You can check another classic film off the list!
I've always been interested in movies about the news, shows about the news, stories about the news. I loved the last season of The Wire, where they explored a newsroom and the various pressures and motivations that go into that sort of environment. The Newsroom had its moments, and if they had focused less on the not-terribly-endearing romantic relationship between the two main characters, I think they might've had something. But long before either of these was Network, a movie about a newscaster who goes off the deep end on live television, and how his corporate overlords and the world at large reacts to that.
There's a different sort of essence to older films. There's often a bit more high-minded dialogue, or maybe it just seems that way, as slang from the 60s and 70s feels less informal than modern slang. But there's no denying that the language in Network was heavy; while the actual conversations might've felt a little scripted (which of course they are; it's a movie lol), the terminology and literature references used feel like the sort of level of discourse you would get from the brilliant writers, editors, and thinkers of the era. To simplify, the dialogue has a naturally unnatural feeling to it. It doesn't sound like the way average people would talk to each other, but it could very well be the way that this certain subset of people talked to each other.
The story is completely wild, and yet in today's modern media environment, it doesn't seem nearly as far-fetched. The things that Howard Beale says that nearly get him canned from his job and draw rabid attention from the masses would barely lift an eyebrow in today's diverse news media menu. In a world with people like Alex Jones, Sean Hannity, Bill Maher, and others, Beale's commentary would feel almost right at home.
While watching, I found myself constantly struck by the way today's world would react, and you do actually see a lot of overlap between the way Beale speaks and the way Donald Trump speaks. The main differences would be that Beale always finishes his sentences, and that he works with complete, full-thoughted sentences to begin with. Trump kind of seems like a person trying to cosplay as Howard Beale in front of his friends.
But I digress, this isn't a politics blog... most of the time.
The romantic storyline between Max and Diana felt a little out of place, but Max is ultimately kind of the audience avatar, looking at Howard as a person who needs help, rather than a resource to exploit. And Faye Dunaway's character Diana is terribly, terribly interesting. I would've been (and would still be?) interested in a spinoff movie following that character, exploring her casual acquaintance with actual humanity, and how focused she seems to be on fame, success, noteworthiness. Even just a spiritual successor would be cool; if anybody knows of such a movie, let me know!
All in all, Network was a very good watch. It was a reminder that there are some real bangers in this massive list of unwatched movies, and watching them isn't just about crossing films off the list. Sometimes, the movies are actually really, really good.
Click here to go to JustWatch and see where you can watch Network today!
No comments:
Post a Comment