Network Reviews

Paddy Chayefsky takes on television (his first true love), with somewhat self-congratulatory ardor. Finch, a veteran newsman for the mythical United Broadcasting System, is sent over the mental edge when he is told that he will be fired after a quarter of a century on the air. He can't handle the situation and tells his audience that he intends to commit suicide on his final broadcast the following week. Ratings go straight through the roof, and his fan mail comes in by the carload. On the night he plans to put a gun to his head, Finch relents, apologizes to the millions watching (it's his largest audience ever), and stands up like an electronic Messiah to shout "go to your nearest window and yell as loud as you can, `I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"' His audience does just that. Dunaway, a programming executive at UBS, knows how to exploit this, so she signs Finch to a weekly show in which he can let it all hang out. This idea is opposed by Holden, the man in charge of network news and an old pal of Finch. He can see that Finch is on the edge of insanity and he can't stand the thought of the news being used to further ratings. Dunaway's bosses like the idea and fire Holden for his disagreement. Finch's program, a melange of various items, goes on and is a smash hit. Dunaway, now a star at the network, has other innovations in mind. She intends doing a show about urban guerrillas, but instead of hiring actors, she wants the terrorists to play themselves. Holden and Dunaway meet again and are soon involved; Holden then leaves his wife, Straight, in the most moving (and least gimmicky) scene in the film, as he tells her why he is departing. NETWORK gives us several superb scenes, including one in which the communist guerrillas' lawyers argue with the network's representatives over the ancillary rights and syndication money that will accrue from their show. There's an amazing display of acting talent, even though director Lumet doesn't quite tie all the strands together. Finch's spouting is impressive, but we prefer Holden's sardonic edge, even if his big speeches seem the most predictably written. For Dunaway fans, there are some great moments: Faye zipping up her briefcase in a manic state, and that rattling teacup. With her strangely undersized mouth of yellow baby teeth, she's a believable media carnivore.