William Holden, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Beatrice Straight, and Ned Beatty all got Oscar nominations from this movie. Dunaway and Straight won Oscars and Finch won his posthumously, having died of a heart attack weeks before the ceremony.
Side note : the "Ecumenical Liberation Army" is a parody of the Symbionese Liberation Army who kidnapped Patty Hearst (heiress of the Hearst media empire) in 1974.
Paddy Chayefsky was a genius writer who knew exactly what he was doing. He’d been involved for a time with network television. He could see what had already been happening and how things were then going. For someone that clued-in, he could intuitively see the writing on the wall. “Vietnam” and all it included was the rift that led to many shifts n schisms depicted here, which have gone unaddressed at the root, and we have only degenerated as a country from there
People in control rooms are extremely focused on their tasks, whether it’s reading off the time, or listening for cues. It’s entirely conceivable that an on-air person could say crazy things for a couple of minutes, and not have it noticed in the booth until a couple of cues had not occurred.
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Stanley Grover, Arthur Burghardt, and Sasha Von Scherler. Casting Notes Fact: Robert Duvall and Faye Dunaway would also appear as husband-wife in The Handmaid's Tale (1990). Ned Beatty was brought in as a last-minute replacement. Location Location Fact: The UBS Washington, D.C. offices shown are set in the office building located at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, and the interior offices shown are on the second floor, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue, and across the street from the old Post Office Building. Hot Take Fact: According to Sidney Lumet, the "Mad As Hell" speech was filmed in one and a half takes. Midway through the second take, Peter Finch abruptly stopped in exhaustion. Lumet was unaware of Finch's failing heart at the time, but in any case, did not ask for a third take. The complete film features the second half of the first take and the first half of the second take. Awards And Accolades Fact: Beatrice Straight is only on-screen for five minutes and two seconds. Hers was the briefest performance ever to win an Oscar. Peter Finch died before the Academy Awards were to take place, where he was nominated for Best Actor. He won, making him the first performer ever to receive a posthumous award at the Oscars. The second winner was fellow Australian Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008).
You even know where the office is located 😂 Oh no 😥 Peter Finch had a heart problem and yet he still played the role? The roles in this movie were intense. Anyone's blood pressure would've increased when acting out those shouting scenes. Beatrice Straight only had a five minute screen time?! I thought it was longer than that 😂. During that 5 minutes, she made quite an impact. I took her side of the argument, anyway. Thanks for sharing the fun facts as usual! 😊
One of my favorite characters in this movie is Laureen Hobbs. It's funny, and also tragic whether one agrees with her ideology or not, that her beliefs and principles go out the window and it all becomes about the media itself. To that same point, Howard Beale is the opposite of this in that he remains true to the message, whether that message is what he preaches after he learns he is to be fired or the message he preaches after his conversion to Jensen's "corporate cosmology." Of course, his devotion to that second message gets him killed.
Yes, I agree. It was sadly funny when Laureen Hobbs went from "I'm going to make you a star" to "I'm not giving this ***.... a piece of my show!“ Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
Great thumbnail, and I'm watching this right now! I've been very busy and far behind on your reactions, but I cannot let this one pass!!! You've been doing great stuff! Starting this now!
The film that shot Faye Dunaway to superstardom is Bonnie and Clyde (1967.) Chinatown makes a reference/homage to that, and in this film she says a few lines that also refer (very subtly) to Bonnie and Clyde.
i've been recommending "bonnie and clyde" now for over 3 years. NO REACTOR has ever listened to me. go figure. this film has more truth in it than any other film i've ever seen. the industrial revolution created an elitist globalism unmatched in human history. the gilded age introduced a new ruler - consumer economics. and through consumerisn our rulers have enslaved us all. the average i. q. is actually lower than 100 years ago. this is on purpose as over time mega-corporations have taken over the planet. the ceos and board members of these corporations decide EVERYTHING! we haven't had any say in anything for ovr 150 years. we're not ruled by govts anymore but by global corporations. and have you ever heard of a DEMOCRATIC CORPORATION? take heed of this films message.
