"This was the story of Howard Beale: The first known instance of a man who was killed because he had lousy ratings." The end of Network is a perfect reflection of the satirical edge the entire film has. Howard Beale is an unstable newscaster who makes waves when he announces his impending suicide on the air. Normally, this would make him lose his job and be encouraged to seek professional help, but his enraged pronouncements strike a chord with dissatisfied viewers, so he's given more airtime instead. The raving madman becomes a prophet of sorts, a voice for the disillusioned populace. And then when he is no longer useful to the television network, he's quickly taken care of in an abrupt manner that highlights the brutality of the media.
Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.
