Who knew this was apocalyptic literature?
Added 10/29/2009
Inside a smoky screening room.
STUDIO HEAD
So what do we want to call it?
LACKEY
I was thinking The Political Economy of Network Television: a Cautionary Tale.
SH
Nah. People might figure out it's a political flick. Network sounds snappy.
LACKEY
You're absolutely right, sir.
SH
Besides, if they're paying attention they'll figure it out anyway.
Uproarious laughter from SH and LACKEY as scene fades to black.
***
Apparently some people think the American moviegoing public will only drink politics if it's mixed with Kool-Aid (Kool-Aid being espionage, gangsterism, or neat biopics). Not so here! Sidney Lumet presents Paddy Chayefsky's screenplay the way it was meant to be: urgent, satirical, and spot-on. This one wears its political guts on the outside, dissecting the anatomy of network television and the relationship between it and the sensationalist acts of the ultraleft groups of the period.
In this respect it bears an eerie resemblance to Fassbinder's [[ASIN:B000FWGYU8 The Third Generation]]. But where Fassbinder targets the RAF, Lumet and Chayefsky take aim at the newsmakers. Person by person you see how the quest for ratings (and thus profits) warps people like worn-out gears.
But be warned: comparing this film with the state of TV today may cause you to echo Howard Beale: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
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A Prescient Folly
Added 10/7/2009
When I first saw Paddy Chayefsky's media splash film "Network," I remember thinking how sad it would be should the news media, particularly the T.V. Broadcast News Media, ever fall so low as to turn the news into a media circus: i.e., news as Entertainment.
That was over 30 years ago, and as folks say: That was then, this is now. These days it is difficult to tell the difference between news and entertainment. A few hours watching FOX news blurs the line between commentary and news, and Commentary is nothing more than vitriolic venom spewed onto the choir of self-same fear-mongering hate filled hoards.
In other words, I love "Network," because it helps to frame the weird world we live in and says something about the fools we have become.
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Great acting + witty dialog.
Added 9/12/2009
A bit dated only because its message has become more obvious, and recognized by more people - and yet, the media (especially the news) continues degeneration. Hence, it remains totally relevant today. The 2-disc edition is definitely preferred, and the feature-length commentary is excellent. Lumet's directing of the characters was incredible, making them fully credible. Some characters seem a bit over the top - Ned Beatty's Jensen in particular, but given some of the top CEO's antics I've seen over the past couple of years, even his motivational speech to Finch doesn't seem unlikely.
Definitely to be highly recommended
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Can You Believe It Has Really Happened?
Added 8/21/2009
With all these reviews of this great film I only have one comment: can you believe that it has really happened? Back when this film debuted objective journalism and TV news was still a real option. There were still broadcast journalists. The idea that news would become just a sideshow of entertainment, propaganda, and misrepresenting to garner ratings was considered satire. But it really happened. Just turn on MSNBC. Sunday Morning political news. Reality TV shows. Forget the evening news - it doesn't exist anymore. Barbara Walters? A shill on the View. Channel your inner Howard Beale - "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Open your windows. Let me hear you in Queens!
PS - One of the greatest American films ever. I'm not sure if it's greater than "Citizen Kane" or "The Godfather" but it's pretty darn good. Worth owning. Worth seeing again. Now more than ever.
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I'm Bored as Hell and I'm Not Going to Watch this Anymore
Added 8/3/2009
I know I am kicking a sacred cow when I say this, but the preaching and pontificating in this film went on and on.
There were many good moments, but Network seemed never to end. When Faye Dunaway's character would not stop talking about the show, while walking with William Holden, while eating with Holden, and even before, during, and after sex with Holden, I wanted him to tell her to "Shut the Hell up!"
