The Film Network

FINAL PAPER CONTENT INSTRUCTIONS This assignment is based on Sidney Lumet’s film, Network (1976). Students are responsible for locating and watching the film. It is in print on DVD and is widely available on video streaming platforms. Essay Format and Length: Essays must be typed and double spaced in MLA format.  5-7 pages (including a required “Works Cited” page). You are to construct your essay based on the following questions and discussion points: Briefly describe and summarize (in your own words) Mr. Jensen’s famous “forces of nature” speech to Howard Beale? Give an example of how the worldwide corporate and financial domination that Mr. Jensen spoke of continues today. Name a specific company or corporation that owns and controls several media outlets. How much control does that particular company have over its media content? Briefly summarize Howard Beale’s “turn off your television set…turn them off…” sermon / speech during his first revised newscast. Did audiences perceive this film as pure satire or fantasy in 1976?  How has this film become less of a satire and more of a “prophesy” about the current state of reality television?  (NOTE:  This question will require you to locate original 1976 newspaper and magazine film reviews as well as other relative material to support your answer). Valid sources for an academic research paper include: Original film reviews (New York Times, Variety Magazine, Cinema Today). Books about specific films or directors (filmographies, biographies, and autobiographies). Interview transcripts (with directors or actors…Ex: Hitchcock / Truffaut). Video and audio interviews (must be cited properly and written transcription-style in your finished essay). Critical essays by notable film historians (Robert Osbourne, Roger Ebert etc…). Sources that are not valid include: Personal blogs, Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter Wikipedia or any other facsimile Product reviews from commercial retail sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc.) IMDB (Internet Movie Database) reviews and plot summaries