Network – Watch List: Blackberry Inspirations

As relevant today as it ever was, Sidney Lumet’s brilliant, multiple Oscar-winning satirical exposé of the men and women behind the television networks stars Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch, William Holden, Robert Duvall and Ned Beatty. When Howard Beale, the dean of newscasters at the United Broadcasting System, is forced to retire, his best friend is the one who must deliver the bad news. Beale can’t stomach the idea of losing his 25-year post as anchorman simply because of age, so in his next broadcast he announces to the viewers that he’s going to commit suicide on his final program. Network head Frank Hackett (Duvall) advocates kicking Beale out then and there, but when it looks as though the UBS is going to have its greatest ratings ever on the night of Beale’s self-destruction, ambitious programming executive Diana Christensen (Dunaway) convinces Hackett to treat that fateful final telecast as a special event. The media blitz surrounding him only confirms Howard’s worst fears in this all-too-prescient cautionary tale.

Featuring a pre-recorded intro with Blackberry director Matt Johnson.

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Want more? Check out Blackberry Inspirations. To celebrate the release of Toronto-based filmmaker Matt Johnson’s Blackberry, we present this series of films curated by Johnson and his collaborator Matt Miller. All films will include a pre-recorded intro from Matt Johnson.