Directed by Sidney Lumet, Network (1976) is a satirical drama set within the American television news industry. Starring Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, William Holden and Robert Duvall, the film follows a news anchor whose on-air breakdown becomes a ratings phenomenon. Written by Paddy Chayefsky, the film won four Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Finch and Best Actress for Dunaway. The story examines media sensationalism, corporate power and the commercialization of news.

Arrow Films

In 1976 two of the key players in the Golden Age of Television, writer Paddy Chayefsky and director Sidney Lumet, delivered a coruscating attack at once savage and hilarious on the medium that made their names.

SINCE THIS SHOW WAS THE ONLY THING I HAD GOING FOR ME IN MY LIFE, IVE DECIDED TO KILL MYSELF.

To speak Chayefskys Oscar-winning dialogue, Lumet enlisted a powerhouse cast list, including Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch (as the mad prophet of the airwaves Howard Beale), Robert Duvall, Ned Beatty and Beatrice Straight. Five of them would be nominated for Academy Awards, three would win.

IM GOING TO BLOW MY BRAINS OUT RIGHT ON THIS PROGRAMME A WEEK FROM TODAY.

As well as its four Oscars, Network was also garlanded with a quartet of Golden Globes, a BAFTA and numerous other awards. In the years since its release, its reputation has only grown: the Library of Congress granted it a place on their prestigious National Film Registry; the American Film Institute named it as one of the greatest American films of all time; and the Writers Guild of America declared its screenplay one of the ten best of all time. It remains a true classic.

SO TUNE IN NEXT TUESDAY.

Från IMDB:
A television network cynically exploits a deranged former anchors ravings and revelations about mass media for its own profit, but finds that his message may be difficult to control.

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