...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Network

614 statements
120 feature instances
36 referencing feature instances

Network	type	TVTItem
Network	label	Network
Network	page	Network
Network	comment	Network is a 1976 satirical drama film written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It is a harsh critique of (among other things) television and the short-attention-span culture over which it presides, the media in general and its pandering to the Lowest Common Denominator, the homogenization of American entertainment by giant conglomerates, and the executives who treat the nightly news as a profit center instead of a public service. Initially a skewering of the sensationalization of broadcast news already happening even then, the film became prescient of the state of the industry over the ensuing decades.The film's main story centers around Howard Beale (Peter Finch), an evening news anchor at the struggling TV network Union Broadcasting System, or UBS. After being given two weeks notice that he's getting laid off due to declining ratings, Beale announces on a live newscast that he is going to kill himself. UBS fires him immediately, but Max Schumacher (William Holden), the head of the news department and Beale's best friend, protests; the network ultimately decides to give Beale one last broadcast, presumably so he can have a dignified farewell. Beale takes this opportunity and runs with it by launching into an on-air rant about how life is "bullshit" — which causes his ratings to skyrocket, prompting UBS to immediately renew his contract. During a subsequent broadcast, Beale preaches to his audience with the now-famous line "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", which soon becomes his mantra. UBS quickly turns Beale's news program into a live talk show, with segments on gossip, astrology, and opinion polls — and Beale himself billed as the "mad prophet of the airwaves."In the meantime, ambitious UBS programming executive Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) decides to capitalize on Beale's success, convincing ruthless network president Frank Hackett (Robert Duvall) to merge the news and entertainment divisions so that she can manage Beale's show and create a new program, The Mao Tse-Tung Hour, aimed at the new audience that Beale is bringing in. She also enters a relationship with Schumacher, who must choose between her and his wife Louise (Beatrice Straight). Things get even more complicated when Beale delivers an on-air rant against an imminent deal to merge UBS' corporate parent with a Saudi Arabian conglomerate, which draws the attention of quasi-messianic company chairman Arthur Jensen (Ned Beatty).Nominated for ten Academy Awards, Network is notable as one of only three films (A Streetcar Named Desire and Everything Everywhere All at Once being the others) to win for three of the four acting categories: Finch won Best Actor posthumously (with Holden also getting nominated), while Dunaway and Straight won Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress respectively. (Beatty was nominated for Best Supporting Actor, but lost to Jason Robards for All the President's Men). Chayefsky, meanwhile, won Best Original Screenplay.The film was adapted into a stage play in 2017 starring Bryan Cranston as Howard Beale, for which he won the Tony Award for Best Performance in a Leading Role by an Actor in a Play.Compare A Face in the Crowd, another satire on mainstream media and media demagoguery from nearly 20 years prior, but nowhere near as cynical.If you're searching for information on the various companies that broadcast television, see Networks.
Network	fetched	2023-05-30T11:59:06Z
Network	parsed	2023-05-30T11:59:06Z
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to CallBack: Not a Feature - ITEM
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to Concentration: Not a Feature - ITEM
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to GreyGardens: Not a Feature - ITEM
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to NotSoBadassLongcoat: Not a Feature - IGNORE
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to ShaggyDogStory: Not a Feature - ITEM
Network	processingComment	Dropped link to SpeedSex: Not a Feature - ITEM
Network	isPartOf	DBTropes
Network / int_10f35f3a	type	Creator Breakdown
Network / int_10f35f3a	comment	Creator Breakdown: In-universe, as Howard Beale has a nervous breakdown on live television that the network encourages.
Network / int_10f35f3a	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_10f35f3a	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_10f35f3a
Network / int_1282bf4f	type	No Celebrities Were Harmed
Network / int_1282bf4f	comment	No Celebrities Were Harmed: Mary Ann Gifford and her captors, the Ecumenical Liberation Army, bear a suspicious resemblance to Patty Hearst and her kidnappers, the Symbionese Liberation Army, with The Great Ahmed Khan as a takeoff on the SLA's leader, Donald "Field Marshal Cinque" DeFreeze, who cultivated a Scary Black Man persona. Lampshaded by Diana and Bill. Similarly, Laureen Hobbs stands in for '70s communist firebrand Angela Davis. Diana is rumored to be based on an NBC exec at the time, Lin Bolen, who obsessed over ratings every minute of the day.note She's notably reviled amongst game show fans, as she cancelled the original Concentration, Three on a Match (replacing it with the trainwreck that was Winning Streak), and the original Jeopardy! (though to replace it, she brought in Wheel of Fortune), and neutered the original Jackpot (changing it from high-budget riddles to low-budget Q&A after a focus group said "we don't like riddles") Howard Beale's threatened on-air suicide echoes Christine Chubbuck's real one. Paddy Chayefsky was already working on the screenplay when it happened, and the similarity was just a meaningful coincidence, but in one draft written after the Chubbuck incident he had Beale mention that his planned suicide would be like "that girl in Florida". Chayefsky reportedly told interviewers that Arthur Jensen was meant to evoke Theodore Roosevelt, with his stocky build and big mustache, and his rather old fashioned notions of capitalism as the driving force of society. In the early outlines of the story, Chayefsky rather unsubtly gave the proto-Howard Beale character the name Kronkheit.
Network / int_1282bf4f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_1282bf4f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_1282bf4f
Network / int_12b1f5f3	type	No Such Thing as Bad Publicity
Network / int_12b1f5f3	comment	No Such Thing as Bad Publicity: Invoked in-universe, after Hackett fires Schumacher and tells him he's following Diana Christensen's suggestion of merging the network's news and entertainment divisions:
Network / int_12b1f5f3	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_12b1f5f3	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_12b1f5f3
Network / int_17501df2	type	Cool Old Guy
Network / int_17501df2	comment	Cool Old Guy: The president of the network, until he's replaced by Hackett.
