--- title: "Network" year: 1976 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/network" fi1m_score: 86 critics_score: 79 critics_reviews: 15 published: "2026-09-16T10:08:31.778213+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T10:08:33.749916+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Network (1976) Directed by Sidney Lumet · 2h 02m · MPA R · Drama **Fi1m score: 86** · Critics 79 from 15 reviews *In a sentence:* The news is appalling, but everyone seems pleased with the programme > Sidney Lumet’s television satire is funny, disturbing and acted with enough conviction to make its excesses plausible. The speeches can crowd out the people, but Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway keep us watching. ## Synopsis At an American television network, news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is coming apart in public. His anger attracts attention, and the pursuit of ratings makes his distress a commercial opportunity. Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) and Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) are caught up in the struggle over what television news should be. Beale wants to give voice to his discontent; the business around him wants an audience. As his outbursts become entertainment, the people making the programmes face a choice between professional principles and the demands of corporate control. ## Review Sidney Lumet’s *Network* is a fierce, funny television satire, and we recommend it with one reservation: the speeches sometimes get the better of the people delivering them. Paddy Chayefsky takes the conversion of news into entertainment and follows the commercial reasoning until it becomes appalling. A broadcaster’s distress can be useful if enough people want to watch it. The film’s strength is the conviction with which it makes that calculation seem professionally sensible. Howard Beale gives that calculation a human cost, though Peter Finch is far too entertaining to let us feel safely disapproving. We were disturbed by how funny we found Howard Beale’s distress. Peter Finch puts such force into the anger that we understand the temptation to treat it as a performance and forget the man having it. Sidney Lumet allows that discomfort to remain, making our enjoyment of the outbursts part of what troubles us about their exploitation. Faye Dunaway’s Diana Christensen is just as important, because Faye Dunaway gives the pursuit of success an energy that is enjoyable in itself. She helps explain how the business keeps going without requiring everybody inside it to regard themselves as wicked. William Holden gives the film a less excitable presence, and his gravity matters when the dialogue threatens to become a competition in eloquence. Robert Duvall’s Frank Hackett adds another forceful personality to an ensemble in which nobody appears inclined to yield. The visual assurance of cinematographer Owen Roizman and production designer Philip Rosenberg matters here, because a satire this heated needs some restraint around its actors. We believe in this television business even when Paddy Chayefsky pushes its behaviour towards the absurd. Alan Heim’s editing gives the verbal exchanges the pace they need, although speed cannot always disguise how much each speech has been asked to contain. Elliot Lawrence’s music makes less of an impression than the delivery of the dialogue, which seems right for a film with this much to say. The craft is controlled enough to accommodate some extravagant acting. Paddy Chayefsky is less disciplined about how many targets he wants to hit. Television’s appetite for viewers is already a substantial subject, but the script keeps widening its complaints until some characters seem to have been handed responsibility for an entire social problem. The writing is often funny enough to get away with this. It is also sometimes so pleased with a denunciation that we begin waiting for someone else to speak. Much of the praise for *Network* rests on its ability to anticipate what news might become. We think that gives insufficient credit to its immediate pleasures: the performances, the argumentative dialogue and the unpleasant laughter need no subsequent history to justify them. As corporate satire, it is especially effective at making appalling decisions sound like ordinary business. Its broader complaints are less persuasive, particularly when the screenplay expects the force of a speech to do the work of examining a person. At 122 minutes, it gives its anger time to become wearing, and a little more patience with its characters would have helped. Yet the cast keeps finding feeling inside all that fluent complaint, particularly Peter Finch, whose performance prevents Howard Beale from becoming merely an example of television’s failings. Save it for an evening when you have the energy for people who refuse to stop talking. *Fi1m score 86, published 16 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics admire Network’s angry, darkly funny account of television news becoming ratings-driven entertainment, and repeatedly credit it with anticipating later media habits. Praise centres on Paddy Chayefsky’s sharp dialogue and the performances, especially Peter Finch’s Howard Beale and Faye Dunaway, with William Holden also singled out. Sidney Lumet’s direction earns approval for keeping the material forceful, while many reviews find the film’s account of corporate control and sensationalism persistently relevant. The spread is wide despite the strongly positive majority: even sympathetic reviews question the script’s reach or suggest that reality catching up has reduced its shock value. The sharpest dissent comes from Sight and Sound, which finds the satire incoherent and too close to the television it attacks, and Time Out, which regards the script as hollow and the direction as unable to contain its sprawl. The central disagreement concerns whether the film’s fury remains incisive or becomes exhausting. ### Reviews we read (15) - **Radio Times**, Calum Baker (5/5): The critic calls it one of the defining American films of the 1970s, a satirical drama that anticipated developments in news, reality TV and social media while remaining damn funny. Strong performances and literate screenplay are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-8ywq5v/network/) - **The Times** (★★★★★): The review calls it the original and best newsroom drama, a thrilling and flawless prescient satire with fizzing performances from the cast, especially noting the clash between old and new Hollywood styles and the sharp screwball dialogue. It highlights the film's enduring relevance and exemplary script. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/network-1976-review-7058g26lc) - **Little White Lies**, Edward Cripps (90/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's prophetic black satire on media corruption, ratings-driven sensationalism, and the convergence of news, reality TV and politics. It highlights sharp performances, especially Dunaway's, and its enduring influence on later works. [Read](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/network-fake-news-donald-trump) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic praises this 1976 satire as a terrifically well-made, well-written classic that remains relevant, highlighting its sharp take on TV news as corrupt entertainment and Peter Finch's uproarious performance as the unhinged anchor Howard Beale. It singles out the film's mix of satire, heartfelt moments, and prescient anatomy of American discontent for praise. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/article/2024/jun/26/network-review-terrific-1976-news-satire-peter-finch-donald-trump) - **Variety**, A.D. Murphy (90/100, inferred): Paddy Chayefsky's script about media running amok is absurdly plausible and outrageously provocative, delivered through superb performances and outstanding direction by Sidney Lumet. The result is a potent commercial blend of artful tirade, visual excitement, and sociological horror that shakes up the viewer. [Read](https://variety.com/1976/film/reviews/network-1200423798/) - **Slant Magazine**, Derek Smith (85/100, inferred): The review describes Network as a darkly humorous and relevant treatise on capitalism’s erosion of morality that remains prescient half a century later. It singles out the film's self-reflexive examination of television’s real-world ramifications and how it captures the hypnotic pull of media over principled individuals. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/network-4k-uhd-blu-ray-review-sidney-lumet/) - **Empire**, Colin Kennedy (80/100, inferred): The critic notes that Network is typical of the cool intelligence of '70s American cinema and praises its prescient vision of news-as-entertainment, along with strong performances especially by Faye Dunaway. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/network-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Arthur Knight (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film the most provocative and abrasive since All the President's Men, praising its sharp satire on corporate control of television and strong ensemble performances, especially by Peter Finch, William Holden, and Faye Dunaway. He singles out the chilling corporate power scene and the film's ability to stand on its own despite some flaws. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/network-review-1976-movie-932441/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (70/100, inferred): The film starts as a sharp indictment of television's obsession with ratings but ultimately tries to tackle too many social ills of the 1970s, resulting in a flawed but rich and interesting movie. Lumet's taut direction and the strong performances, especially by Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, and William Holden, make it memorable despite loose ends. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/network-1976) - **Sight and Sound**, David Thomson (40/100, inferred): The critic views the film as a furious and incoherent tangle that mimics the TV it satirizes, rendering it vicious yet feeble and without detachment or remedy. Isolated scenes are funny or lunatic, but overall the script and direction create a satire lacking hope or true pain. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/it-itself-very-like-tv-monster-it-mocks-network-reviewed-1977) - **Time Out**, CPe (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film slick and self-congratulatory but ultimately hollow, with a desperate, bilious script that fails to deliver and direction unable to contain its sprawl. Interest lies mainly in watching the vehicle derail spectacularly. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/network-1) - **The Playlist**, The Playlist Staff (A): The review calls it a scabrous satire on television turning news into infotainment that once seemed shocking but now feels quaint because reality has caught up, making it horrifying rather than funny. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/essentials-films-of-sidney-lumet-a-retrospective-20120409/4/) - **Collider**, Cathal McGuinness (90/100, inferred): The critic praises Network as a prophetic satire on media manipulation and exploitation that remains highly relevant today, highlighting the brilliant screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky and standout performances, especially Peter Finch's. [Read](https://collider.com/network-1976-movie/) - **The Ringer**, Sean Fennessey (85/100, inferred): The critic examines how Network predicted the corporatization of news media and the rise of sensationalism, drawing parallels to contemporary events like the 2016 election and Donald Trump's rise, emphasizing its enduring satirical power. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2016/11/08/movies/how-network-predicted-everything-dc7c17e61b47) - **Eye for Film**, Jennie Kermode (70/100, inferred): The critic praises the intense performances by Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway as the film explores the shift of news toward sensation and entertainment. It notes the film's prescience has reduced its shock value today, though it remains entertaining and credits its accuracy. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/network-1976-film-review-by-jennie-kermode) ## Details - **Director:** Sidney Lumet - **Director:** Sidney Lumet - **Writer:** Paddy Chayefsky - **Cinematography:** Owen Roizman - **Editor:** Alan Heim - **Music:** Elliot Lawrence - **Production design:** Philip Rosenberg - **Costume design:** Theoni V. Aldredge - **Producer:** Howard Gottfried - **Cast:** Faye Dunaway as Diana Christensen; William Holden as Max Schumacher; Peter Finch as Howard Beale; Robert Duvall as Frank Hackett; Wesley Addy as Nelson Chaney; Ned Beatty as Arthur Jensen; Arthur Burghardt as Great Ahmed Kahn; Bill Burrows as TV Director - **Runtime:** 2h 02m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 27 November 1976 - **Genres:** Drama - **Budget:** $4 million - **Box office:** $24 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-PyQ1gMT6o ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $9.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $9.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IT, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1977: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Film Editing (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actor (nominated); Best Actor (won); Best Actress (won); Best Supporting Actress (won); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won) ## If you liked this - *A Face in the Crowd* (1957): A television personality discovers how readily an audience can become a constituency. - *The Hospital* (1971): Paddy Chayefsky gives another failing institution more eloquence than it probably deserves. - *The Thick of It* (2005), Fi1m 89: Professional panic and verbal cruelty turn public service into exhausting institutional comedy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it.md) - *The Death of Mr Lazarescu* (2005): A patient’s passage through hospitals makes institutional indifference painfully concrete. - *Nightcrawler* (2014), Fi1m 85: The business of television news finds a willing supplier with few scruples. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/nightcrawler.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. 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