Oh, YES! A favourite on a level of it's own. So excited to see what you think. Just had to say something before even watching your reaction. Midsummer greetings from Sweden!
Paddy Cheyefsky and Sidney Lumet insisted that the movie was NOT a satire but where they felt television was going. In fact, the story was based on an actual incident: A Florida newswoman committed suicide on the air because she was nearly 30 and not yet married.
"Because she was nearly 30 and not yet married"? I think the reason should be more than just that 🤔. I might check out this movie later on. Christine (2016), got it. Thanks for providing the movie name! 😊
@@henryellow Perhaps there was but back then it was a big deal if a woman wasn't married by a certain age. There's even a joke about it in the movie AIRPLANE.
Nice cast of great actors and was well-received at its release. Yes, this was a warning about a few broadcast networks at that time were turning their news departments into arms of their "entertainment" divisions (and a sensationalistic tabloid ethos, rather than true journalism with its rigorous guidelines and ethic). Unfortunately, people like Rupert Murdoch seem to have turned angry sensationalism into profit centers and dispensed with the ethics and nearly everywhere, we are all much poorer (except for the billionaires and corporations peddling the garbage) and less informed as a result. Even worse, anger and rage are prime fuel for the manipulations of demagogues, and we're seeing that worldwide, too. Dangerous, as you said, and ever much more in today's social media environment being mistaken for news or even reality.
Indeed. Many things on social media are believed to be "true news", but it is in fact misinformation. Another thing is "shorts". A lot of people take long videos (a news report, for example), then cut out a very small section to post as a video. This provides little to no context and can cause a big misunderstanding. A lot of platforms encourage us creators to make these short videos because it gets views easily. Why does it get views easily? It's because attention span is getting shorter, and a short video is the perfect "snack" for our brains. Don't get me wrong, short videos are absolutely great for certain content, and I like it too. But when it's abused, it causes many problems.
Henry, I wrote a big long comment that I accidentally deleted. All I can say is: fantastic commentary! I know you said that you thought you might not catch all the satire, but I can promise you that you got the movie 100%! Brilliant analysis, both during the film and afterwards. I agreed with every single thing you mentioned. You are completely correct: in 1976, it felt much more satirical than prophetic. It really has become true. The edit was great, this is one of my favorite commentaries you've ever done! THANK YOU!
I agree with some of the others that this movie is more relevant now than it was in 1976. Prophetic, if you will, and stunningly powerful. I really miss this kind of filmmaking from this era. Another super powerful film from a few years later is The China Syndrome... I highly recommend it and I don't think anybody's reacted to it.
this film has more truth in it than any other film i've ever seen. the industrial revolution created an elitist globalism unmatched in human history. the gilded age introduced a new ruler - consumer economics. and through consumerisn our rulers have enslaved us all. the average i. q. is actually lower than 100 years ago. this is on purpose as over time mega-corporations have taken over the planet. the ceos and board members of these corporations decide EVERYTHING! we haven't had any say in anything for ovr 150 years. we're not ruled by govts anymore but by global corporations. and have you ever heard of a DEMOCRATIC CORPORATION? take heed of this films message.
In 1976 this film was satire. I don't think this is satire anymore. Its highly likely that Roger Ailes dreamed up Fox News after watching this film. It fits the timeline.