Network / int_17501df2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_17501df2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_17501df2
Network / int_17ce80aa	type	All There in the Manual
Network / int_17ce80aa	comment	All There in the Manual: Before Paddy Chayefsky wrote the screenplay, he created extensive backstories for the main characters, and even drew up an entire weekly programming grid for UBS. Some of the network's programs were the drama Lady Cop, the sitcom Pedro and the Putz and the back-to-back game shows Celebrity Canasta and Celebrity Mah-Jongg. Very little of all this ended up in the finished film.
Network / int_17ce80aa	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_17ce80aa	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_17ce80aa
Network / int_1843bf38	type	Visionary Villain
Network / int_1843bf38	comment	Visionary Villain: Arthur Jensen seems to be motivated beyond simply being a Corrupt Corporate Executive into something intensely ideological.
Network / int_1843bf38	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_1843bf38	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_1843bf38
Network / int_19851b86	type	The Sociopath
Network / int_19851b86	comment	The Sociopath: Considering it deals with network executives, quite a few characters qualify, but none more so than Diana. Chillingly demonstrated in the second-to-last scene, when Frank tosses out the idea of killing Howard as half-serious Deadpan Snark, but Diana unemotionally brainstorms a way to do it. Then when Frank still seems hesitant about the whole idea — "Shall we kill Howard Beale or not? I'd like to hear some more opinions on that" — Diana shuts down the discussion with a curt "I don't see we have any options, Frank. Let's kill the son of a bitch."
Network / int_19851b86	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_19851b86	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_19851b86
Network / int_1e7c47ab	type	Stealth Pun
Network / int_1e7c47ab	comment	Stealth Pun: Immediately following the first scene of The Howard Beale Show, where Beale is introduced as the mad prophet of the airwaves, Hackett states to the Board of Directors that his section is "the most significant profit center of the communications complex", with special emphasis on the word profit.
Network / int_1e7c47ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_1e7c47ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_1e7c47ab
Network / int_21d70919	type	Crapsack World
Network / int_21d70919	comment	Crapsack World: Beale's (in)famous "I'm as mad as hell" speech is a several-minute diatribe about how the world has gone straight to hell and what pisses him off even more is that people have put their heads in the sand and done nothing about it. Worse yet, it's a hell of a ratings booster but people still do nothing about it, and it opens a precedent for increasingly sociopathic network ideas, culminating with (by the time the film ends) abetting terrorists and using them as killers for hire.
Network / int_21d70919	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_21d70919	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_21d70919
Network / int_222dc873	type	Black Comedy
Network / int_222dc873	comment	Black Comedy: For all its effective dramatic scenes, this is a brutally hilarious satire of the media that grows more prescient by the year.
Network / int_222dc873	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_222dc873	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_222dc873
Network / int_22cfbf14	type	Answers to the Name of God
Network / int_22cfbf14	comment	Answers to the Name of God: Implied by Jensen at the end of his rant/sermon.
Network / int_22cfbf14	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_22cfbf14	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_22cfbf14
Network / int_230d64	type	Screw the Rules, I Have Money!
Network / int_230d64	comment	Screw the Rules, I Have Money!: Because the network is buying film from a terrorist group of them robbing banks, the government is threatening to indict the network for conspiracy to commit crimes. Diana isn't worried, their lawyer will argue every possible defense including the First Amendment, right to protect sources, and even if they lose it will take years to wind through the courts.
Network / int_230d64	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_230d64	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_230d64
Network / int_233d181	type	Misaimed Fandom
Network / int_233d181	comment	Misaimed Fandom: An in-universe example. While Howard is sympathetic, it's pretty clear that he's having a mental breakdown during his "mad as hell" speech. The movie then goes on to show why network television empowering and commercializing his populist rage is a bad thing. Keep that in mind the next time you hear a pundit on network television saying they're "mad as hell".
Network / int_233d181	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_233d181	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_233d181
Network / int_234fa9ba	type	Mayâ€“December Romance
Network / int_234fa9ba	comment	May–December Romance: Between Diana and Max.
Network / int_234fa9ba	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_234fa9ba	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_234fa9ba
Network / int_24321e44	type	Only Sane Man
Network / int_24321e44	comment	Only Sane Man: Schumacher to a degree, as even though he too is a flawed character, he's one of the only people to recognize Beale's descent into madness and call out the network's exploitation of it.
Network / int_24321e44	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_24321e44	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_24321e44
Network / int_2c1f1138	type	He Who Fights Monsters
Network / int_2c1f1138	comment	He Who Fights Monsters: Laureen Hobbs, though she despises capitalist organizations, agrees to work with UBS to spread the Communist message and get money for the Party. By the end of the film, her group has become so intertwined with the network that it's hard to tell the two apart.
Network / int_2c1f1138	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_2c1f1138	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_2c1f1138
Network / int_2d4a6d8c	type	Sophisticated as Hell
Network / int_2d4a6d8c	comment	Sophisticated as Hell: The narrator has a very grave and solemn tone at all times and mostly speaks formally. But at the end of his first narration he goes "The two old friends got properly pissed."
Network / int_2d4a6d8c	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_2d4a6d8c	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_2d4a6d8c
Network / int_2dc0d2bf	type	Hidden Depths
Network / int_2dc0d2bf	comment	Hidden Depths: Admit it, you didn't expect that from Arthur "Very-good-keep-it-up" Jensen.
Network / int_2dc0d2bf	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_2dc0d2bf	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_2dc0d2bf
Network / int_3036294e	type	Scary Black Man
Network / int_3036294e	comment	Scary Black Man: The Great Ahmed Khan. Subverted in that he portrays himself as a criminal mastermind, but when he appears onscreen in person he's eating fried chicken and seems kind of dimwitted — Laureen compares him to Archie Bunker! — or at least very laid-back. Even during the big argument in the contract discussion, where he quietly pulls out a gun and fires into the air to shut everybody up, then calmly says "Give her the fucking overhead clause. Let's get to page twenty-two, 5(a), subsidiary rights..."
