Network

Screening as part of The Films of Robert Duvall.

Network:

***Nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
***Winner of Academy Award®: Best Picture

Directed by Sidney Lumet and written by Paddy Chayefsky, Network remains one of the most blistering satires ever put on screen. Savage and electrifying, this four-time Oscar®-winning classic skewers television news and corporate media culture.

When veteran anchor Howard Beale (Peter Finch) unravels on live TV, the network exploits his breakdown for ratings gold. Co-starring Faye Dunaway and William Holden, this Oscar-winning classic is a furious, darkly funny indictment of profit-driven journalism. Amid its powerhouse ensemble, Robert Duvall delivers a razor-sharp performance as ruthless television executive Frank Hackett, embodying the cold corporate ambition driving the spectacle. Now, almost 5-decades after its release, Network feels less like satire and more like prophecy.

1976, 121 minutes, USA, Directed by Sidney Lumet, Rated R
 

"It ain’t dying I’m talking about, it’s living. I enjoyed it as much as anyone ever did." – Robert Duvall (Augustus "Gus" McCrae, Lonesome Dove)

Few actors embody American cinema with the quiet authority of Robert Duvall. Born in 1931, he emerged from the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York City, where he studied under Sanford Meisner alongside classmates Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, and James Caan.

Duvall made his film debut as the iconic Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird and rose to prominence with indelible performances in The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. Garnering six Academy Award nominations across four decades (finally winning the Oscar® for Tender Mercies), four Emmy® nominations, and winning four Golden Globe awards, Duvall balanced intimate character studies with epic dramas.

From M*A*S*H and Network to Days of Thunder and Lonesome Dove, Duvall has commanded the screen in Westerns, crime sagas, and fiercely independent films such as THX-1138, Sling Blade, and The Apostle. Enzian honors the legacy of one Hollywood’s most celebrated performers, a man whose career reflects a rare blend of restraint, gravitas, and enduring versatility.