Originally I saw this movie as a first run film in 1976. I did like it - but I don't think I really GOT it. For instance, I found Diana irritating. Why when they are having sex will she not stop talking? I laughed at the idea that this newsman who is ready to kill himself and threatens to kill himself gets his own TV show. And I especially thought the scenes with the Underground radical group was funny. Now we skip 30 years and I buy the 30th Anniversary DVD of "Network" and now watch it as a 46 year old. And this time I was absolutely punched in the gut. What we thought was so crazy in 1976 - a FOURTH network, really? - is now a reality. This fourth network is counter culture. In only 20 minutes into the film, Diana says "We'll call it a 'reality' TV show". Instead of laughing, I was left gasping for over half the movie at how much of it came true. And "The Howard Beale Show" where a rather angry and deranged person is allowed to say whatever he wants to say no matter what the consequences of it are, well, you can say it paved the way for such dribble as Rush Limbaugh and, well, the others. As for Diana, NOW I understood that the character was a driven character and could only focus on one thing - and in her case it was big ratings. That was all. She was not capable of loving or connecting with another human being. You might notice in the scene where they are having sex, it wasn't even the sex that was turning her on - it was the idea they would have big ratings and that is what brought the orgasm. And even afterwards, she's talking business. The one thing I didn't notice the first time is that her character was basically doomed because she would burn out in a few years and more than likely kill herself. So not only is this movie great, as @jamesalexander5623 pointed out, it's the most prophetic movie ever made. If you are in a big room with a bunch of people of various ages watching this together, you'll notice that the younger people find it a good movie - because they don't realize just how long ago the movie was made, and the older people like me, we are GASPING. This was supposed to be a satire - and 99% of it came true (the assassination at the end is about the only thing left). Great reaction.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It's quite interesting to hear how you felt about the movie in the 70s, and how you felt about it 30 years later 😊👍🏻
I would say there's a lot in this film that is more relevant today than it was in 1976. Replace the people in the boardroom with people trying to grow their own TH-cam channels. Playing pranks that could get themselves or others killed, or climbing to dangerous heights for the clicks. Only its not as simple as everyone trying to get rich, like the news company in this film. Everybody wants to be popular, as a way of distinguishing themselves from the 8,117,194,199 other people on Earth (at this writing) in order to qualify their existence in their own minds. It's quite sick actually, when you think about it.
Agreed. In fact, the same thing is happening now. People are trying to grow their own YT channels, yes. As of now, there are over 60 million YT creators. Imagine that! But think about it. Who's the top player that gets a cut of profit from these millions of channels? YT itself. So it's still "a company" in charge of all this. BUT... and this is a big BUT... YT is also providing a platform and opportunity for each individual to share their content and ideas online. Without platforms like YT, people will find it tough to connect with a global audience and grow their virtual business. It's a low barrier of entry because you don't need a huge capital to start. That's the good side of it. There's a good and bad to everything. I suppose that's unavoidable. Let's make sure the good outweighs the bad 😊
Look at the Release Date! This is the Most Prophetic Film of All Time!
William Holden, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Beatrice Straight, and Ned Beatty all got Oscar nominations from this movie. Dunaway and Straight won Oscars and Finch won his posthumously, having died of a heart attack weeks before the ceremony.
Side note : the "Ecumenical Liberation Army" is a parody of the Symbionese Liberation Army who kidnapped Patty Hearst (heiress of the Hearst media empire) in 1974.
Correct.
Paddy Chayefsky was a genius writer who knew exactly what he was doing. He’d been involved for a time with network television.
He could see what had already been happening and how things were then going. For someone that clued-in, he could intuitively see the writing on the wall.
“Vietnam” and all it included was the rift that led to many shifts n schisms depicted here, which have gone unaddressed at the root, and we have only degenerated as a country from there
Paddy Chayefsky won the Oscar for Best Screenplay for this movie. Much deserved.
People in control rooms are extremely focused on their tasks, whether it’s reading off the time, or listening for cues. It’s entirely conceivable that an on-air person could say crazy things for a couple of minutes, and not have it noticed in the booth until a couple of cues had not occurred.
Oh, I thought their focus is supposed to be on what the on-air person says. Well, thanks for clarifying 😊
Network will never be irrelevant
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"
Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Stanley Grover, Arthur Burghardt, and Sasha Von Scherler.
