(1976)
5
Lucia Bozzola
Part of a cycle of 1970s conspiracy films and a sharp satire of the TV business, Network bitterly critiques corporate culture's impact on the spread of information and the resulting cult of the TV guru. As directed by Sidney Lumet and scripted by Paddy Chayefsky, Network takes a relatively straightforward approach to its outrageous acts, even those of Faye Dunaway's ambitious programmer, lending a disturbingly matter-of-fact tone to the corporation's most venal and dehumanizing machinations. The mad ravings of Peter Finch's messianic Howard Beale become an almost sane response to the systemic rot, but the corruption is too deep and the TV audience too fickle. A popular and critical hit, Network was praised for wittily yet somberly tapping into the mid-'70s mood of cultural disaffection, providing the perfect catch phrase for any and all frustrations, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Nominated for ten Oscars including Best Picture, Network won four awards, including Best Screenplay, and three out of the four acting awards: Best Actress for Dunaway; Best Supporting Actress for Beatrice Straight as William Holden's bitterly wronged wife (at that time, the briefest Oscar-winning performance in history, since bested by Judi Dench's role in Shakespeare in Love); and a posthumous Best Actor for Finch. While journalists in 1976 howled about the film's inaccurate absurdity, the continuing conglomeration of the media and resulting excesses of infotainment ensure Network's continuing sting.
Trailer
awards for Network on AllMovie
Network (1976)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1976 |
|
Won |
Best Actress
|
1976 |
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Nominated |
Best Cinematography
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1976 |
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1976 |
|
Nominated |
Best Editing
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1976 |
|
Won |
Best Original Screenplay
|
1976 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
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1976 |
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Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor
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1976 |
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Won |
Best Supporting Actress
|
1976 |
American Film Institute
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Won |
100 Greatest American Movies
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1998 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
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Won |
Best Actor
|
1977 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture
|
1977 |
Directors Guild of America
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Nominated |
Best Director
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1976 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
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Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama
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1976 |
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Won |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
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1976 |
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Nominated |
Best Picture - Drama
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1976 |
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Won |
Best Screenplay
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1976 |
Los Angeles Film Critics Association
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Won |
Best Director
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1976 |
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Won |
Best Picture
|
1976 |
|
Won |
Best Screenplay
|
1976 |
National Board of Review
|
Nominated |
Best Picture
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1976 |
New York Film Critics Circle
