Network [Blu-ray]

Product Information

LG 55CX / Denon AVR-X2400H / Q Acoustic 2050's + 2000C + 2070S + 2020's / Sony BDP-S5200 (Region A) / Panasonic DP-UB150 / Nvidia SHIELD 16Gb / Xbox Series X / PS5 Cinematographer Owen Roizman ( The French Connection, The Exorcist) utilized light in a variety of different ways to give the film the desired by director Lumet visual style. It is broken into three phases -- naturalistic, realistic, and commercial -- each with different and constantly evolving tonalities.

It's all the more remarkable, then, that Paddy Chayefsky's marvelous script for Network is so frighteningly prescient. After all, in 1976, when the film was released, the evening news was still a nightly tradition for most adult Americans, and the three broadcast networks ruled the airwaves with iconic anchors like Cronkite, Smith, Chancellor and Brinkley. It would be four to five more years until shows like Entertainment Tonight started cropping up in syndication, slowly blurring the line between news and entertainment, and 24 hour news networks like CNN appeared on the horizon, needing, well, 24 hours of content to fill their broadcasting day, thereby creating a whole new market for shows which blended elements of news and entertainment. It seemed to happen almost overnight, seen now from the distance of that quarter century, but Chayefsky obviously saw it coming well before it dawned on the rest of us, and Network was his brilliantly acerbic warning shot across the bow. Unfortunately, too few of us heard, refusing to believe that things could get as bad as Network portrayed them, however satirically. How terribly, terribly wrong we were. Sidney Lumet's Network is unquestionably one of the most prophetic American films from the last thirty years. It accurately predicted that the world of television was bound for a massive makeover and that eventually the news networks will begin creating their own news while comfortably manipulating the public.Private Screenings with Sidney Lumet (SD; 54:34) Lumet sits down for an in-depth interview with Robert Osborne, culled from the TCM archives.

The extras also include a photo gallery of the show’s production and commentaries on some of the episodes by writer and broadcaster Tim Worthington. Though not connected with the show (and by his own admission, not born at the time of its release), Worthington’s enthusiasm and knowledge of the show is palpable and infectious. He discusses such aspects as the design of the title sequence; the ‘care and attention’ paid to the visual composition; why the show is ‘important’; and compares his commentary to others and his wish to be different and informative. For the most part, he succeeds, much as The Owl Service itself mostly succeeds as an evocative, atmospheric and intriguing drama, one that offers plenty to enjoy for modern audiences just as it did for those over fifty years ago. For for US fans of Space: 1999, none of these Blu-ray releases has been ideal. For one thing, the UK sets are Region B only. Yet they included significant bonus material not found in the Shout! Factory set. Meanwhile, that US set is Region A and it includes some new extras, but Shout! unfortunately created their own 5.1 mixes for all the episodes—rather than simply utilizing the 5.1 mixes from the UK sets—and they’re not particularly good. (Specifically, the audio in the surround channels is very low. And for some reason the Shout! BDs don’t let you switch from 5.1 to mono with your remote.) So what’s a self-respecting US Space: 1999 fan to do? Well, I’m very pleased to say that I’ve finally got a good answer to that question… As well as its four Oscars, Network was also garlanded with a quartet of Golden Globes, a BAFTA and numerous other awards. In the years since its release, its reputation has only grown: the Library of Congress granted it a place on their prestigious National Film Registry; the American Film Institute named it as one of the greatest American films of all time; and the Writers Guild of America declared its screenplay one of the ten best of all time. It remains a true classic. Now then, I mentioned that this is a true Ultimate Edition release with substantial extras carried over from both the Network UK BD sets and also the more recent Shout! Factory BD set. So let’s break down the contents of Imprint’s new box set disc by disc (note that some of the special features listed in HD have been upsampled from SD)… Interview (SD, 14 min) — This vintage segment from the TV show 'Dinah!' shows an interview with Paddy Chayefsky by Dinah Shore. It's an interesting discussion about writing the script, his inspirations and intentions.by recognizing our uncanny strangeness we shall neither suffer from it nor enjoy it from the outside. The foreigner is within me, hence we are all foreigners. If I am a foreigner, there are no foreigners” Notable guest stars over the series’ run included Christopher Lee, Joan Collins, Peter Cushing, Ian McShane ( Deadwood, American Gods), Sarah Douglas ( Superman II), David Prowse ( Star Wars), Brian Blessed ( Flash Gordon), Angus MacInnes ( Star Wars, Rogue One), and many others. Behind the Story (SD, 85 min) — This six-part anniversary retrospect is easily the centerpiece of the entire collection, covering all the major aspects of the film. The documentary commences with interviews of producer Howard Gottfried and director Sidney Lumet about Paddy Chayefsky's script, influences and origins, and how Lumet became involved ("The World and Words of Paddy Chayefsky"). This is followed by a look at casting and the characters, where Faye Dunaway, Ned Beatty, Kathy Cronkite and Lance Henriksen do most of the talking ("The Cast, The Characters").

Despite these aspects, which ultimately highlight the production context, The Owl Service is impressively rich in its themes and visual composition. As mentioned, there are clashes of class and culture, as well as generations and gender. Though often referenced, Alison’s mother Margaret never appears on screen, her significant absence is felt through artefacts that she leaves indicating her influence and everyone’s concern about her getting upset. Gwyn at one point corners Alison in a summer house in a frankly creepy and unsettling sequence. Roger and Gwyn are both seen weeping but in different situations – Roger alone in a corner but surrounded by images of his father; Gwyn on the stairs of the house which prompts Roger’s contempt. Even flower power gets a reference, indicating the cultural upheavals that might seem distant but are nonetheless felt.

Scores

Whilst it’s likely the best that this film has ever looked, the frequently softer-than-you’d-like source material will never be demo worthy.

Description: John Alderton stars as a progressive teacher in charge of a classful of unruly pupils in the feature film version of one of television's all-time-great sitcoms! Created by comedy giants John Esmonde and Bob Larbey – and co-starring the complete line-up of classic characters from the TV series – Please Sir! is featured here as a brand-new High Definition remaster from original film elements in its original theatrical aspect ratio. Tune In Next Tuesday - presented here is a visual essay by Dave Itzkoff, author of Mad as Hell: The Making of Network and the Fateful Vision of the Angriest Man in Movies. In English, not subtitled. (48 min). Horace Quilby treads a perpetual odyssey through the London streets on behalf of Finklebaum and O'Casey – dealers in 'misfit clothing'. Resplendent in top hat, tails and sandwich board his is a unique angle from which to observe life. Today, however, he is preoccupied – Esmerelda, his racing pigeon, is taking part in the race of her life!Is that Pong? Cos it looks like Pong. You know Pong has already been invented, right? So, you're just gonna steal the idea and make it better? But, it's Pong .... Obviously, Message from Moonbase Alpha (SD – 6:58) is also missing due to complicated licensing issues. However, you can find it in the A&E/New Video DVD Megaset. Better still, it’s also currently available on DVD (NTSC/Region 0) directly from Fanderson in the UK as part of their Space:1999 and UFO – The Documentaries DVD release ( see this link to their online store). That DVD is actually well worth having, because it also includes Kindred’s 2-part Space: 1999 Documentary (SD – 102:37), along with the Space: 1899 short (SD – 3:37), The UFO Documentary (SD – 59:19), and Derek Meddings: The Anderson Years (SD – 13:36). The Social Network is currently only available as part of the Columbia Classics Collection Volume II.