Casting Notes Fact: Robert Duvall and Faye Dunaway would also appear as husband-wife in The Handmaid's Tale (1990). Ned Beatty was brought in as a last-minute replacement.
Location Location Fact: The UBS Washington, D.C. offices shown are set in the office building located at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, and the interior offices shown are on the second floor, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue, and across the street from the old Post Office Building.
Hot Take Fact: According to Sidney Lumet, the "Mad As Hell" speech was filmed in one and a half takes. Midway through the second take, Peter Finch abruptly stopped in exhaustion. Lumet was unaware of Finch's failing heart at the time, but in any case, did not ask for a third take. The complete film features the second half of the first take and the first half of the second take.
Awards And Accolades Fact: Beatrice Straight is only on-screen for five minutes and two seconds. Hers was the briefest performance ever to win an Oscar. Peter Finch died before the Academy Awards were to take place, where he was nominated for Best Actor. He won, making him the first performer ever to receive a posthumous award at the Oscars. The second winner was fellow Australian Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008).
You even know where the office is located 😂
Oh no 😥 Peter Finch had a heart problem and yet he still played the role? The roles in this movie were intense. Anyone's blood pressure would've increased when acting out those shouting scenes.
Beatrice Straight only had a five minute screen time?! I thought it was longer than that 😂. During that 5 minutes, she made quite an impact. I took her side of the argument, anyway.
Thanks for sharing the fun facts as usual! 😊
You're welcome!
Go in Peace and Walk with God. 😎 👍
Henry, love your channel!! I love how you watch great classic movies that other reactors don't even go near.
Best Network reaction on TH-cam, you bested both film majors and professionals
One of my favorite characters in this movie is Laureen Hobbs. It's funny, and also tragic whether one agrees with her ideology or not, that her beliefs and principles go out the window and it all becomes about the media itself. To that same point, Howard Beale is the opposite of this in that he remains true to the message, whether that message is what he preaches after he learns he is to be fired or the message he preaches after his conversion to Jensen's "corporate cosmology." Of course, his devotion to that second message gets him killed.
Yes, I agree. It was sadly funny when Laureen Hobbs went from "I'm going to make you a star" to "I'm not giving this ***.... a piece of my show!“
Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😊
Great thumbnail, and I'm watching this right now! I've been very busy and far behind on your reactions, but I cannot let this one pass!!! You've been doing great stuff! Starting this now!
The film that shot Faye Dunaway to superstardom is Bonnie and Clyde (1967.) Chinatown makes a reference/homage to that, and in this film she says a few lines that also refer (very subtly) to Bonnie and Clyde.
Awesome, I have that movie on my list 😉
Not sure when I'll get to it, but I will 👍🏻
@@henryellow Yes! If you liked Faye Dunaway in Chinatown you must see "Bonnie and Clyde". Also "Mommie Dearest" and "The Thomas Crown Affair"
i've been recommending "bonnie and clyde" now for over 3 years. NO REACTOR has ever listened to me. go figure.
this film has more truth in it than any other film i've ever seen. the industrial revolution created an elitist globalism unmatched in human history. the gilded age introduced a new ruler - consumer economics. and through consumerisn our rulers have enslaved us all. the average i. q. is actually lower than 100 years ago. this is on purpose as over time mega-corporations have taken over the planet. the ceos and board members of these corporations decide EVERYTHING! we haven't had any say in anything for ovr 150 years. we're not ruled by govts anymore but by global corporations. and have you ever heard of a DEMOCRATIC CORPORATION? take heed of this films message.
Oh, YES! A favourite on a level of it's own. So excited to see what you think.
Just had to say something before even watching your reaction.
Midsummer greetings from Sweden!
Awesome, I hope you enjoyed my reaction! 😊
Paddy Cheyefsky and Sidney Lumet insisted that the movie was NOT a satire but where they felt television was going. In fact, the story was based on an actual incident: A Florida newswoman committed suicide on the air because she was nearly 30 and not yet married.
