Films of the 1970s, No. 7

 


Throughout 2023 I'm looking at my favorite films from the decade of the 1970s. I'll be counting down from 50 to 1 throughout the year, posting a new installment each Friday. Agree? Disagree? Want to share a story? Post it in the comments below!

Howard Beale: I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window. Open it, and stick your head out, and yell, 'I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!' I want you to get up right now, sit up, go to your windows, open them and stick your head out and yell - 'I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Things have got to change. But first, you've gotta get mad!... You've got to say, 'I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!' Then we'll figure out what to do about the depression and the inflation and the oil crisis. But first get up out of your chairs, open the window, stick your head out, and yell, and say it: "I'M AS MAD AS HELL, AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE THIS ANYMORE!"

Network (1976)
Starring: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, and Peter Finch
Director: Sidney Lumet
About: Lumet has been on this list before. He's done a beautiful job of telling deeply emotional and impactful stories, especially in the decade of the 1970s. Of his films in the decade, this is my favorite. There was a lot of frustration and simmering anger in the 1970s. Lumet brought that out in his films. We saw that in Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon, and again in a powerful way with Network. It's a film that captured audiences then and continues to speak to them now, especially through Howard Beale. I remember being captivated by the character and the performance from Finch when I first saw the film. He makes an impression and still does for those that see the film. That's why Finch won the Academy award, and why the film was a Best Picture nominee. I've long loved journalism films and this one is high up on my list, one of the best and one of the best of the 1970s.

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