The Times

Wednesday, February 9, 1977 TIMES/GUIDE 27 times/guide entertainment

TV: circus for the modern masses

By CLAIRE ORTALDA Entertainment Writer "Television is not the truth — it's a circus. If you want the truth, go to the gods, the gurus, to yourself." from "Network" Social critics have been pointing to the decadence of today's society for a long time, likening it to the decay of the Roman Empire, when the masses were entertained by often-bloody circuses. Today the circus -complete with the necessary violence -is as close as the living room television set, or so contends Paddy Ckayefsky, who scripted the star-studded, thought-provoking and very funny film "Network." The movie takes us behind the scenes of a fictional television network, UBS, owned by an octopus-like conglomerate referred to as CCA. CCA's hatchet man, played by Robert Duvall, who is excellent as always, is a ruthless corporation man dedicated to boosting UBS lousy ratings. The news program, especially, is at the bottom of the charts. But then newscaster Howard Beale (Peter Finch) threatens to commit suicide on national television and hardened career woman Diana Christenson (Faye Dunaway) maneuvers to put the news under the programming department. "I want an angry show," Diana tells the CCA man. "The American people want somebody to articulate their anger." And Howard Beale does. Through his nightly exhortations as the Mad Prophet of the Airways, the American people are moved to open their windows, lean out and shout, "We're mad as hell, and we're not going to take it anymore." UBS loves it. Their ratings soar with the "new" news and an anti-establishment show pairing Communists and a terrorist group, the Ecumenical Liberation Army, shown actually committing terrorist acts in the weekly series, further boosts UBS profits. Unfortunately, Beale is sincere. He goes too far when he tells an audience numbering in the millions to "turn off the TV, turn it off. We're the illusion." Beale obviously doesn't have a grasp on reality, so the CCA president attempts to enlighten him: "There's only one holistic system of systems," the president tells him. "Money. The world is a business, Mr. Beale. One vast and ecumenical holding company in which all men will hold a share, all boredom will be amused, all anxieties relaxed." The president wants Beale to be the prophet announcing this new order of things. "Why me?" asks Beale. "Because you're on television, dummy." Television, "the most awesome power in the world," Beale has said. A huge monster, demanding the life-work of countless people dedicated to its service, and the lives or careers of some. An efficient communication system that molds and forms the minds of millions of people. In case you missed this point, a love affair between Dunaway and William Holden, as a former network man fired because of his old-fashioned moralities, drives it home. In this redundant and unnecessary sub-plot, she's portrayed as a member of the TV generation, and Holden, as he tells her, is her last contact with human reality. So much for the heavy message. How it's conveyed is what's important in terms of entertainment value, and "Network's" fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek style of cinematography will keep you laughing throughout the two-hour production. Excellent acting by the all star cast will ensure a slew of Academy Award nominations. "Network", rated R, opens this Friday, Feb. 11, at the Coral Theater.

Faye Dunaway, as a programming executive in "Network," offers the staff a profit-boosting alternative to Beale's dismissal.

The late Peter Finch plays Howard Beale, "The Mad Prophet of the Airways," in "Network."

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