Network
First screened in 1993 or 1994 / Most recently screened in June 2016
Director: Sidney Lumet. Cast: William Holden, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, John Carpenter, Ned Beatty, Jerome Dempsey, Beatrice Straight, Jordan Charney, Ed Crowley, Marlene Warfield, Arthur Burghardt, Kathy Cronkite, Conchata Ferrell, voice of Lee Richardson. Screenplay: Paddy Chayefsky.

 Twitter Capsule: A prophetic, personally formative experience that still awes, but sexism and purple demagoguery are harder now to accept.

VOR: ⑤  I may balk at prosy tirades or at moments when Chayefsky gets sentimental or venal about his characters but there's no denying Network's daring, truculence, and persistent force.


Photo © 1976 Metro Goldwyn Mayer

Not yet reviewed in full. Grade: B+

(back in 1993 or 1994: A)
Academy Award Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture
Best Director: Sidney Lumet
★Best Actress: Faye Dunaway
★Best Actor: Peter Finch
Best Actor: William Holden
★Best Supporting Actress: Beatrice Straight
Best Supporting Actor: Ned Beatty
★Best Original Screenplay: Paddy Chayefsky
Best Cinematography: Owen Roizman
Best Film Editing: Alan Heim

Golden Globe Nominations and Winners:
Best Picture (Drama)
★Best Director: Sidney Lumet
★Best Actress (Drama): Faye Dunaway
★Best Actor (Drama): Peter Finch
★Best Screenplay: Paddy Chayefsky

Other Awards:
Writers Guild of America: Best Original Screenplay (Drama)
New York Film Critics Circle: Best Screenplay
Los Angeles Film Critics Association: Best Picture (tie); Best Director; Best Screenplay
British Academy Awards (BAFTAs): Best Actor (Finch)
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