47 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!
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 Got It Right: The Legacy of a Scorching Satire - A nice Vanity Fair feature detailing the influence that this movie still yields
‘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: Yesterday I went to the new restaurant in Landmark Bowling Alley, Highly Flavored, with my friends, Amber, Joe, Loni and Steve. The place specializes in Nashville Chicken and we sampled that and a bunch more tasty items off of their menu!
Tuesday: Last week on Halloween, Sonic Drive-In had a corn dog special, so of course we went there for the ongoing MBIP corn dog tour. It was a sad lesson of you get what you pay for! Tune in and find out!
Wednesday: This Wednesday starts a new Xmas series, The Eight Shops Of Xmas. Yes, it’s only eight weeks from Xmas, don’t blame me, blame your calendar!
Thursday: I’ll be taking the day off to work on my upcoming book, so we’ll have another MBIP Thursday Month Of The Book Club Post.
Friday: We’ll continue our Friday Focal Point Series on this lovely Friday next week.
Saturday: Saturday will bring yet another Meanwhile, Back In Peoria’s Past post.
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Sunday Comic
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Related Posts: Sunday Links: Punk Magazine, Rubber Soul, NBC’s Saturday Night (Saturday Night Live’s First Season).