In 1976 the movie “Network” was released.
I’ll quote Wikipedia to give you the short description:
Network is a 1976 American satirical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about a fictional television network, Union Broadcasting System (UBS), and its struggle with poor ratings. The film was written by Paddy Chayefsky and directed by Sidney Lumet. It stars Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch and Robert Duvall and features Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, and Beatrice Straight.
The film won four Academy Awards, in the categories of Best Actor (Finch), Best Actress (Dunaway), Best Supporting Actress (Straight), and Best Original Screenplay (Chayefsky).
In 2000, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. In 2002, it was inducted into the Producers Guild of America Hall of Fame as a film that has “set an enduring standard for U.S. American entertainment.
What made this film so important in “historical terms?”
Well, it has been credited to having played a crucial role that changed the average citizens thinking about politics, as well as news broadcasting.
We all know what the political landscape was in the late 1970’s, and we know what our economy was like, and who the President elected in 1977 was.
Personally, I am of the belief that a Lawn Gnome could win in 1976, if he were a democrat, after Watergate/Nixon fiasco and the Gerald Ford pardon.
I think that this short video of a clip from “Network” says it all.
The similarity between 1977 and today will make your hair stand up.
(Peter Finch won an Emmy for his role in the movie, and this clip is a major reason why).
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dib2-HBsF08[/youtube]
He’s a tenacious, fearless yet compassionate person who cares about, and loves his country.