"Because she was nearly 30 and not yet married"? I think the reason should be more than just that 🤔.
I might check out this movie later on. Christine (2016), got it. Thanks for providing the movie name! 😊
@@henryellow Perhaps there was but back then it was a big deal if a woman wasn't married by a certain age. There's even a joke about it in the movie AIRPLANE.
In any case, the movie is not a satire.
@user-kv2tj4du8p Which is why the movie (NETWORK) is not a satire.
Nice cast of great actors and was well-received at its release. Yes, this was a warning about a few broadcast networks at that time were turning their news departments into arms of their "entertainment" divisions (and a sensationalistic tabloid ethos, rather than true journalism with its rigorous guidelines and ethic). Unfortunately, people like Rupert Murdoch seem to have turned angry sensationalism into profit centers and dispensed with the ethics and nearly everywhere, we are all much poorer (except for the billionaires and corporations peddling the garbage) and less informed as a result. Even worse, anger and rage are prime fuel for the manipulations of demagogues, and we're seeing that worldwide, too. Dangerous, as you said, and ever much more in today's social media environment being mistaken for news or even reality.
Indeed. Many things on social media are believed to be "true news", but it is in fact misinformation.
Another thing is "shorts". A lot of people take long videos (a news report, for example), then cut out a very small section to post as a video. This provides little to no context and can cause a big misunderstanding.
A lot of platforms encourage us creators to make these short videos because it gets views easily. Why does it get views easily? It's because attention span is getting shorter, and a short video is the perfect "snack" for our brains.
Don't get me wrong, short videos are absolutely great for certain content, and I like it too. But when it's abused, it causes many problems.
0:59, Wow!! You're 3 for 3 for excellent movies featuring William Holden.
Formerly of Stalag 17 and Sabrina.
Sunset Boulevard, too,
Great movie and great reaction
Henry, I wrote a big long comment that I accidentally deleted. All I can say is: fantastic commentary! I know you said that you thought you might not catch all the satire, but I can promise you that you got the movie 100%! Brilliant analysis, both during the film and afterwards. I agreed with every single thing you mentioned. You are completely correct: in 1976, it felt much more satirical than prophetic. It really has become true. The edit was great, this is one of my favorite commentaries you've ever done! THANK YOU!
Oh no... It'll be safer to write it in your notes next time, then copy it to the comments 😂
I'm happy to hear you enjoyed my video! 😊
Great choice of movie! Thanks for the reaction.
Broadcast News is the other movie like this, but funny. 1987. Holly Hunter, William hurt, Albert brooks.
I'll add it to my list. Thanks for the suggestion 😊
As a veteran newsman I'm sure he had many sources of information.
IMO, Faye Dunaway in this movie is as frightening as any villain in any horror movie. It is a truly scary character.
The scariest part is she doesn't feel like she's doing anything wrong. She's like a sociopath.
I agree with some of the others that this movie is more relevant now than it was in 1976. Prophetic, if you will, and stunningly powerful. I really miss this kind of filmmaking from this era. Another super powerful film from a few years later is The China Syndrome... I highly recommend it and I don't think anybody's reacted to it.
I'll add The China Syndrome to my list. Thanks for suggesting it! 😊
If you like Faye Dunaway, you should watch "Mommie Dearest". She was amazing in the role of Joan Crawford.
I'll add it to my list. Thanks for your suggestion! 😊
I thought there was a lot of truth in this when it came out. Still is. Now you can add social media to the mix.
this film has more truth in it than any other film i've ever seen. the industrial revolution created an elitist globalism unmatched in human history. the gilded age introduced a new ruler - consumer economics. and through consumerisn our rulers have enslaved us all. the average i. q. is actually lower than 100 years ago. this is on purpose as over time mega-corporations have taken over the planet. the ceos and board members of these corporations decide EVERYTHING! we haven't had any say in anything for ovr 150 years. we're not ruled by govts anymore but by global corporations. and have you ever heard of a DEMOCRATIC CORPORATION? take heed of this films message.
