Network (1976)

Sidney Lumet's Network is made like a dystopia about the world of TV but it does appear far from contemporary reality. The film explores how a TV network tries to fix their bad stats by letting a deranged TV anchor ramble in prime time. The audience love the guy's "honesty" and now everyone is watching.The point is obviously that the guy's rants (his first outburst came after he was told that he would be laid off in two weeks) are transformed into exploitation, he is a domesticated mascot who can say anything on TV as long as the ratings are good. Network is a parody about how mainstream media takes advantage of radical streams in society and thereby makes them less threatening (on the TV channel in the film, there is a docu-drama with a terrorist sect.) William Holden is impressive as the news division president - a jaded type who finally comes to realize that is precisely what he has become. OK, so Network may not be the most subtle work of art in the world, but as a reflection on the relation between business and what is seen as "acceptable" this is a quite good attempt to mock cynicism, populism and branding. But the film has many flaws as it also tries to delve into some of the characters' personal lives and as the story goes from interesting to far way over the top.