Cheap Network (Two-Disc Special Edition) (DVD) (Sidney Lumet) Price

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Customer Reviews of Network (Two-Disc Special Edition)

Great Movie, Great Extras
Quickie movie review: perhaps the most prescient movie ever, definitely the most prescient made about television, viewers and Corporate America. An almost "fantasy movie" team in front of the camera and behind it produced a flick that lives up to their combined talents. I can think of three incredible scenes in which actors/actresses nearly burn up the screen with brilliant timing, emotion, diction -- and none of those actors/actresses are among the four who got top billing for this movie. They've got several other such scenes of their own. <
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>Now to the extras, which is the reason I bought this two-disc set. I already had the movie via the first DVD release. <
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>You've got interviews with almost all the principals still living, including director Sidney Lumet and actress Faye Dunaway. And they cover an incredible amount of ground concernting the making of the movie (one reason they had such an incredible cast is the script was so good, nobody they offered a part to turned them down. So, the producers got all their first choices. As several cast members are dead, it's been over 30 years since the casting and admitting cast substitutions is common in Hollywood, that's a claim you can take at face value.) <
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>There's also a Paddy Chayefsky interview from "Dinah" (remember her show from afternoons after the soaps were finished?) and another interview with Lumet, who also provides a commentary. Hey, I was more than satisfied enough to set aside free time for watching the extras. <
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>The only part of the extras that disappointed was the Walter Cronkite interview. I've read interviews with Cronkite concerning this movie over the years when he fairly crackled with observation. Maybe it's just that he's aging. <
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>Anyway, the movie alone is worth the bucks. Throw in the extras and you've got a bargain.

a film that left the country talking.....
NETWORK, a brilliant film directed by Sidney Lumet, takes a bold and darkly humorous look at the world of network television in the United States. We are introduced to Howard Beale (played by the late, great Peter Finch), an anchorman who is getting the axe for low ratings. Beale announces on the air that he plans to "blow his brains out." Of course, this gets his network and those surrounding forces talking. This lunatic deserves a proper opportunity to say good-bye to his viewership (though, increasingly sparce). Little do they know that what they intended as an opening for him to say good-bye will blossom into a far-different situation. His on air rave generates a great audience, because this man wants to tell "the truth" about the world (politically, socially) and those in the quiet and comfort of their homes want to hear what he has to say. The film also stars Faye Dunaway as a stealthy network spin doctor, William Holden and Robert Duvall. <
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>Of course, the famous line that was extracted from one of Beale's on-air raves and spiraled into one of the most-quoted (and mis-quoted) lines from a film is, "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" This quote was used as recently as this past week, when co-star Isaiah Washington was fired from the popular series, GREY'S ANATOMY. It has also been used in many different instances to convey defiance. NETWORK is a brilliant and timely film that reflects the state of our world and how television plays into our daily lives; what's more, how the plight of one man (no matter how mad) can potentially become great fodder for the media if it sells. This could be reflected on today, when we think about those occupying a space in the media (and in Associated Press columns), in the face of a major war and many other disturbing plights. What sells? Ultimately. corruption does. Does it matter how the corruption effects the subject of its darkness? No, just as long as it brings in money, either through viewership or printed publication. The AFI calls NETWORK, released in 1976, one of the greatest American films of all time. I would agree, because it is a masterpiece, with brilliant acting. What's more, Peter Finch received a well-earned posthumous Academy Award, for Best Actor, for this his amazing performance. Watch it for yourself, if you want an example of thought-provoking film at its best.