devastating commentary on a world of ratings-driving commercial TV that is getting more on target every day, Network introduces us to Howard Beale (Finch), dean of newscasters at the United Broadcasting Systems (UBS). Having heard that he will soon be dumped by the UBS for "skewing too old," Beal announces to his viewers that he will c...
Directed By: Sidney Lumet
Written By: Paddy Chayefsky
Where to Watch
Coming Soon
Not available in your country?
ExpressVPN
Get 3 Extra months free
$6.67/mth
Top Cast
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
83
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
Metascore
Universal Acclaim
Based on 16 Critic Reviews
83
81% Positive
13 Reviews
13 Reviews
13% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
6% Negative
1 Review
1 Review
[A] prescient and sharply drawn comedy about the depths to which one unscrupulous station will sink.
This still-prescient vivisection of modern culture’s vapidity crackles with the nervous energy of midtown’s hothouse broadcasters.
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 110 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
98 Ratings
98 Ratings
8% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
3% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
User Score
Universal Acclaim
Based on 110 User Ratings
8.4
89% Positive
98 Ratings
98 Ratings
8% Mixed
9 Ratings
9 Ratings
3% Negative
3 Ratings
3 Ratings
Jul 14, 2024
Few Hollywood productions have been as utterly prescient as director Sidney Lumet’s cinematic masterpiece “Network” (1976), a chillingly serious satire about the television business in the 1970s and where it was ultimately headed in years to come. Written by TV pioneer Paddy Chayefsky, this winner of four Oscars on 10 total nominations provides a comical but cynically disturbing look inside the workings of a fictitious American television network. In telling this story, the film eerily forecast the direction this medium would take in the decades that followed with remarkable accuracy, stunningly predicting such developments as the tabloidization of TV, the consolidation of media ownership, the impact of foreign influence and investment, and the dumbing down, sensationalism and line-blurring of its content in both its entertainment and journalistic programming. It also nailed developments outside the television business with great clarity by focusing on the pivotal role that TV played (and would come to play) in those occurrences. And, even though it’s something of a nostalgic time capsule of the period in which it was filmed, the picture has held up remarkably well, even unwittingly providing viewers with an ironic and unsettling metaphor for the ubiquitous rise of social media (with TV serving as a stunningly fitting stand-in). Chayefsky’s Academy Award-winning script is positively brilliant, epitomizing what good screenwriting can (and should) be. And its casting is about as good as it gets, earning Oscars for the performances of Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch and Beatrice Straight, along with well-deserved nominations for William Holden and Ned Beatty and noteworthy accolades for Robert Duvall and Marlene Warfield. In fact, I’m stunned that this offering lost out to “Rocky” for best picture and that nominee Lumet was passed over for the best director award. Those oversights aside, however, I was nevertheless privileged to view this offering at a retrospective screening in honor of the filmmaker’s 100th birthday to a nearly sold-out audience. I’m pleased to see that this celluloid gem still garners so much viewer attention nearly 50 years after its release and that it’s attracting the interest of moviegoers of all ages. This is an absolute must-see for avid cinephiles, as well as highly recommended viewing for anyone who truly wants a poignant, insightful look at what’s truly going on in the world around them, particularly when it comes to the workings of said world and the selective filtering of information about it. “Network” just might deservedly open a few eyes – and raise quite a few eyebrows at the same time.
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Network can be faulted both for going too far and not far enough, but it's also something that very few commercial films are these days. It's alive. This, I suspect, is the Lumet drive. It's also the wit of performers like Mr. Finch, Mr. Holden, and Miss Dunaway.
It's a dark, dark comedy that ruthlessly skewers the news industry on a stake, then roasts it alive.
Good campy fun from the combined talents of Paddy Chayefsky and Sidney Lumet; Chayefsky was apparently serious about much of this shrill, self-important 1976 satire about television, interlaced with bile about radicals and pushy career women,
He hardly bothers with the characters; the movie is a ventriloquial harrangue. He thrashes around in messianic God-love booziness, driving each scene to an emotional peak.
Dec 21, 2018
One of Sidney Lumet's best movies, Network serves as a messy, biting satire of the television networks of the 1970s. Even so, it is incredibly and sometimes frightfully relevant even today. Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Peter Finch and company are an extremely well put together ensemble that elevate Paddy Chayefsky's script to new heights. One of the best films from the 1970s, and a must watch for serious cinephiles.
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Jan 26, 2024
What best spices up this satire is its sinister resemblance to reality: television, which uses the most Machiavellian means to engage the public. The character played by Peter Finch is one of the most difficult to forget.
Report
Apr 22, 2018
One of the most important American films of the Seventies, Network is messy and takes on more than it can properly chew, but the writing, directing and cast are top notch. The reason it's so good may well be its willingness to take risks. They don't always work but the net effect, sustained in this film, is it's got something to say that's worth thinking about. Flashes of humor with characters and situations that are vividly recognizable. Of its time and --40 years later-- timeless?...
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May 3, 2021
A tough nut to crack. Great dialogues (and even better monologues!) and acting. Seemingly, it's daringly revealing. Some points it rises hit eerily close to home (esp. during this covid craze). But, it's still programming. And I've a feeling I missed the gist of it (apart from the usual: spreading despair, nihilism, atheism and moral rot). The melodrama arc is not believable and way too meta. The movie's focal point, the Howard Beale character, feels an artificial stooge. Strange one, for sure.
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Production Company
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Release Date Nov 14, 1976
Duration 2 h 1 m
Rating R
Genres
Tagline "NETWORK"... the humanoids, the love story, the trials and tribulations, the savior of television, the attempted suicides, the assassination -- it's ALL coming along with a galaxy of stars you know and love!
Awards
Academy Awards, USA
• 4 Wins & 10 Nominations
Golden Globes, USA
• 4 Wins & 5 Nominations
BAFTA Awards
• 1 Win & 9 Nominations