Network / int_3036294e	featureApplicability	-0.3
Network / int_3036294e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_3036294e
Network / int_316e9da2	type	Memetic Mutation
Network / int_316e9da2	comment	Memetic Mutation: Happens in-universe to Beale's "mad as Hell" speech, as people all over the world take up the cry. It's such a famous scene, it's become susceptible to Memetic Mutation in Real Life as well.
Network / int_316e9da2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_316e9da2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_316e9da2
Network / int_31fa019d	type	All Psychology Is Freudian
Network / int_31fa019d	comment	All Psychology Is Freudian: Diana mentions having seen a psychoanalyst for seven years and as a result, now has a father complex.
Network / int_31fa019d	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_31fa019d	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_31fa019d
Network / int_326ae4e2	type	One-Liner Echo
Network / int_326ae4e2	comment	One-Liner Echo: People all over the world repeat the "Mad as Hell" punch-line of Beale's speech in agreement.
Network / int_326ae4e2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_326ae4e2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_326ae4e2
Network / int_35b241c0	type	Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping
Network / int_35b241c0	comment	Ooh, Me Accent's Slipping: Peter Finch tries for an East Coast/mid-Atlantic accent as Howard, but his natural Aussie accent comes through in a few scenes.
Network / int_35b241c0	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_35b241c0	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_35b241c0
Network / int_382a6399	type	The Hero Dies
Network / int_382a6399	comment	The Hero Dies: Beale gets machine-gunned by terrorists on live television as a ratings stunt.
Network / int_382a6399	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_382a6399	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_382a6399
Network / int_392372f9	type	Actor Allusion
Network / int_392372f9	comment	Actor Allusion: In the film, Max and Diana refer to their affair as "a many-splendored thing" - an inside joke, since William Holden had starred in Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.
Network / int_392372f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_392372f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_392372f9
Network / int_3cb1d38d	type	Bad Boss
Network / int_3cb1d38d	comment	Bad Boss: Hackett. How bad is he? He orders Beale assassinated because his ratings aren't high enough.
Network / int_3cb1d38d	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_3cb1d38d	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_3cb1d38d
Network / int_463fffde	type	Adored by the Network
Network / int_463fffde	comment	Adored by the Network: In-universe, Arthur Jensen forbids UBS from firing or taking Beale off the air after Beale starts preaching Jensen's ideology even though it's causing the network to have bad ratings.
Network / int_463fffde	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_463fffde	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_463fffde
Network / int_4a3e547f	type	Leaning on the Fourth Wall
Network / int_4a3e547f	comment	Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Max says that the younger woman he's having an affair with can only relate to reality through television. She imagines their affair as a drama/tragedy, but he doesn't know if she expects a happy ending where he returns to his wife or not. He says all this in a conversation with his wife two-thirds of the way through the movie, which he refers to as the second act of a drama.
Network / int_4a3e547f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_4a3e547f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_4a3e547f
Network / int_4e3d253b	type	Downer Ending
Network / int_4e3d253b	comment	Downer Ending: "This was the story of Howard Beale, the first known instance of a man who was killed because he had lousy ratings."
Network / int_4e3d253b	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_4e3d253b	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_4e3d253b
Network / int_50b05d30	type	Disproportionate Retribution
Network / int_50b05d30	comment	Disproportionate Retribution: Howard Beale is assassinated on air for declining ratings on his show and a refusal by the network chairman to cancel it.
Network / int_50b05d30	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_50b05d30	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_50b05d30
Network / int_52989fee	type	Narrator
Network / int_52989fee	comment	Narrator: One that provides certain facts such as the statistical meteoric rise of The Howard Beale Show and finishes off with "this was the story of Howard Beale: the first man who died because of lousy ratings."
Network / int_52989fee	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_52989fee	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_52989fee
Network / int_5313c266	type	Bookends
Network / int_5313c266	comment	Book Ends: The first and last shots of the movie are a four-way split screen of the four networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, and the movie's fictional UBS), with the narrator talking about Howard Beale.
Network / int_5313c266	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_5313c266	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_5313c266
Network / int_53b39668	type	Reality Show
Network / int_53b39668	comment	Reality Show: The Mao Tse-Tung Hour, a show chronicling the exploits of a group of leftist domestic terrorists.
Network / int_53b39668	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_53b39668	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_53b39668
Network / int_61b8f9e2	type	Bunny-Ears Lawyer
Network / int_61b8f9e2	comment	Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Howard after getting fired, so much. He delivers the news in his pajamas.
Network / int_61b8f9e2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_61b8f9e2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_61b8f9e2
Network / int_62434fe2	type	Sanity Slippage
Network / int_62434fe2	comment	Sanity Slippage: After Beale has a nervous breakdown on live television, instead of getting him the help he needs, his bosses cruelly encourage it, and he eventually fully loses it.
Network / int_62434fe2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_62434fe2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_62434fe2
Network / int_6566a884	type	My God, You Are Serious!
Network / int_6566a884	comment	My God, You Are Serious!: Max's (verbatim) reaction after Diana shares her ideas for "improving" the news broadcasts.
Network / int_6566a884	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_6566a884	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_6566a884
Network / int_69fb91e8	type	Chewing the Scenery
Network / int_69fb91e8	comment	Chewing the Scenery: Howard in full rant mode, Jensen in full preaching mode, and Louise finally exploding at Max, which even earned Beatrice Straight an Oscar despite only five minutes of screen time.
Network / int_69fb91e8	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_69fb91e8	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_69fb91e8
Network / int_6b35bdff	type	Serious Business
Network / int_6b35bdff	comment	Serious Business: Evidently, poor ratings are enough for the network executives to have a man assassinated.