This is a classic film for its time, and I liked it when I first saw it, but now, in 2009, seeing it again made me want to say, "Do something, if you are mad as Hell." Sticking heads out of windows and yelling about one's angst just unifies everyone in his angst. What if we all stuck our heads out windows and yelled,m "I'm thankful to be here, and if there is anything you need, just call me."? That's a good thing. The film got a response out of me.
I know this is a satire on the power of the media and its negativity. I was raised during the era it depicts. Walter Cronkite (his photo featured in the film) is one of my heroes. I thought that Face in The Crowd and Quiz Show were more entertaining.
I was considering showing this film to my English classes, but I am afraid they would be bored, and that I would lose them. I just wish there were more story and fewer long meetings, discussions about the meaning of media, and repetition.
Maybe I will change my mind upon another viewing, but that will not happen soon.
Marcielle Brandler
Visit TV Producer Brandler at: [...]
or email her at: [...]
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Worthwhile
Added 8/18/2009
I bought this set primarily for All The President's Men and Network. At the approximately $44 USD price I paid, that made the set just slightly more expensive than buying these two movies separately, but I did not own Dog Day, not had seen it, for years. The latter is a good movie as any of you who've seen it will know, but it's my least favorite of the three. I would have preferred, say, The China Syndrome, but that's just my preference.
I will leave more thorough content description up to others -- it's probably more thorough to look at each movie separately on Amazon and see the reviews just for that movie, but I will add a what I found interesting. I thought I would try doing something that has helped me when reading other movie reviews, which is to suggest films that might be of similar interest. They may or may not be for you, but I have discovered many fine movies this way. Note the links I embedded were the best available at the time from Amazon. If you are interested in any of these, you may find a non-special edition version or similar that is cheaper than what's linked here, so be sure to look around in order to ensure you're getting exactly what you want (DVD region 1 vs. 2, directors cut vs. regular version, etc) as prices differ.
ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN
I have a 'presidents' movie collection, with movies like [[ASIN:B0019PL2JI Nixon [Blu-ray]]], [[ASIN:B0000CDL93 JFK - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)]], [[ASIN:B00007M55W Path to War]] (LBJ), [[ASIN:0783116918 Truman]], [[ASIN:B00005J760 Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition)]] and [[ASIN:B00005JXI7 The Missiles of October]] (JFK). While at first this type of theme sounds like a collection only a C-SPAN watcher could love, many would agree that these are some terrific movies, although some are more fact-based than others. ATPM is one of the most fact-based, almost docu-drama. This may lead some to like it more or less, but this movie is the only reason I understand as much about Watergate as I do. This was a difficult web to understand even at the time, and I think I finally now know the roles that Woodward (Robert Redford), Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman), Bradley (Jason Robards), Dean, Haldeman, Ehrlichman, Liddy, and of course Deepthroat (the inimitable Hal Holbrook) all played. We never see Nixon in the movie, which makes it more intriguing. If it sounds dull today, well, perhaps it is history now. But this movie really helped me to see how the Executive branch was supposed to work, how it actually did work, and how individual people who didn't fully understand their roles were involved. If you're interested in these movies, you might also like [[ASIN:B00000IRE9 The Parallax View]] (which was also directed by Alan J. Pakula) or [[ASIN:6305428522 Quiz Show]], both of which I find myself watching soon before or after seeing the above. The miniseries [[ASIN:B0001NBNGQ The Winds of War]] and [[ASIN:B0002TW73W War and Remembrance - Volume 1 - Parts 1-7]] and War & Remembrance - Vol. 2, The Final Chapter: Parts 8 - 12 also are helpful in showing a little bit what the FDR/Hopkins Whitehouse was like, should you wish to duplicate my theme of watching presidents, and are excellent miniseries in their own right.
