Self-doubt and constant scrutiny help turn "Network" into a narrative masterpiece. Though Sidney Lumet's 1976 film Network has become both a classic dramatic satire and a bafflingly accurate prophecy of the rise and domination of the infotainment news machine, screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky had a hell of a time writing it. After the New York Public Library of the Performing Arts acquired files Chayefsky left behind after his death in 1981, the public was able to peer into the mind of a writer who appeared to constantly doubted himself about his ability to not only bring closure to a complicated narrative but also find thematic cohesion and clarity between the A and B storylines. In this video essay, Sage Hyden of Just Write explores the notes Chayefsky took while working on Network, revealing the writer's arduous and consuming creative process in hopes of finding the path he took to turn his scrappy, often overreaching narrative into a powerfully poignant work of art work. Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Wednesday, 25 April, 2018