Network / int_6b35bdff	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_6b35bdff	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_6b35bdff
Network / int_6cea929e	type	There Are No Good Executives
Network / int_6cea929e	comment	There Are No Good Executives: Nearly all of them are portrayed as greedy, amoral bastards except Chaney, who seems to be a decent guy but stopped trying to fight the corruption simply because he knows he can't win; and Ruddy, the CEO of UBS, is also portrayed as being offended by Beale's rants and the exploitation of them by Hackett and Christiansen. He keeps Beale on the air with the notion that Beale's inevitable collapse will damage Hackett's reputation. But Ruddy has a heart attack, dies, and is replaced by Hackett before this can happen. May or may not apply to Jensen; he's just as passionate as Beale, but on the opposite side.
Network / int_6cea929e	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_6cea929e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_6cea929e
Network / int_6d332aea	type	Driven to Suicide
Network / int_6d332aea	comment	Driven to Suicide: Howard, almost.
Network / int_6d332aea	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_6d332aea	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_6d332aea
Network / int_6ec4232f	type	Casting Gag
Network / int_6ec4232f	comment	Casting Gag: Mary Ann Gifford is played by Kathy Cronkite, daughter of Howard Beale's CBS rival Walter Cronkite.
Network / int_6ec4232f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_6ec4232f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_6ec4232f
Network / int_711e9c91	type	Network Decay
Network / int_711e9c91	comment	Network Decay: In-universe, what eventually occurs to UBS (the ratings are high, but the quality...).
Network / int_711e9c91	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_711e9c91	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_711e9c91
Network / int_7204fa60	type	George Jetson Job Security
Network / int_7204fa60	comment	George Jetson Job Security: In Diana's debut scene:
Network / int_7204fa60	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7204fa60	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7204fa60
Network / int_723be11b	type	Villain Has a Point
Network / int_723be11b	comment	Villain Has a Point: Arthur Jensen's speech where he converts Beale to his point of view is actually a fairly decent defense of financial globalism as a force for good (at least as opposed to protectionist isolationism). It helps that he deliberately copies Beale's style.
Network / int_723be11b	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_723be11b	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_723be11b
Network / int_73d4b01a	type	In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It
Network / int_73d4b01a	comment	In Case You Forgot Who Wrote It: The opening credits list the title as Network by Paddy Chayefsky. When the screenwriter is also co-producing, he can get away with things like that.
Network / int_73d4b01a	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_73d4b01a	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_73d4b01a
Network / int_73f799ed	type	The Horseshoe Effect
Network / int_73f799ed	comment	The Horseshoe Effect: Jensen's utopian vision of the globalist future goes so far into idealized capitalism that it's functionally identical to idealized communism. Everyone together working for one giant corporation that fulfills every human need where everyone owns a single share of stock.
Network / int_73f799ed	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_73f799ed	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_73f799ed
Network / int_7464705c	type	Arc Words
Network / int_7464705c	comment	Arc Words: "Fifty share" (talking about ratings),note Meaning that of all homes where people were watching TV, 50% of them would be watching Beale. "mad as hell", etc.
Network / int_7464705c	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7464705c	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7464705c
Network / int_775a1af6	type	Married to the Job
Network / int_775a1af6	comment	Married to the Job: Most obviously Diana, but Frank (and, before retirement, Max) is also a workaholic who seemingly has no other interests in life as lampshaded by Diana herself.
Network / int_775a1af6	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_775a1af6	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_775a1af6
Network / int_7775d0a5	type	Too Bleak, Stopped Caring
Network / int_7775d0a5	comment	Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: In-universe: When Howard Beale modifies his rants to be more nihilistic:
Network / int_7775d0a5	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7775d0a5	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7775d0a5
Network / int_7815ba15	type	N-Word Privileges
Network / int_7815ba15	comment	N-Word Privileges:
Network / int_7815ba15	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7815ba15	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7815ba15
Network / int_79bfd876	type	The Only Believer
Network / int_79bfd876	comment	The Only Believer: Mary Ann Gifford, ironically given that she's a rich heiress who the Ecumenical Liberation Army kidnapped and brainwashed. During the contract negotiations with UBS, she interrupts and gives Laureen a "The Reason You Suck" Speech accusing her of selling out her ideals for the network's money.
Network / int_79bfd876	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_79bfd876	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_79bfd876
Network / int_7a12aabf	type	New Media Are Evil
Network / int_7a12aabf	comment	New Media Are Evil: A large theme is that television can warp viewers’ reality by making them accept what they see as the truth. Max even cites this as one of Diana's problems—she was raised watching TV, so she expects Real Life to play out like a TV episode. There's also been fair criticism that Chayefsky's notions of what American television was like in The '70s weren't totally grounded in reality and he was making a Strawman argument. One of Beale's examples of the dishonesty of TV is that "Nobody ever gets cancer in Archie Bunker's house." In fact, All in the Family had already done an episode where Edith finds a lump in her breast in 1973.note It ended up being just a cyst, so Beale's point still stands, but it still makes Chayefsky seem out of the loop on the subject. Especially since Edith's friend Irene did have breast cancer and they had a conversation about it.
Network / int_7a12aabf	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7a12aabf	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7a12aabf
Network / int_7a265daa	type	Eagleland
Network / int_7a265daa	comment	Eagleland: One of the most nihilistic Type Twos ever seen. Although honestly, the film is just as applicable in Europe or Asia as it is in America:
Network / int_7a265daa	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7a265daa	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7a265daa
Network / int_7d89315b	type	"The Reason You Suck" Speech
Network / int_7d89315b	comment	"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Schumacher gives Diana one of these when he breaks up with her. Louise delivers one to Max when he tells her about his ongoing affair with Diana. She rips him to pieces over his infidelity, but makes it clear that she still loves him. Max is obviously deeply wounded by her reaction.
Network / int_7d89315b	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7d89315b	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7d89315b
Network / int_7fbe9a30	type	Freak Out
Network / int_7fbe9a30	comment	Freak Out: Beale's having a nervous breakdown on live television. Instead of getting him the help he needs, his bosses encourage it, and he eventually goes completely Coo-Coo.
