at he is allowed and even encouraged to say whatever he truly feels about the world around him, rather than just report the news. This is because Diana, whose entire life is obsessed with ratings and audience share, realizes that Howard is able to express "the rage of the American people." Although Howard seems to be heading toward a psychological breakdown, Diana is convinced that Howard’s screams of "bullshit" will turn UBS into a profitable network for the first time in years. Max is Howard’s best friend, and is determined to save him from Diana’s exploitation, as well as to save the dignity of the news broadcast at UBS.Yet Diana sees the news as just another entertainment show, and with the support of Hackett, turns the UBS network into a shameless but profitable business, filled with ridiculous but sensational shows such as "The MaoTse-Tung Hour," which includes news film of "actual acts of political terrorism." A note on the historical background: The movie takes place in 1975, a time in which the United States was having major economic problems, including very high inflation and unemployment, in part due to the Arab oil embargo. Other major historical events from Watergate to the Vietnam War had recently occurred, and in general, with crime high and the economy bad, the country was in a very sour mood. Network does a very good job of capturing the general anxiety and spirit of those days. A note on the corporate structures found in this film: In some ways, Network is as much about power struggles in corporate America as it is about the media in general. It is helpful for your general comprehension to understand the following corporate relationships that are presented in the movie: CCA (the Communications Corporation of America) has recently bought UBS (the United Broadcasting Service, which is the 4th rated and worst national network in the US). Toward the end of the film, it is revealed that CCA itself was being bought by the "Western World Funding Corporation," which is actually owned by the Saudi Arabians…… A note on the language used in this film: The synopsis for this movie is one of the longest that Eslnotes.com has produced, in part because the language that is used is extremely rich with historical and cultural references that are key to understanding the development of the plot. There are also many amazing conversations and monologues that make for great cinema, but add to comprehension problems if you are not a native speaker. While this film will be a great challenge to understand, it is a true classic, and it is worth the extra time to try and internalize as much of this guide as possible. Some Words and Expressions that You May not Know Howard Beale learns his career in TV is almost finished, and thus he decides to end it all in front of his viewers. The network news anchorman on UBS TV. The most important TV journalist who read
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