Network Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Network Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 21, 2015

Winner of four Academy Awards, Sidney Lumet's "Network" (1977) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; archival episode of "The Directors"; and visual essay by Dave Itzkoff. The release also arrives with a 38-page collector's booklet featuring new writing on the film by Mike Sutton and an American Cinematographer article by director of photography Owen Roizman, illustrated with original stills and artwork. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

"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. He has a good reason to do so -- UBS, the network he is working for, has decided to replace him because of poor ratings and now he feels betrayed. But after the announcement the network is bombarded with protests and he 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. His 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." He reluctantly agrees 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 the traditional news reporting standards, but after Beale helps it become a leader in a number of 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 she even assumes that they could start a family together, but then the public gets tired of Beale’s pessimism and she 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 bound for a massive makeover and that eventually the news networks will begin creating their own news while comfortably manipulating the public.

There are a few sequences where the political statements feel a bit dated now, but the dialog is sharp and very witty. The technical jargon also does not alienate, it gives one a real sense of the language and rhythm of work TV professionals are used to.

There are many big-time actors in the film, but it never looks or feels like they are competing with each other. Their characters become real people with unique identities and legit dilemmas. Obviously, the script from Paddy Chayefsky is outstanding, but the terrific chemistry between the actors is crucial for the film’s brilliance.

Cinematographer Owen Roizman (The French Connection, The Exorcist) utilized light in a variety of different ways to give the film the desired by director Lumet visual style. It is broken into three phases -- naturalistic, realistic, and commercial -- each with different 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 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's Network arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video.

The release appears to have been sourced from the same older master that was used for the Warner/MGM release in the United States. I did some direct comparisons with my disc and the basic characteristics of the two releases are virtually identical. Excluding the academic framing discrepancy, it is very difficult to point out some notable differences between them. Depth and clarity are quite pleasing, but it is easy to see that there is room for improvement. During well-lit close-ups, in particular, sharpness could and should be a lot more convincing. Some of the darker sequences also look less than impressive. This being said, light is captured in a variety of different ways -- specific descriptions can be found in the reprinted interview with cinematographer Owen Roizman that is included in the booklet -- and shadow definition as well as image depth are most certainly impacted by natural fluctuations. Grain is visible but it should be better resolved (see screencapture #4). Perhaps the best news here is that there are no traces of compromising sharpening adjustments. Also, a few tiny flecks pop up here and there, but large cuts, debris, damage marks, and stains have been eliminated. Overall image stability is very good. To sum it all up, while this is a decent organic presentation of Network, if a newer master is prepared the film would undoubtedly look better. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Network Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Arrow Video have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The lossless track is very solid. When intensity rises clarity could be slightly better in the high frequencies, but depth is very good. Elliot Lawrence's score breathes quite easily throughout the entire film. The range of nuanced dynamics is unlikely to impress viewers who appreciate the rich sound designs of contemporary productions, but this is how Network was shot. There are no pops, cracks, annoying background hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.

Network Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for Network. In English, not subtitled. (4 min).

• The Directors: Sidney Lumet - presented here is an archival episode of The Directors which focuses on the life and career of Sidney Lumet. Included in it are interviews with Christopher Walken, Jack Lemon, Rod Steiger, Andy Garcia, Jacqueline Bisset, Ossie Davis, and Melanie Griffith, amongst others. The episode was broadcast in 1999. In English, not subtitled. (60 min).

• Tune In Next Tuesday - presented here is a visual essay by Dave Itzkoff, author of Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies. In English, not subtitled. (48 min).

• Booklet - 38-page illustrated booklet featuring: "A Very Humane Manifesto" by Mike Sutton; "The American TV Ratings System"; "Network and How it Was Photographed" (originally published in American Cinematographer v58 n4/April 1977); and technical credits.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Chris Walker.

Network Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Watching Sidney Lumet's Network can be a very bizarre experience. It was made nearly forty years ago, but its dissection of corporate media could not be any more accurate. Tune in to any cable news network in the evening hours and you can watch the same circus that Lumet imagined -- only now the "news reporters" are even crazier. It is sad, and with social media lowering the standards even more, things will get even uglier. Arrow Video's technical presentation of Network is decent. The film clearly can look better, but until it is fully remastered I think that this is the Blu-ray release to own. RECOMMENDED.