Last Chance to See Network at NWFF

Ah, the '70s. A time of economic insecurity, political cynicism, energy crisis, and overarching global anxiety. It seems like the decade never ended, but you can still take a stroll down Nostalgia Lane with the final showings of Network tonight (7, 9:15 p.m.) at the Northwest Film Forum. The NWFF has a new 35mm print of the film, which is downright immaculate, though the movie itself is less so.

Don't get us wrong; Network's a well-executed, whip-smart media satire, featuring the certifiably, awesomely, terribly prescient tirade by Ned Beatty (above). But viewing it today, the film is definitely a dated product of its times. Though it accurately predicted the rise of anything-goes, lowest-common-denominator reality TV, the non-stop speechifying gets more than a little tedious, and the plot goes just a tad overboard. Plus, Faye Dunaway's character could've afforded to wear a bra to work, at least once in a while. But Network still has modern significance: the sacrifice of journalistic integrity in the name of ratings, media bias fueled by corporate interests, and the detached meta viewing of one's life as if it were a movie.

And yes, there's always "I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore."

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By Audrey in Arts & Events on September 4, 2008 2:00 PM

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Charles Redell

What a great speech.

I have to disagree with your take though Audrey. I think the fact that that "the speechifying gets more than a little tedious" is the reason why Network is as vital and timely today as it was when it first came out. Those speeches are exactly the kinds of thing we need to hear, but don't have the time or the patience to listen to anymore thanks to the businesses that Beatty worships so blindly. Hearing them, really hearing their content, and then deconstructing it, might lead many people to see through the sham of our national conventions (D and R) as well as the olympics and the rest of media in general.

But there's a reason all most people know of this movie is "I'm mad as hell..." it's a convenient sound bite that sums it all up. But I suspect from the tone of your last line, you understand that Network has a lot more going for it than you're giving it credit for above, and you're as sick of it as Howard Beale ever was.