It's hard to believe it's been more than 30 years since "Network" was showing on America's theater screens. It seems even more relevant today than it did when it was first released.
And you can see it tonight on Turner Classic Movies' "31 Days of Oscar" at 11:15 p.m. (Central).
I wish it wasn't on so late because I know that makes it more difficult for some people to see it. But if you can see it — or, at the very least, record it to watch later — I encourage you to do so because I think it's one of the best movies ever made.
And I'm not alone in that. The American Film Institute included it in its list of the Top 100 films of the last 100 years. Twice. AFI ranked it 66th when the original list was released in 1998, then moved it up two slots for the revised list that was released in 2007.
The Paddy Chayefsky story is about an anchorman who is being given the boot by his network and announces on the air that he will kill himself on his final broadcast. And then the network's ratings shoot through the roof. The anchorman, Howard Beale (played by eventual Best Actor winner Peter Finch), doesn't follow through on his threat, telling his viewers that he "just ran out of" bullsh*t, but he delivers a memorable rant later in which he encourages his listeners to go to their windows, stick their heads out and yell, "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"
Diana the programming executive (played by Best Actress winner Faye Dunaway) speaks by phone to executives at network affiliates to find out if people are following Beale's advice. When she receives confirmation that they are, ratings numbers dance in her head and she exclaims, "Son of a bitch! We struck the Mother Lode!"
There are many memorable moments in "Network," really. Like when Beale tells viewers, "Television is not the truth. Television is a goddamned amusement park."
Or when Max the network executive (played by William Holden), who is having an affair with Diana, says of her, "I'm not sure she's capable of any real feelings. She's television generation. She learned life from Bugs Bunny."
But the ending is one of the most memorable. Beale, who has been resurrected as the "Mad Prophet of the Airwaves," has gotten out of control and the decision is made to assassinate him.
When the deed is done, the narrator tells the audience, "This was the story of Howard Beale: The first known instance of a man who was killed because of lousy ratings."
It may be helpful to remember that, when "Network" came out, cable TV was not even close to what it is today. For the most part, America was still watching the Big Three networks.
I think it has become more relevant in the years since it was first released.
Judge for yourself.
