Network (1976 film)

Network
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySidney Lumet
Written byPaddy Chayefsky
Produced byHoward Gottfried
Fred C. Caruso
Starring
Narrated byLee Richardson
CinematographyOwen Roizman
Edited byAlan Heim
Music byElliot Lawrence
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • November 27, 1976 (1976-11-27)
Running time
121 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.8 million
Box office$23.7 million[2]

Network is a 1976 American satirical black comedy drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky. It is about a fictional television network and its struggle with poor ratings. The film stars Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch (in his final film role), Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, and Beatrice Straight.

Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and released by United Artists on November 27, 1976, Network was a commercial success, earning $23.7 million on a $3.8 million production budget. It also received widespread critical acclaim, with particular praise for its screenplay and performances. At the 49th Academy Awards, it received ten nominations, including Best Picture, and won four: Best Actor for Finch (posthumously), Best Actress for Dunaway, Best Supporting Actress for Straight, and Best Original Screenplay for Chayefsky.

In 2000, Network was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[3][4] In 2002, it was inducted into the Producers Guild of America Hall of Fame as a film that has "set an enduring standard for American entertainment".[5] In 2005 the Writers Guilds of America voted Chayefsky's screenplay one of the 10 greatest in history .[6] In 2007, the film was 64th among the 100 greatest American films as chosen by the American Film Institute.

  1. ^ "Network (15)". United Artists. British Board of Film Classification. November 1, 1976. Archived from the original on April 18, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  2. ^ "Network, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  3. ^ "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on October 19, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  4. ^ "Librarian of Congress Names 25 More Films to National Film Registry". Library of Congress. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  5. ^ Archive of Producers Guild Hall of Fame – Past Inductees, Producers Guild of America official site. Accessed October 31, 2010. Original site.
  6. ^ "101 Greatest Screenplays". Writers Guild of America, West. Archived from the original on November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 29, 2015.