Sidney Lumet

“I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore!”

In this 1976 Best Picture nominee, Peter Finch portrays Howard Beale, an aging news anchor who threatens to commit suicide on-air after being fired by his network for poor ratings. As his rant attracts a burgeoning audience, he becomes an asset to the network – altering his fate and clouding his coworkers’ future.

Network received three Oscars® in the acting categories – Actor in a Leading Role (Finch), Actress in a Leading Role (Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen) and Actress in a Supporting Role (Beatrice Straight as Louise Schumacher), distinguishing it as one of only two films in Academy Awards history to have accomplished that feat (the other was A Streetcar Named Desire in 1951). Finch himself made history by becoming the first actor to win a posthumous Oscar (he died two months before the Awards ceremony).

Network writer Paddy Chayefsky took home his third statuette for his biting, satirical original screenplay. The film also garnered nominations for Actor in a Leading Role (William Holden as Max Schumacher), Actor in a Supporting Role (Ned Beatty as Arthur Jensen), Cinematography (Owen Roizman), Directing (Sidney Lumet), Film Editing (Alan Heim) and Best Picture (Howard Gottfried, producer).

The print for this screening of Network is provided courtesy of Warner Bros.