49 years ago in November of 1976 the movie Network was released. It starred Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, William Holden and Peter Finch. It’s really eerie to watch it today and see how this movie predicted the erosion of our culture via kooky news shows, reality TV and morality traded for the almighty dollar and ratings.
The original movie poster had a headline that read: “Prepare yourself for a perfectly outrageous motion picture.” It should have said: “Prepare yourself for a perfectly outrageous future,” because that’s what has happened! This movie totally predicted where we’re at in this day and age regarding the media and news outlets.
There’s six links to articles and a classic scene from the movie below and then there’s the weekly MBIP Coming Attractions for this week’s batch of posts.
The ‘outrageous’ 40-year-old film that predicted the future - This BBC article properly documents how the film predicted the media eroding into cable news channels like Fox News and it also prettiy much invented exploitative reality TV.
11 Newsworthy Facts About Network - One thing I didn’t know is that Walter Cronkite’s daughter plays the role of a Patty Hearst-like character which is funny considering that the movie is a satire revolving around a network news program.
The NY Times Review of Network - This line from the review stands out: “I expect that a lot of people will sniff at the film on the ground that a number of the absurdities Mr. Chayefsky and Mr. Lumet chronicle so carefully couldn't happen.” Sadly it has happened and we’re living in the middle of it!
Network (1976): How a 50-Year-Old Film Predicted Today’s Media Madness - This article from last March details how Network predicted the crazy media that we have in this day and age.
This Oscar-Winning Classic Is a Dark Satire of Manipulation and Exploitation - This is a good feature about the film and it explains what it’s about and how it’s stood the test of time.
‘Network’ Turns 40: Here Are 3 Ways It Changed How We Understand News Media - This article shows how Network changed our viewing of the news and media in general.
The infamous, “I’m Mad As Hell” scene - The eternal catchphrase from the film, brilliantly acted out by Peter Finch. How spooky is it that his speech is more relevant today than it was in 1976? Instead of the word “TV” in his speech, you can just replace it with “the internet.”
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MBIP Coming Attractions
Monday: Last night I went to Mariachi with my friends, Amber and Joe and we had a fantastic evening and Mexican food and drinks. That post will be up tomorrow!
Tuesday and Wednesday: I’m taking Tuesday and Wednesday off, but I’ll be putting up “Best of MBIP” links on my facecrack page if you follow me over in facecrack land.
Thursday: We’ll be putting the Marty Monologues Spotlight on the place where the show is happening a week from today: Kenny’s Westside Pub!
Friday through next Tuesday: I’ll be putting the blog on hold these days while preparing for and then getting over doing The Marty Monologues Show. The blog will be back with a report on the show on Wednesday, November 12.
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Sunday Comic
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Related Posts: Sunday Links: Saturday Night, Rubber Soul and O.J. Simpson.