3.5/4  A good film with only one major flaw.
A pretty good movie with some grand performances. You can read the praise other places and I agree with it but there are some negative aspects to the film. The negative parts I feel are when it goes absurd with the parody. Many times it is... (read full)

4/4  I'm Mad as H& I'm not going to take it anymore!
One of the few great masterpieces that I can find no wrong with. Faye Dunaway is stunning and a hard, strong woman. William Holden is as sexy as ever. I hate TV and yet I've never been so intrigued with the top network people in addition ... (read full)

3.5/4  Network Quick Review
Brilliant satire that hits every nail on the head. Whether you know anything about network TV or not, you'll understand the spirit of the film. This is one of those films that I think will survive any era and always have meaning.

3/4  Network Quick Review
Well acted and biting satire, made better by the fact that it was eerily prophetic. Just look at the FOX network.

2.5/4  Network Quick Review
I did find this movie funny at times, but it makes me sad to see Holden so old. I was never impressed with the plot or the story. If I was a bigger media person or if I understood how networks came bot be I might care more. Still, not bad.

5/5 Who knew this was apocalyptic literature?
  by Daniel Kline (Pittsburgh, PA)
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 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!"


4/5 A Prescient Folly
  by Kim Maynard (Eugene, OR)
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.

5/5 Great acting + witty dialog.
  by From Elder
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

5/5 Can You Believe It Has Really Happened?
  by Katherine McCarthy (Forest Hills, NY United States)
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.

2/5 I'm Bored as Hell and I'm Not Going to Watch this Anymore
  by Marcielle Brandler
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
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