MOVIES | Sidney Lumet | 1976

Network (film), a 1976 American classic, satirical and prescient depiction of media and society. Interconnected themes of media manipulation, corporate power, and societal [[Nihilism]]. It is frequently cited as a conspiracy classic for its insights into control mechanisms operating within the global landscape.

Themes and Concepts

##### Controlled Media and Engineered Society:

Network - television network - are part of ELITE THEORY power structures. Creations of Elites and managed by the Deep State.

The film highlights the pervasive deception within news reporting, asserting, "we just lied to you all the time". it perfectly illustrates how audiences are blinded by the illusion of truth, or objectivity. This control is contextualised by the real-world Operation Mockingbird, a CIA initiative to influence major media outlets.

Even seemingly anti-establishment counter-culture movements are controlled, exemplified in Network by the "Ecumenical Liberation Army," which, despite its radical facade, is driven by profit share (and is a satirical version of the Symbionese Liberation Army). Marxism is also shown as a corporate creation, funded by the wealthy as a tool for social engineering and wealth transfer.

##### Global Corporate Dominion:

A central tenet of Network is that traditional nation-states are eroding, superseded by a singular, overarching corporate system.

The character Arthur Jensen articulates this, declaring, "there are no Nations, there are no peoples... there's only one holistic system of systems. One vast and a main, interwoven, interacting, multivariate, multinational Dominion of dollars. Petro dollars electrode".

The world is recast as a collage of Corporations inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. This corporate structure aims to implement a Brave New World scenario of global socialism, wherein *individuality is sacrificed for a "collective identity"*** under a single corporation.

The populace, in this envisioned future, exists as entertained automatons - tranquillised and content. This perspective is underscored by the New Age movement's emphasis on "networking" as a fundamental aspect of the power structure.

##### Nihilism and Apathy:

The film observes the societal shift from the optimism of earlier decades to a Nihilistic attitude and a feeling of being helpless Against the Machine of the system by the 1970s. Howard Beale's public declarations progressively articulate a prophet of Nihilism.

The iconic exhortation to yell *"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore" is satirised, as the collective outpouring of rage is merely a reaction to a television command, thereby reinforcing, rather than challenging, media control.*

Beale's statement that "there's no more objective truth" encapsulates this pervasive nihilism. The film is not about "waking up the masses" but rather a satire of the notion that this could be achieved through controlled media.

Key Characters

##### Howard Beale:

The "old school news man", Beale undergoes what is depicted as a psychotic break, or a form of programmatic control.

He transforms into a pseudo prophet figure through his 'angry rant man', yet is ultimately presented as the fool/joker character and a controlled prophet.

His supposed awakening is explicitly linked to a "Hindu Awakening" and New Age concepts. He claims to receive messages from a "shrill sibilant faceless voice", suggesting external manipulation / programming. His storyline culminates in a televised assassination, framed as a "blood atonement" for declining ratings, highlighting the media's ultimate authority over its personalities.

##### Diana Christensen:

A "sexually liberated feminist" and busy businesswoman, Diana embodies the rising generation solely preoccupied with careers, numbers and business". She's a dispassionate person, lacking feelings or conscience, and functions as a corporate psychopath, a "humanoid", and a product of feminist culture, a precursor to modern corporate "girl boss" figures.

##### Arthur Jensen:

The unseen, then revealed, head of the conglomerate, Jensen functions as the "god of the system". His "corporate cosmology" monologue is the most revelatory part of the film, outlining the global corporate dominion. His description as "intractable in adamantine" evokes Milton's portrayal of Satan, reinforcing his role as an embodiment of a luciferian, controlling oligarchy.

##### Max Schumacher:

Representing the old generation of news standards, Max is depicted as a weak vacillating character struggling to comprehend the "Future Shock" of evolving media and society. His failed relationship with Diana underscores the clash between traditional human connection and the new era's cold, business-driven ethos.

Context and Connections

Network is set against the backdrop of real 1970s conspiratorial news stories, including the oil crisis, Henry Kissinger's influence, and alleged CIA operations such as the Symbionese Liberation Army and Operation Mockingbird. The film features mentions of assassinations (e.g., attempt on Gerald Ford by Squeaky Fromme), political scandals (CIA opening Senator Humphrey's mail), and global events (Civil War in Angola, Beirut, OPEC decisions). Figures like Walter Cronkite, noted for his association with the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) and Bohemian Grove, are referenced. The proposed on-air suicide by Beale is seen to reference the Bud Dwyer incident.

The film draws parallels to other works exploring media control and societal manipulation, including A Face in the Crowd(1957), The Parallax View (1974), Aldous Huxley's Brave New World (1932), Fight Club (1999), Nightcrawler (2014), To Die For (1995), and Natural Born Killers (1994).