Network 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Network 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 9, 2026

Sidney Lumet's "Network" (1977) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary recorded by Sidney Lumet; documentary film by Laurent Bourzereau; new documentary by Matthew Miele; and vintage trailer. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

"I don't have to tell you things are bad. Everybody knows things are bad."

Veteran news anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch, The Flight of the Phoenix) tells his audience that he is going to commit suicide on his final show. Beale has a good reason to do so -- UBS, the network he works for, has decided to replace him due to poor ratings, and now he feels betrayed. But after the announcement, the network is bombarded with protests, and Beale is given a second chance -- not to keep his job, but to retire in style.

Next time Beale steps in front of the TV cameras, he tells his audience that he has changed his mind and instead lambasts the American way of life. Beale’s vulgar but honest speech gets his boss Max Schumacher (William Holden, Sunset Boulevard) fired, but generates such high ratings that the ambitious vice president of programming, Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway, Chinatown), convinces the network’s bigwig Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall, Apocalypse Now) to reinstate Schumacher and promote Beale as “the angry prophet denouncing the hypocrisy of our time.” The change is approved, and Beale becomes a sensation.

Meanwhile, the old-fashioned Schumacher challenges Hackett and becomes involved in a battle he can’t possibly win. He wants the network to continue respecting traditional news reporting standards, but after Beale helps it become a leader in several markets outside of New York, he is promptly isolated.

Christensen finds Schumacher’s idealism irresistibly attractive and begins an affair with him. For a while, the two have a terrific time together, and when he leaves his wife, Christensen even assumes that they could start a family together. However, the public grows tired of Beale’s pessimism, and Christense is forced to refocus on the crucial ratings.

Sidney Lumet’s Network is unquestionably one of the most prophetic American films from the last thirty years. It accurately predicted that the world of television was headed for a massive makeover, and that eventually the news networks would begin manufacturing their own news while shamelessly manipulating the public.

There are a few sequences where, after all these years, the political statements seem dated. However, the dialogue is still sharp and witty. The technical jargon also does not alienate; it gives one an authentic sense of the language and rhythm of work TV professionals are used to.

Network has a large, very impressive cast of award-winning stars. However, it does not leave the impression that it was conceived to make them compete and reveal the most talented among them. Paddy Chayefsky’s wonderful screenplay quickly transforms their characters into real people with unique identities and legitimate dilemmas, and their brilliant teamwork exposes an equally real exosystem whose power to shape narratives and create truths is carefully dissected.

Cinematographer Owen Roizman (The French Connection, The Exorcist) utilized light in a variety of ways, which is why Network is full of contrasting visuals. Different sequences are dominated by naturalistic, realistic, and commercial light, each with unique and constantly evolving tonalities.

In 2000, Network was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”.

Network 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Network is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the Blu-ray is Region-A "locked".

Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-33 are taken from the Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #34-40 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"This new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative. A 35mm print provided by Warner Bros. was used as a color reference. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the 35mm magnetic track.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Bossi Baker, Resillion/Burbank, CA.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

In native 4K, the 4K restoration can be viewed with Dolby Vision and HDR grades. I chose to view it with HDR. Later, I spent time with its 1080p presentation on the Blu-ray.

While Network looks cleaner and lusher now, I found the new makeover quite underwhelming. It is because a lot of visuals reveal odd primaries and supporting nuances that make it either very difficult or impossible for Network to retain a convincing period appearance. Virtually all of these changes are of the the type that compromised the recent 4K restorations of Night Moves, Mean Streets, and Eyes Wide Shut. For example, primary blue and blues nuances are altered or replaced by teal/turquoise. Soft creamy yellow and green have the same effect on gray and gray nuances. As a result, not only is the color temperature of different sequences impacted, but in many cased the dynamic range of these sequences is off as well. You can see what the shift looks like if you compare this screencapture and this screencapture. Another example can be seen if you compare this screencapture and this screencapture, as well as this screencapture and this screencapture. These unfortunate shifts can be pretty significant because in Network light is utilized in a variety of ways to create unique contrasts. There are no traces of degraining, sharpening, or contrast boosting. Image stability is excellent. The surface of the visuals is significantly healthier and more even than that of the visuals produced by MGM's older master, used to prepare previous Blu-ray releases of Network. My score is 3.25/5.00.

Network 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is very clear and healthy. I pulled out an older Blu-ray release of Network I have, produced by Arrow Video, and performed several comparisons. I would say that the upper register is definitely better now. However, dynamic variety and strength remain the same. I did not stumble upon any examples of dramatic improvements on the new lossless track.

Network 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Sidney Lumet in 2006. Lumet explains how various sequences were shot and lit -- light is utilized in a variety of specific ways throughout Network -- and discusses the type of continuity that was needed to get a lot of relationships to appear natural, the management of the drama and the quality of the performances that define it, the film's reception, etc.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by Sidney Lumet in 2006. Lumet explains how various sequences were shot and lit -- light is utilized in a variety of specific ways throughout Network -- and discusses the type of continuity that was needed to get a lot of relationships to appear natural, the management of the drama and the quality of the performances that define it, the film's reception, etc.

• The Making of "Network" - this documentary was created by filmmaker Laurent Bourzereau in 2006. It is presented in six parts. In English, with English SDH subtitles. (86 min).
  
  1. The World and Words of Paddy Chayefsky
  2. The Cast, The Characters
  3. "Mad as Hell!" - The Creation of a Movie Moment
  4. The Experience
  5. The Style
  6. By Walter Cronkite

• Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words - this documentary about Paddy Chayefsky and his work was produced by Matthew Miele in 2025. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles. (90 min).

• Trailer - presented here is a vintage trailer for Network. In English, not subtitled. (3 min).

• Leaflet - featuring an essay by critic Jamelle Bouie, as well as technical credits.

Network 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Despite its many vulnerabilities and flaws, social media has permanently broken the old model of news reporting and consumption. For this reason, all conventional players that used to dominate the news market and sell their preferred narratives as the objective truth can no longer do so. Citizen journalism now drives the news cycle. Fifty years ago, Sidney Lumet's Network predicted that a profound, irreversible change was coming, and this is why it is an important film. However, anyone who has followed closely the evolution of the news market during the last decade knows that an even bigger change is on the horizon, and AI will ensure it is irreversible as well. Citizen journalism will compete with AI, but what happens after that is impossible to tell. Criterion's combo pack introduces an exclusive new 4K restoration of Network on 4K Blu-ray and Blu-ray. I think that the 4K restoration could and should have been a lot more accurate and convincing.