Network / int_7fbe9a30	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7fbe9a30	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7fbe9a30
Network / int_7fff034b	type	Kent Brockman News
Network / int_7fff034b	comment	Kent Brockman News: Played for Drama, as it's a sign that Beale is in the midst of a full-fledged invoked Creator Breakdown — one that the UBS executives are more than happy to feed, given the ratings spike that resulted from it. Once the executives realize that his unhinged rants are bringing in better ratings than "serious" reporting ever was, they wind up turning their news department into a three-ring circus and retooling their nightly news program into an opinion/Variety Show hosted by a Hot-Blooded Beale, while the rest of UBS' programming is taken over by increasingly trashy reality shows (avant le lettre, as this movie was made in 1976).
Network / int_7fff034b	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_7fff034b	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_7fff034b
Network / int_8042e814	type	Actually Pretty Funny
Network / int_8042e814	comment	Actually Pretty Funny: Max Schumacher's wife, Louise, is understandably devastated upon learning that her husband has been carrying on an affair with Diana. However, when Max begins recounting how Diana has concocted a number of plot outlines for how their relationship will play out, one of which ends with Max killing himself, Louise can't help but be somewhat amused.
Network / int_8042e814	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_8042e814	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_8042e814
Network / int_805deb6e	type	Small Role, Big Impact
Network / int_805deb6e	comment	Small Role, Big Impact: Beatrice Straight won Best Supporting Actress on the basis of one What the Hell, Hero? speech in her third (and final) scene of the film. All told she's only onscreen for 5 minutes and 27 seconds (if you don't include the camera panning away from her or cuts away from her in her scenes).note 1:10 in the scene where Howard leaves the apartment, :07 watching TV in the "mad as hell" scene, 4:10 in the scene with Max, though she pauses her dialogue at the 3:38 mark and only has one final line at the close of the scene Similarly, Ned Beatty was nominated for Best Supporting Actor on the basis of scene, which consists almost entirely of his epic filibuster to Beale, and has only a minute or so more screen time.
Network / int_805deb6e	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_805deb6e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_805deb6e
Network / int_808cbaeb	type	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking
Network / int_808cbaeb	comment	Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking:
Network / int_808cbaeb	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_808cbaeb	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_808cbaeb
Network / int_820133fd	type	Tragic Hero
Network / int_820133fd	comment	Tragic Hero: Beale, who in his autumn years just wanted to be done with all the bullshit, and ended up promoting it. And who dies in the end.
Network / int_820133fd	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_820133fd	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_820133fd
Network / int_820ac3c5	type	Dysfunction Junction
Network / int_820ac3c5	comment	Dysfunction Junction: Every single character in this film is screwed up in their own way.
Network / int_820ac3c5	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_820ac3c5	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_820ac3c5
Network / int_823c6e3e	type	Large Ham
Network / int_823c6e3e	comment	Large Ham: Almost every main character, with Peter Finch's Howard Beale being the mightiest of them all. Enforced with Jensen, who deliberately emulates Beale himself to manipulate him.
Network / int_823c6e3e	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_823c6e3e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_823c6e3e
Network / int_84764598	type	Dramatic Thunder
Network / int_84764598	comment	Dramatic Thunder: During the "I'm mad as hell" scene.
Network / int_84764598	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_84764598	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_84764598
Network / int_86bbf6b5	type	Newscaster Cameo
Network / int_86bbf6b5	comment	Newscaster Cameo: CBS's Walter Cronkite, NBC's John Chancellor, and ABC's Howard K. Smith are all shown on TV monitors (via stock footage) along with Howard Beale during the opening narration.
Network / int_86bbf6b5	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_86bbf6b5	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_86bbf6b5
Network / int_895ec17	type	Only in It for the Money
Network / int_895ec17	comment	Only in It for the Money: After beginning the movie as a dyed-in-the-wool communist, Laureen Hobbs has become this by the end. It's a strange example, because she's still a communist, but Diana convinces her that she can only advance her cause by gaining money and influence, which requires working with the network. And once she starts compromising with the corporate agenda, it tends to take over everything.
Network / int_895ec17	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_895ec17	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_895ec17
Network / int_8cb844c6	type	Mr. Exposition
Network / int_8cb844c6	comment	Ms. Exposition: A novel use of this as a way define a character. Diana's chatter to Max on their romantic evening together about the problems with The Mao Tse-Tung Hour gets the audience up to speed on that subplot, but the mere fact that she's obsessing about all this, even during and after having sex with the man she's fallen in love with, shows us how Married to the Job she is.
Network / int_8cb844c6	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_8cb844c6	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_8cb844c6
Network / int_9053903	type	Ignored Epiphany
Network / int_9053903	comment	Ignored Epiphany: Near the very end, after discussing having Howard killed, Hacket has a small moment where he then asks if anyone else has another idea as to how they'll get rid of Beale, seemingly realizing just how twisted and extreme their solution is. Unfortunately, his question is presented so passively that it seems while he is indeed hesitant to go through with it, he either doesn't care enough to stop it, or is too uncomfortable to go up against everyone else who’ve now sided with his idea, which is carried out.
Network / int_9053903	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9053903	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9053903
Network / int_913089c2	type	Screwed by the Network
Network / int_913089c2	comment	Screwed by the Network: In-universe, the executives have Beale killed due to his show's declining ratings.
Network / int_913089c2	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_913089c2	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_913089c2
Network / int_9230c618	type	Hypocrisy Nod
Network / int_9230c618	comment	Hypocrisy Nod: Beale criticizes television while on television. At the end of his speech, he orders his viewers to turn their television sets off.
Network / int_9230c618	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9230c618	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9230c618
Network / int_94e4c8ab	type	Betty and Veronica
Network / int_94e4c8ab	comment	Betty and Veronica: For Max, his homely wife (Betty) vs. Ice Queen Diana (Veronica).
Network / int_94e4c8ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_94e4c8ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_94e4c8ab
Network / int_96fbeaf	type	There Are No Therapists
Network / int_96fbeaf	comment	There Are No Therapists: For Howard, at least. Max says that he needs "care and treatment" but the network executives prevent it because they don't want to lose their hit show.
