Network
“We no longer live in a world of nations and ideologies, Mr. Beale. The world is a college of corporations, inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. It has been since man crawled out of the slime. And our children will live, Mr. Beale, to see that perfect world in which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality—one vast and ecumenical holding company, for whom all men will work to serve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock, all necessities provided, all anxieties tranquilized, all boredom amused”
That’s one of the best monologues I’ve ever seen in cinema. That quote singlehandedly made me understand about capitalism and global systems better than any book ever did. It is its philosophical nature, the way it was used in this film, that’s made it to be something that’s larger than life. The above quote is the film’s core “ideological statement” in my opinion. The idea that war, famine and chaos can be eliminated by making everything be part of one corporate system at the cost of turning people into data points is, by itself, philosophically dangerous and should be shunned from the mainstream world
Folks, this film is as relevant as it has ever been. The bastardization of the news for some cheap thrills is as prevalent as ever. Outrage culture, viral media, fake news, clickbait headlines and ratings-conscious broadcasting has become a cancer to both social and legacy media and how can I forget personality-driven journalism.
One of the best films in critiquing corporate media and its toxic culture on the audience and its workers. Now we see mass-layoffs in those industries like it’s nothing, and this film just paints a picture of what it’s like to become a victim of corporate greed.
Beautiful film. Definitely one of Sidney Lumet’s best in his filmography.