All Time Best Pictures--#8

We’re now at #8 as we countdown the WGA’s list of all-time best screenplays—and #8 is Network [1976] by Paddy Chayefsky.

One of the things that can make a screenplay great—stand out from the rest—is the timeliness of its subject matter. And Network couldn’t have been more timely. The 70s were a time when we began to see network news changing, and instead of delivering what was heretofore known as “hard news,” we found national networks competing with one another to do news programs that were more fun, that included banter and even laughter… that were, bottom line, entertaining.

This idea that news needed to be entertaining did not go down well with newscasters and journalists. But television viewers seemed to spark to entertainment, so news divisions began giving it to them. This was the catalyst for Network—which is about a newscaster who’s trying to stop this from happening and the network executive who wants to make it happen.

Take a look at a clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQUBbpvXk2A and see Howard Beale threaten to blow his brains out on network TV in a week because he’s losing his job broadcasting the news. Obviously, they should take him off the air, right? Well… but think about the ratings?

People called Network a satire, and to many it probably was. But to those who had worked in TV, it was anything but.

'[Network] is not a satire; it's a documentary,” said Norman Lear, famous for writing and creating so many television shows, including the ground-breaking All in the Family. Lear had worked in television for years and saw the truth in the film.

'I've heard every line from that film in real life,' writer Gore Vidal said.

And Chayefsky himself said in a 1979 interview, 'I still write realistic stuff. It's the world that's gone nuts, not me. It's the world that's turned into a satire.'

In fact, that’s what made it such a powerful satire, and such a powerful film—it actually reflected the television world that it portrayed with great accuracy. And as an audience, we’re not quite sure how to take that. Should we laugh? Get upset? We’re torn.

And, of course, there’s the famous “I’m mad as hell and not going to take it anymore speech” which no one seeing the film could forget. It’s incredibly powerful.

As Chayefsky said, 'I wanted everyone, every man, woman or child to realize that they had a choice. I wanted them to know that they have the right to get angry, to get mad. They have the right to say to themselves, to each other, to the world at large, that they had worth, they had value. The speech wrote itself, because that was Beale's battle cry for the people.'

“The speech wrote itself.” And you know, that can happen. If you’re really into your characters, if their every thought and feeling is part of you, when you sit down to write, the character can take over and come out with perfection.

Again, it comes down to character… knowing your characters even better than you know yourself can help you produce memorable moments as you write.

How well do you know the characters you’re writing about?

Copyright © Diane Lake

15Mar20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com