Network / int_96fbeaf	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_96fbeaf	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_96fbeaf
Network / int_9820c37a	type	Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!
Network / int_9820c37a	comment	Screw Politeness, I'm a Senior!: Howard Beale, all the way.
Network / int_9820c37a	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9820c37a	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9820c37a
Network / int_984ef9ef	type	"Not So Different" Remark
Network / int_984ef9ef	comment	"Not So Different" Remark: According to Jensen, there is no difference between America and any other nation: they all care about money. When Diana first approaches Schumacher about her ideas to add more showbiz to the news and he balks, she gives him a version of this.
Network / int_984ef9ef	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_984ef9ef	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_984ef9ef
Network / int_98a19d7f	type	Money, Dear Boy
Network / int_98a19d7f	comment	Money, Dear Boy: In-universe, the only reason anyone does anything at UBS is for ratings, including keeping Howard on the air at all, and then killing him. It's even put forth by Diana that UBS could use the on-air assassination for the opener for the next season of the Mao-Tse Tung Hour.
Network / int_98a19d7f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_98a19d7f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_98a19d7f
Network / int_9d080c44	type	Ice Queen
Network / int_9d080c44	comment	Ice Queen: Diana. She's every bit as sociopathic as all other executives that appear (barring Max, and even he's no saint).
Network / int_9d080c44	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9d080c44	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9d080c44
Network / int_9d12bbc1	type	Foreshadowing
Network / int_9d12bbc1	comment	Foreshadowing: In the first five minutes Beale and Schumacher joke about putting murders, suicides and terrorists on the air.
Network / int_9d12bbc1	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9d12bbc1	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9d12bbc1
Network / int_9d3b4703	type	This Is Reality
Network / int_9d3b4703	comment	This Is Reality: Max reminds Diana that this isn't one of her television drama scripts, it's real life.
Network / int_9d3b4703	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9d3b4703	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9d3b4703
Network / int_9e0c3153	type	Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
Network / int_9e0c3153	comment	Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: AND YOU. WILL. ATONE!
Network / int_9e0c3153	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9e0c3153	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9e0c3153
Network / int_9f62723d	type	Get Out!
Network / int_9f62723d	comment	Get Out!: Said by the wife in the breakup scene in the kitchen.
Network / int_9f62723d	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_9f62723d	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_9f62723d
Network / int_a1154544	type	Grumpy Old Man
Network / int_a1154544	comment	Grumpy Old Man: Beale. All of his rants are about how the world has gone straight to hell and everybody's got a part in it.
Network / int_a1154544	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_a1154544	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_a1154544
Network / int_a2ff4e6f	type	Single Tear
Network / int_a2ff4e6f	comment	Single Tear: Shed by Louise after she yells at Max.
Network / int_a2ff4e6f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_a2ff4e6f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_a2ff4e6f
Network / int_a70223	type	Karma Houdini
Network / int_a70223	comment	Karma Houdini: The entire successful conspiracy to murder Howard Beale.
Network / int_a70223	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_a70223	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_a70223
Network / int_abc55125	type	Character Filibuster
Network / int_abc55125	comment	Character Filibuster: Every main character gets at least one, and most of Beale's appearances on TV are to deliver filibusters.
Network / int_abc55125	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_abc55125	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_abc55125
Network / int_ad1db87c	type	Oh, Crap!
Network / int_ad1db87c	comment	Oh, Crap!: Hackett gives a delicious one when he learns Beale lambasted the Arab deal on the air.
Network / int_ad1db87c	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_ad1db87c	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_ad1db87c
Network / int_ad9fbc1e	type	Pyrrhic Victory
Network / int_ad9fbc1e	comment	Pyrrhic Victory: Max makes it clear to Diana that for all her purported success, she's doomed to live a cold, empty existence devoid of human connection. Diana admits he's right and begs Max to stay with her, but Max wants nothing to do with her anymore.
Network / int_ad9fbc1e	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_ad9fbc1e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_ad9fbc1e
Network / int_b63a4507	type	High-Powered Career Woman
Network / int_b63a4507	comment	High-Powered Career Woman: Diana Christensen is a darkly amoral example.
Network / int_b63a4507	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_b63a4507	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_b63a4507
Network / int_b6de94d1	type	Executive Meddling
Network / int_b6de94d1	comment	Executive Meddling: An in-universe example. Jensen convinces Beale to drop his fiery populist message because he's railing against a merger of CCA (the corporation that owns UBS) with a Saudi Arabian conglomerate — a merger that the deeply-in-debt UBS needs to stay afloat. All he really does is explain his own philosophy in terms Beale instantly accepts. The message is still just as fiery, he just switches sides. Twice, a decision to fire Beale is overruled by executives higher on the ladder. The second time the network responds by deciding to murder Beale rather than keep him on the air.
Network / int_b6de94d1	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_b6de94d1	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_b6de94d1
Network / int_b7e0c5ff	type	Love Triangle
Network / int_b7e0c5ff	comment	Love Triangle: Diana/Max/Louise.
Network / int_b7e0c5ff	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_b7e0c5ff	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_b7e0c5ff
Network / int_b9db28ab	type	Emotionless Girl
Network / int_b9db28ab	comment	Emotionless Girl: Diana, in Max's opinion. See "The Reason You Suck" Speech.
Network / int_b9db28ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_b9db28ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_b9db28ab
Network / int_bc00493f	type	Precision F-Strike
Network / int_bc00493f	comment	Precision F-Strike: Quite a few F-bombs get dropped, but this one stands out.
Network / int_bc00493f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_bc00493f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_bc00493f
Network / int_beb9a361	type	Anti-Hero
Network / int_beb9a361	comment	Anti-Hero: All three of the leads. Howard Beale is a shining example of a Classical Anti-Hero.
