Network There are some movies that no matter what era they are made in, can capture the essence of human nature and the story can withstand the test of time. “Network” is one of those movies. The movie tells the story of Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the primary news anchor at the fictional TV network UBS. In the beginning of the movie Beale, who has been told by his boss and best friend Max Schumacher (William Holden) that he’s been fired because of low ratings. In reaction to this Beale goes on National news ranting and raving about his anger over his unjust firing. Initially the executives rae mortified; until they see the ratings skyrocket. Diana Christensen (Faye Dunaway) sees this as an opportunity to keep ratings high and to start making mountains of money. The irony of the situation is a perfect example of human greed and the need for sensationalism. In 1976 when the movie was made they might have dressed differently than we do today, but people getting rich off the detriment of others is a trend that has not, and probably will never change. Christensen uses the unraveling of Beale to further her agenda and use his antics despite the concerns from Schumacher that Beale may be suffering from a mental breakdown. Her claim is that he is simply giving the American public what they desire. It is not really news that people are interested in, they prefer to be entertained and distracted from the world around them. This was something new at the time and she realized that entertaining people was more profitable than a flat delivery. The