Network: The Movie that Predicted Our Future

From corporations captained by fatcats beholden solely to profiteers peddling their pornographic propaganda, to the perversion of reality television, to the demise of original thought, to shock TV, to theater of the absurd and even more absurd — the make believe fantasy of Network of the mid-seventies has become American television reality.

“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore!”

One of the most memorable quotes in movie history comes from Network, the visionary masterpiece directed by Sidney Lumet starring William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, and Ned Beatty.  But the film’s real acumen stems from a brilliant screenplay written by Paddy Chayefsky.

When released in 1976, the movie didn’t perform particularly well at the box office.  It came out at the same time as the first Rocky movie, which won Best Picture that year.  Nonetheless, Network became an instant classic, a creative muse, an enthralling satire, and even a cautionary tale — particularly within the cynical circles of social commentary.

While bogged down by some unnecessary melodrama, the main thrust of the movie melds the interests of business and media as one.  It foreshadowed a society in the not-too-distant future which has indeed become the world we live in today.  Back then, movie audiences must have thought the bug-eyed rants of Peter Finch in the role of Howard Beale, a TV news anchorman at a television network ranked dead last in ratings and desperate to do anything to attract a viewing audience, was little more than an exaggerated caricature of what was ahead for mainstream media.  Now, just about everything in the film that once seemed crazy has come true.

From corporations captained by fatcats beholden solely to profiteers peddling their pornographic propaganda, to the perversion of reality television, to the demise of original thought, to shock TV, to the theater of the absurd and even more absurd — the make-believe fantasy of Network of the mid-seventies has become American television reality in the year 2014.

Consider one of the early scenes, probably the most well-known part of the film.

Howard Beale is the national news anchor at a fictional network, UBN.  His nightly news program and second-rate station languish far behind the other major networks in the all-important, all-the-matters-to-advertisers television ratings.  When he deviates off script and begins pontificating about the world’s problems, Beale’s motives are at first unclear.  We wonder —  is he a savant?  Is he a carnival act?  Is he sane?  We don’t know.  And frankly, the people drinking all the kool-aid in television la-la land don’t really care.  All that matters is — he’s entertaining.

Beale’s message begins catching on.  His network’s ratings go up. Other shows are added to the programming schedule which is even more outrageous.  World events reported by fortune tellers.  Gossip TV.  Reality shows featuring terrorists.  Sound familiar?  Beale becomes the talk of the nation, and host of the most popular show on television.

The more he’s one the air, the more the great powers begin to realize that Beale is a loose cannon.  He’s off and running and impossible to censor.  Beale starts challenging supreme authority, including exposing his network bosses for what they are and dubiously hope to achieve.  He warns America about what will happen if mass media become controlled by corporations.

Now, Beale has become dangerous.  He’s crossed the line.  He’s meddled with “the primal forces of nature.”

He gets a phone call to go see the boss.

Ultimately, the popular uprising fails.  Reality sets in.  There was no uprising.  Just like everything else on TV he was a charade.  A nightly deviation from collective boredom.  Once again, the great powers win in the end.  Indeed, the great powers always win in the end.

Like a nail sticking up too high, Beale gets hammered into submission.  Here’s one of the climactic final scenes where Beale gets read the riot act and is forced to admit to himself that he’s not changing anything.  The popular revolt is crushed.  Order is restored.  The great powers remain in control.   The puppet theater continues.

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