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HugeReviews.com Reviews:
Satire
Done Right: Network
by Christian De Matteo
HUGE
It was a mortal sin that I had never seen it, because it is such an
incredible classic, but two nights ago I sat down and finally watched Network.
Brilliance. Never had I expected the film to be so outrageously funny.
Network is completely over the top, exaggerated and insane. BUT, what
brings it from the lower regions of simple madcap zaniness to the upper echelons
of philosophical and political depth is the inherent brains of the film
and its ability to not be the mad prophet of the airwaves that its Peter
Finch is, but to be an astute prophet of the media.
Doing a job very different than that he did in another favorite of mine,
The Wild Bunch,
William Holden turns an incredible performance as the head of UBS’s
news division and a man in an ethical, moral, and professional quandary
in the midst of his winter years. At a time when he should be finding
some stability in life, everything seems to fly right up into the air,
some out of his control and some very much in his control. Pairing his
incredible acting with Faye Dunaway’s the two play off each other
brilliantly, giving us two clear allegory characters that say as much
about the Network industry and the corporate world as they do about
humanity in general.
The film works so well that nothing is unbelievable, no character move
shocking. The writing is taut and the plot is airtight as we are moved
into this world that may or may not be ours, but could easily be. Director
Sidney Lumet (Night Falls on Manhattan) dances around the
characters, keeping them mostly in small rooms (a la His Girl Friday),
keeping the action very contained, as the story becomes grander and
grander. The thoughts about America and how it wants its news given are
brilliant and, now many years from the film's 1976, are proven truer and
truer as each day passes. Even the most extreme, wild and ridiculous idea
from the UBS new division and programming department don’t seem all that
different from the programming we watch now. Here are the true origins of
Reality TV, of sensationalist journalism, and only slightly camouflaged
chicanery. When Faye Dunaway gives her assessment of how the news is
presented, she is dead on target that it isn’t at all informational, but
is pure entertainment. And when she says this is the way to go, she is
right… and it is the way it goes. Ratings, baby, ratings.
The film is absolutely brilliant, fast moving, hysterical and oh so
prophetic. It is a nearly perfect film: Entertaining and informative;
Thoughtful, but not preachy. The dialogue is fantastic and the acting is
amazing.
Network
is a film to hold as a benchmark for all filmmakers and is a truly
worthy classic.
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