Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Faye Dunaway | ... | Diana Christensen | |
William Holden | ... | Max Schumacher | |
Peter Finch | ... | Howard Beale | |
Robert Duvall | ... | Frank Hackett | |
Wesley Addy | ... | Nelson Chaney | |
Ned Beatty | ... | Arthur Jensen | |
Arthur Burghardt | ... | Great Ahmed Kahn | |
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Bill Burrows | ... | TV Director |
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John Carpenter | ... | George Bosch |
Jordan Charney | ... | Harry Hunter | |
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Kathy Cronkite | ... | Mary Ann Gifford |
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Ed Crowley | ... | Joe Donnelly |
Jerome Dempsey | ... | Walter C. Amundsen | |
Conchata Ferrell | ... | Barbara Schlesinger | |
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Gene Gross | ... | Milton K. Steinman |
In the 1970s, terrorist violence is the stuff of networks' nightly news programming and the corporate structure of the UBS Television Network is changing. Meanwhile, Howard Beale, the aging UBS news anchor, has lost his once strong ratings share and so the network fires him. Beale reacts in an unexpected way. We then see how this affects the fortunes of Beale, his coworkers (Max Schumacher and Diana Christensen), and the network. Written by Bruce Janson <bruce@cs.su.oz.au>
"Network" is the satirical movie written by Paddy Chayefsky, and directed by Sidney Lumet. The main character, Howard Beele, was a respected news anchor who hit a slump. When he's fired from his desk, he finally snaps. His ravings reveal the truth, and he is soon dubbed "The Mad Prophet of the Airwaves." Today, in the age of trash TV, "Network" still has significance. There are several aspects of the story that ring true today with TV news: the sacrifice of journalistic integrity in the scramble for ratings, and media bias fueled by sweetheart deals by rich special interests. Knowing that this exists in the world is enough to make anyone mad as hell.