Review: "Network"

When the word "satire" is used, it's generally expected that there will be some humour involved in whatever topic is being discussed. In terms of news satirisation, websites like The Onion and The Daily Mash have emerged as modern classics of the genre, twisting the absurd, barely believable stories of the day into something comical. In today's news climate, that process is hardly necessary, given how news itself has become the joke.

"Network" is a satirisation of news. The film follows the fictional television network UBS as it attempts to boost ratings for its struggling news division. UBS and its executives are helped in their efforts by Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the anchor of the seven o'clock news, who has a meltdown on air and tells viewers he plans a live suicide after being fired. Max Schumacher (William Holden), the news division president and Howard's best friend, informs Howard of his fate, and Max gets more than he bargained for when trying to keep Howard on television, particularly with the power-hungry head of programming Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) lurking.

"Network" is also not especially funny, because it doesn't intend to be. But it is genius.

It's clear from the outset that Howard is unhinged. Various characters suggest that he's mentally ill, and it's difficult to argue with that. The onslaught of outbursts he delivers are often uncomfortable viewing, but Finch makes it easier. He is gripping, a tour de force of acting with his presence dominating the screen at every moment. Each time he yells a little louder, you can't help but lean towards the screen a little more. Sidney Lumet's masterful directing is a key part of that, too.

Howard is the leading character, but only in the sense that the story couldn't happen without him. He's quickly pushed to the periphery and the story becomes much more focused on Max, Diana, and other characters around them, like Diana's boss, Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall). It's fitting that Howard is scarcely used in the second half of the film: it reflects his role on television. His viewers only see him for an hour a night at 7pm — why should he be more prominent to us?

It is instead more interesting to look at the people keeping him on screen, who have to work out how best to manage him. In the portrayal of vicious, apathetic network executives, "Network" provides a commentary on the cut-throat nature of network television. Dunaway is magnificent, effortlessly slipping into the slimy persona of a woman who openly admits that she's "inept at everything except her work." Certainly, no one could disagree with that, and it's a credit to Dunaway that her emotional shortcomings are sad as her professional ruthlessness is impressive and terrifying. Holden is also wonderful, serving as the anchor for the rare piece of humanity in the story and appearing to be the only rational man in it.

As all semblance of journalistic and human ethics go out of the window, it's worth remembering how rational Max is. If anything is indeed a satire in "Network", there's a very good case that it's him. By the end of its two-hour running time, the joke isn't how low the executives will go to make a quick buck. The joke is that there is someone in the television industry who is driven by emotion and not profit.