Network / int_beb9a361	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_beb9a361	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_beb9a361
Network / int_bec0417c	type	Happily Married
Network / int_bec0417c	comment	Happily Married: Max and his wife have a happy marriage, although it takes him until the end of the film to realize it.
Network / int_bec0417c	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_bec0417c	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_bec0417c
Network / int_c3ca1064	type	Lowest Common Denominator
Network / int_c3ca1064	comment	Lowest Common Denominator: In-universe, this is the target audience of UBS after Beale's news show becomes a hit.
Network / int_c3ca1064	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_c3ca1064	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_c3ca1064
Network / int_c75df49a	type	Shout-Out
Network / int_c75df49a	comment	Shout-Out: Howard Beale's last name was chosen in honor of Big Edie and Little Edie Beale of Grey Gardens fame. "Howard" was for the film's producer, Howard Gottfried. Max Schumacher was named after Hal Schumacher, a baseball pitcher who Paddy Chayefsky had admired when he was a kid.
Network / int_c75df49a	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_c75df49a	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_c75df49a
Network / int_c819533b	type	Rage Breaking Point
Network / int_c819533b	comment	Rage-Breaking Point: Howard Beale was already getting tired of the world and everything in it, but once he gets notified that he's going to be fired, he finally snaps and delivers an incredibly blistering rant on-air about how the world is bullshit and he plans to end his stay in it soon, leading to the rest of the plot.
Network / int_c819533b	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_c819533b	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_c819533b
Network / int_c960826	type	Supporting Protagonist
Network / int_c960826	comment	Supporting Protagonist: Max Schumacher in the second half. Though Howard's actions drive the plot, most of the second half is told from Max's perspective.
Network / int_c960826	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_c960826	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_c960826
Network / int_cbdd9a55	type	We ARE Struggling Together
Network / int_cbdd9a55	comment	We ARE Struggling Together: The Communist Party and the ECF can't stand each other, apparently. They collaborate anyway for the ratings.
Network / int_cbdd9a55	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_cbdd9a55	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_cbdd9a55
Network / int_cbe687ab	type	Corrupt Corporate Executive
Network / int_cbe687ab	comment	Corrupt Corporate Executive: Frank Hackett couldn't care less about the condition of Howard Beale (or anyone else) as long as the ratings keep coming in. When Diana is asked whether she and Hackett are having an affair, she laughs it off with, "Frank Hackett has no loves, lusts or allegiances that are not directly related to becoming a CCA board member. I'm not even a stockholder."
Network / int_cbe687ab	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_cbe687ab	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_cbe687ab
Network / int_cf511248	type	All Part of the Show
Network / int_cf511248	comment	All Part of the Show: The studio audience isn't horrified by Howard's Fainting at the end of his rants because they presumbaly view it as this. And no doubt it took a while for them to realize his assassination was genuine.
Network / int_cf511248	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_cf511248	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_cf511248
Network / int_d45c0b86	type	Refuge in Audacity
Network / int_d45c0b86	comment	Refuge in Audacity: Seemingly the entire raison d'etre of UBS' programming under Diana Christensen.
Network / int_d45c0b86	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_d45c0b86	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_d45c0b86
Network / int_d49f90ea	type	Western Terrorists
Network / int_d49f90ea	comment	Western Terrorists: The leftist guerrilla group that The Mao Tse-Tung Hour follows, and who kill Beale on orders from the executives.
Network / int_d49f90ea	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_d49f90ea	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_d49f90ea
Network / int_d5139ac	type	Reality Has No Soundtrack
Network / int_d5139ac	comment	Reality Has No Soundtrack: Like he did with Dog Day Afternoon, Sidney Lumet increases the tension by not having a non-diegetic score. There is original music, but it's used as theme music for the various in-universe TV shows.
Network / int_d5139ac	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_d5139ac	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_d5139ac
Network / int_dcbe8a6e	type	Chekhov's Gunman
Network / int_dcbe8a6e	comment	Chekhov's Gunman: The Ecumenical Liberation Army. Literally.
Network / int_dcbe8a6e	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_dcbe8a6e	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_dcbe8a6e
Network / int_e0e8cce6	type	Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!
Network / int_e0e8cce6	comment	Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Played deadly straight (as befits a film this cynical): And to add insult to injury, Nelson never actually resigns.
Network / int_e0e8cce6	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_e0e8cce6	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_e0e8cce6
Network / int_e21cfc56	type	Newhart Phonecall
Network / int_e21cfc56	comment	Newhart Phonecall: There are a few in the film, but perhaps the most dramatic one is when a furious Arthur Jensen calls Frank Hackett after the broadcast where Howard Beale tells the public to send protest letters to the White House over the middle east deal. We only hear Frank's side of the conversation, which mostly consists of "take it easy!" and such.
Network / int_e21cfc56	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_e21cfc56	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_e21cfc56
Network / int_e5421161	type	Expy
Network / int_e5421161	comment	Expy: Like Chayefsky's earlier screenplays for The Americanization of Emily and The Hospital, the main trio of characters consists of: a once-ambitious man working for a large institution who's turned into a burned-out cynic with a chaotic personal life, a beautiful woman he falls for whose poised exterior covers up the fact that she's also messed-up, and an older respected man who's become mentally ill and is prone to delusions.
Network / int_e5421161	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_e5421161	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_e5421161
Network / int_ebb900a7	type	Resignations Not Accepted
Network / int_ebb900a7	comment	Resignations Not Accepted: Howard tries to quit his job more than once, but he's not allowed to for various reasons. Until the network decides to kill him.
Network / int_ebb900a7	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_ebb900a7	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_ebb900a7
Network / int_f065f2bd	type	Pompous Political Pundit
Network / int_f065f2bd	comment	Pompous Political Pundit: Beale is a more heroic example than most, though he's still quite pompous and arguably insane. His politics are also less explicitly left- or right-wing, instead being a broader "mad as hell" populism.