This is a documentary
Howard Beale would have his own social media channel now, he's actually a more intelligent & less swivel eyed version of Alex Jones
In 1976 this film was satire. I don't think this is satire anymore. Its highly likely that Roger Ailes dreamed up Fox News after watching this film. It fits the timeline.
This was pretty futuristic in 1976--- it's old hat now, old school the reality of it. --- Can I get a click? Do I hear an amen?
Amen!
Originally I saw this movie as a first run film in 1976. I did like it - but I don't think I really GOT it. For instance, I found Diana irritating. Why when they are having sex will she not stop talking? I laughed at the idea that this newsman who is ready to kill himself and threatens to kill himself gets his own TV show. And I especially thought the scenes with the Underground radical group was funny. Now we skip 30 years and I buy the 30th Anniversary DVD of "Network" and now watch it as a 46 year old. And this time I was absolutely punched in the gut. What we thought was so crazy in 1976 - a FOURTH network, really? - is now a reality. This fourth network is counter culture. In only 20 minutes into the film, Diana says "We'll call it a 'reality' TV show". Instead of laughing, I was left gasping for over half the movie at how much of it came true. And "The Howard Beale Show" where a rather angry and deranged person is allowed to say whatever he wants to say no matter what the consequences of it are, well, you can say it paved the way for such dribble as Rush Limbaugh and, well, the others. As for Diana, NOW I understood that the character was a driven character and could only focus on one thing - and in her case it was big ratings. That was all. She was not capable of loving or connecting with another human being. You might notice in the scene where they are having sex, it wasn't even the sex that was turning her on - it was the idea they would have big ratings and that is what brought the orgasm. And even afterwards, she's talking business. The one thing I didn't notice the first time is that her character was basically doomed because she would burn out in a few years and more than likely kill herself. So not only is this movie great, as @jamesalexander5623 pointed out, it's the most prophetic movie ever made. If you are in a big room with a bunch of people of various ages watching this together, you'll notice that the younger people find it a good movie - because they don't realize just how long ago the movie was made, and the older people like me, we are GASPING. This was supposed to be a satire - and 99% of it came true (the assassination at the end is about the only thing left). Great reaction.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this. It's quite interesting to hear how you felt about the movie in the 70s, and how you felt about it 30 years later 😊👍🏻
CNN, MSNBC, ABC, CBS, NY TIMES, WASH POST, .....tell us that,...... KAMALA!!!!!!!!!!!,,,is NUMBER 1 !!!!!!!!!!
And the people said "I'm as mad as Hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"...and they voted for Trump.
I would say there's a lot in this film that is more relevant today than it was in 1976. Replace the people in the boardroom with people trying to grow their own TH-cam channels. Playing pranks that could get themselves or others killed, or climbing to dangerous heights for the clicks. Only its not as simple as everyone trying to get rich, like the news company in this film. Everybody wants to be popular, as a way of distinguishing themselves from the 8,117,194,199 other people on Earth (at this writing) in order to qualify their existence in their own minds. It's quite sick actually, when you think about it.
Agreed.
In fact, the same thing is happening now. People are trying to grow their own YT channels, yes. As of now, there are over 60 million YT creators. Imagine that!
But think about it. Who's the top player that gets a cut of profit from these millions of channels? YT itself. So it's still "a company" in charge of all this.
BUT... and this is a big BUT...
YT is also providing a platform and opportunity for each individual to share their content and ideas online. Without platforms like YT, people will find it tough to connect with a global audience and grow their virtual business. It's a low barrier of entry because you don't need a huge capital to start. That's the good side of it.
There's a good and bad to everything. I suppose that's unavoidable. Let's make sure the good outweighs the bad 😊
Yep, every time in this move they use the phrase "The Tube" just replace it in your mind with "youtube" and you see how true it rings.