NETWORK
In case you've never seen it, Network is both an editorial and a warning about what TV -- and particularly TV news -- could become, although the producers at the time may not have seen it quite so precisely that way. This movie is scary because most of it has come true -- in fact, even the ending seems to have really occurred with recent headlines out of Brazil. I remember hearing about Network when my brother snuck into a movie theater in 1976 and reported how everyone was swearing on TV! At the time, the premise of deteriorating television standards to this extent seemed ridiculous, what with Walter Cronkite the order of the day. The UBS Evening News and its antics as depicted in this movie just seemed inconceivable. Little did anyone know that it would only require 10-12 years for most of it to come to pass, and with greater regularity. The movie will probably be more profound for those 40 and over, but it's a fascinating study of how television started to change for anyone so interested. Faye Dunaway simply owns her character -- I forgot she's an actress in a movie. I'm also a huge fan of William Holden and 'mad as hell' Peter Finch, for both of whom this was amongst (or was) their last performances on film. I have no similar suggestions for this movie as it's quite unique, although in a very basic way, I think newsroom movies like Broadcast News and the curious Groundhog Day (Special Edition), put me in a similar frame of mind. The China Syndrome (Special Edition), as mentioned above, also does represent to an extent power of the media in an interesting and what initially was a fictional concept when it was released, though not for long. (Sorry, I had added hyperlinks for suggested movies here and below, but Amazon restricts me to 10 links, so if interested, you'll have to search for them manually.)
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
One of Al Pacino's better-known films, and for good reason, DDA is based on a true story of a bank heist gone astray, and television plays a significant role in the way the story plays out...both on screen and in the real-life incident the movie was based on. Actually, the film is somewhat humorous in parts, something intended by director Sidney Lumet, and I found this interesting, as it seemed quite believable with its Stockholm-syndrome reactions between the robbers and the hostages. It also stars popular 70's stars like James Broderick and Charles Durning. It's a well-made movie, but the subject matter at it's core does not appeal to me in the same way as the first two movies described. However, once you start watching, you will probably have to see it all the way to the end, and it's interesting. Will the bad guys get shot as you see so often on TV, or are they actually going to get away this time? Although not entirely similar, those who like this might also like The French Connection (Two-Disc Collector's Edition) or The Conversation, if only because they are similar-period movies that involve some aspect of crime, intrigue and to an extent, technology.
QUALITY, EXTRAS
The transfer for all 3 movies is excellent, as good as possible for conventional DVD. Color, sharpness, sound, are all perfect. I have not seen all of the extras because there are a lot of them, as you will see from the Amazon description. There's a reason there are 2 DVD's per movie. For example, Dog Day has a Making Of, a 4 part 30th Anniv Documentary, a vintage featurette and a director's commentary. The other two movies each have similar (but even longer) length documentaries. They didn't skimp on the extras in these sets.
There is little doubt that if you are interested in all 3 movies, this is a great way to get them, but even if you were just looking for any 2 of these movies, while you might be able to get any two at a slightly better price, the fact is that when you add shipping, getting a set like this might make more sense for you. However, prices do vary. I certainly enjoyed all 3 movies and would get the set again if I had to, even though I was just looking for ATPM and Network.
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CLASSIC, WELL DONE, OLD STYLE REALITY, GREAT FLICKS THAT REMAIN AS MILESTONES FOR MOVIES EVEN TODAY TO SURPASS!
NETWORK TODAY HOLDS MUCH MEANING , ABOUT HOW CONTROLLED WE ARE BY MEDIA, HOW THE AMERICAN TODAY RESEMBLES SHEEP, THAT FOLLOW SPORTS, NEWS, RELIGION, POLITICS! WE HAVE LOST THE ABILITY TO LEAD,NOW WE FOLLOW WHAT EVER WE WATCH ON THE BIG SCREEN!
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Controversial Classics is a MUST HAVE
Added 2/18/2009
Controversial Classics indeed. We were looking to purchase just the movie All The President's Men, but when I mentioned the other 2 movies in the set, my husband said - "those are all my favorites!" No more to be said. For the price, it was a go. Comes in a nice bookcase type box, good quality DVDs. Would definitely buy again!
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