Network / int_f065f2bd	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f065f2bd	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f065f2bd
Network / int_f1d3f0c9	type	Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness
Network / int_f1d3f0c9	comment	Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: Paddy Chayefsky's fondness for florid language plays itself out over the course of the film. In Chayefsky's world, a corporate stooge like Frank Hackett drops such phrases as "intractable and adamantine" into staff meetings.
Network / int_f1d3f0c9	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f1d3f0c9	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f1d3f0c9
Network / int_f4d00fb0	type	Deadline News
Network / int_f4d00fb0	comment	Deadline News: Beale threatens to kill himself during a live news broadcast. Later, the network executives have Beale assassinated on-air since his ratings are declining and the chairman refuses to cancel his show.
Network / int_f4d00fb0	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f4d00fb0	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f4d00fb0
Network / int_f792ffe4	type	Beleaguered Assistant
Network / int_f792ffe4	comment	Beleaguered Assistant: Max has Harry, Diana has Barbara. Both are the level-headed lieutenants who bear the brunt of the impulsive decisions of their bosses.
Network / int_f792ffe4	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f792ffe4	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f792ffe4
Network / int_f8aa2404	type	Grand Inquisitor Scene
Network / int_f8aa2404	comment	Grand Inquisitor Scene: The confrontation between Howard Beale and Arthur Jensen.
Network / int_f8aa2404	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f8aa2404	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f8aa2404
Network / int_f9f2c33	type	Running Gag
Network / int_f9f2c33	comment	Running Gag: The scene in Diana's office where they're reading submitted pitches for television shows. You'll lose count of the times that characters are said to be either "brilliant", "beautiful" and "crusty but benign". Truth in Television, anyone?
Network / int_f9f2c33	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_f9f2c33	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_f9f2c33
Network / int_fab3235a	type	Easy Evangelism
Network / int_fab3235a	comment	Easy Evangelism: Jensen converts Beale to his (completely opposed) philosophy with one speech. He does cheat a bit, by stealing lines from the original "revelation" as Beale had earlier related it on his show.
Network / int_fab3235a	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_fab3235a	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_fab3235a
Network / int_fbd285b7	type	Comically Missing the Point
Network / int_fbd285b7	comment	Comically Missing the Point: Beale tries to spell out to his audience that television is manipulating them and says, "We'll lie like hell". It doesn't get through to them.
Network / int_fbd285b7	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_fbd285b7	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_fbd285b7
Network / int_fdf22cfd	type	Evil Is Hammy
Network / int_fdf22cfd	comment	Evil Is Hammy: Arthur Jensen. This was such an iconic moment for Ned Beatty that when he died in 2021, Turner Classic Movies used it in their yearender TCM Remembers clipreel.
Network / int_fdf22cfd	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_fdf22cfd	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_fdf22cfd
Network / int_fe0330fb	type	Brick Joke
Network / int_fe0330fb	comment	Brick Joke: "What are we going to call it, The Mao Tse-Tung Hour?" As a subtle Call-Back: Max tells Howard a hilarious story about jumping out of bed, throwing his raincoat over his pajamas and rushing to report on a bridge. Guess what Howard Beale wears when he delivers his famous speech? When Hackett fires Max, Max claims that Hackett will be fired in turn by Arthur Jensen for Howard Beale's outbursts. But Hackett argues that it would be stupid of Jensen to fire him over the only show that's getting good ratings on the network, and asserts that Jensen would tell him, "That's very good, Frank. Keep it up." Sure enough, after Hackett delivers his ratings report during a meeting later in the film, Jensen tells him, "Very good, Frank. Exemplary. Keep it up." Which then gives an extra irony layer to the fact that Hackett eventually gets criticized by Jensen for suggesting to do precisely what the ratings demand.
Network / int_fe0330fb	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_fe0330fb	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_fe0330fb
Network / int_ff7b34f9	type	Strawman News Media
Network / int_ff7b34f9	comment	Strawman News Media: Of the vapid/lurid variety, later degenerating into outright corporate-controlled content when Jensen silences Beale's criticism of his corporation's merger with a Saudi conglomerate.
Network / int_ff7b34f9	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_ff7b34f9	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_ff7b34f9
Network / int_ffad4e9f	type	Shown Their Work
Network / int_ffad4e9f	comment	Shown Their Work: Chayefsky did extensive research, visiting the three networks, shadowing the head of NBC's news division for a few days, and interviewing Walter Cronkite and John Chancellor.
Network / int_ffad4e9f	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_ffad4e9f	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_ffad4e9f
Network / int_name	type	ItemName
Network / int_name	comment
Network / int_name	featureApplicability	1.0
Network / int_name	featureConfidence	1.0
Network	hasFeature	Network / int_name
Network / int_name	itemName	Network

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

Carrie	seeAlso	Network
Network	hasFeature	Acceptable Ethnic Targets / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Alphabet News Network / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Blaming the Cuckold / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Coincidental Broadcast / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Crazy Is Cool / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Deadline News / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Expy Coexistence / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Fainting Seer / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Fatal Method Acting / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Foot Popping / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Grand Inquisitor Scene / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Hypocrisy Nod / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	If It Bleeds, It Leads / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Milking the Giant Cow / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	My God, You Are Serious! / int_792b8174
New Hollywood	seeAlso	Network
Network	hasFeature	Not So Crazy Anymore / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	One-Liner Echo / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	One-Take Wonder / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Pompous Political Pundit / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Satire / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Setting as a Character / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Spoken Word in Music / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Strawman News Media / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	That Makes Me Feel Angry / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	The Foreign Subtitle / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	The Immodest Orgasm / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	The Only Believer / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	There Are No Good Executives / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	This Is Reality / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Visionary Villain / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	Watch It for the Meme / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	World of Ham / int_792b8174
Network	hasFeature	AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies / int_792b8174

Copyright of DBTropes.org wrapper 2009-2013 DFKI Knowledge Management. Imprint. - Thanks to Bakken&Baeck for hosting. Contact.
Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.