Look at the Release Date! This is the Most Prophetic Film of All Time!

0:59, Wow!! You're 3 for 3 for excellent movies featuring William Holden. Formerly of Stalag 17 and Sabrina.

Paddy Chayefsky was a genius writer who knew exactly what he was doing. He’d been involved for a time with network television. He could see what had already been happening and how things were then going. For someone that clued-in, he could intuitively see the writing on the wall. “Vietnam” and all it included was the rift that led to many shifts n schisms depicted here, which have gone unaddressed at the root, and we have only degenerated as a country from there

Great thumbnail, and I'm watching this right now! I've been very busy and far behind on your reactions, but I cannot let this one pass!!! You've been doing great stuff! Starting this now!

The film that shot Faye Dunaway to superstardom is Bonnie and Clyde (1967.) Chinatown makes a reference/homage to that, and in this film she says a few lines that also refer (very subtly) to Bonnie and Clyde.

As a veteran newsman I'm sure he had many sources of information.

Henry, I wrote a big long comment that I accidentally deleted. All I can say is: fantastic commentary! I know you said that you thought you might not catch all the satire, but I can promise you that you got the movie 100%! Brilliant analysis, both during the film and afterwards. I agreed with every single thing you mentioned. You are completely correct: in 1976, it felt much more satirical than prophetic. It really has become true. The edit was great, this is one of my favorite commentaries you've ever done! THANK YOU!

Oh, YES! A favourite on a level of it's own. So excited to see what you think. Just had to say something before even watching your reaction. Midsummer greetings from Sweden!

Great movie and great reaction

Great choice of movie! Thanks for the reaction.

William Holden, Peter Finch, Faye Dunaway, Beatrice Straight, and Ned Beatty all got Oscar nominations from this movie. Dunaway and Straight won Oscars and Finch won his posthumously, having died of a heart attack weeks before the ceremony.

I thought there was a lot of truth in this when it came out. Still is. Now you can add social media to the mix.

This was pretty futuristic in 1976--- it's old hat now, old school the reality of it. --- Can I get a click? Do I hear an amen?

"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Stanley Grover, Arthur Burghardt, and Sasha Von Scherler. Casting Notes Fact: Robert Duvall and Faye Dunaway would also appear as husband-wife in The Handmaid's Tale (1990). Ned Beatty was brought in as a last-minute replacement. Location Location Fact: The UBS Washington, D.C. offices shown are set in the office building located at 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, and the interior offices shown are on the second floor, overlooking Pennsylvania Avenue, and across the street from the old Post Office Building. Hot Take Fact: According to Sidney Lumet, the "Mad As Hell" speech was filmed in one and a half takes. Midway through the second take, Peter Finch abruptly stopped in exhaustion. Lumet was unaware of Finch's failing heart at the time, but in any case, did not ask for a third take. The complete film features the second half of the first take and the first half of the second take. Awards And Accolades Fact: Beatrice Straight is only on-screen for five minutes and two seconds. Hers was the briefest performance ever to win an Oscar. Peter Finch died before the Academy Awards were to take place, where he was nominated for Best Actor. He won, making him the first performer ever to receive a posthumous award at the Oscars. The second winner was fellow Australian Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008).

One of my favorite characters in this movie is Laureen Hobbs. It's funny, and also tragic whether one agrees with her ideology or not, that her beliefs and principles go out the window and it all becomes about the media itself. To that same point, Howard Beale is the opposite of this in that he remains true to the message, whether that message is what he preaches after he learns he is to be fired or the message he preaches after his conversion to Jensen's "corporate cosmology." Of course, his devotion to that second message gets him killed.

Howard Beale would have his own social media channel now, he's actually a more intelligent & less swivel eyed version of Alex Jones

Paddy Cheyefsky and Sidney Lumet insisted that the movie was NOT a satire but where they felt television was going. In fact, the story was based on an actual incident: A Florida newswoman committed suicide on the air because she was nearly 30 and not yet married.

If you like Faye Dunaway, you should watch "Mommie Dearest". She was amazing in the role of Joan Crawford.

Nice cast of great actors and was well-received at its release. Yes, this was a warning about a few broadcast networks at that time were turning their news departments into arms of their "entertainment" divisions (and a sensationalistic tabloid ethos, rather than true journalism with its rigorous guidelines and ethic). Unfortunately, people like Rupert Murdoch seem to have turned angry sensationalism into profit centers and dispensed with the ethics and nearly everywhere, we are all much poorer (except for the billionaires and corporations peddling the garbage) and less informed as a result. Even worse, anger and rage are prime fuel for the manipulations of demagogues, and we're seeing that worldwide, too. Dangerous, as you said, and ever much more in today's social media environment being mistaken for news or even reality.

I agree with some of the others that this movie is more relevant now than it was in 1976. Prophetic, if you will, and stunningly powerful. I really miss this kind of filmmaking from this era. Another super powerful film from a few years later is The China Syndrome... I highly recommend it and I don't think anybody's reacted to it.

Broadcast News is the other movie like this, but funny. 1987. Holly Hunter, William hurt, Albert brooks.

I see satiric lines but I see a more imaginative "Is this what lays ahead?" and also that's the underlying theme for end-of-his[career William Holden. And Robert Duvall HAS to look up on Dragon Lady Faye Dunaway as that, too.

This is a documentary

In 1976 this film was satire. I don't think this is satire anymore. Its highly likely that Roger Ailes dreamed up Fox News after watching this film. It fits the timeline.

I would say there's a lot in this film that is more relevant today than it was in 1976. Replace the people in the boardroom with people trying to grow their own KZfaq channels. Playing pranks that could get themselves or others killed, or climbing to dangerous heights for the clicks. Only its not as simple as everyone trying to get rich, like the news company in this film. Everybody wants to be popular, as a way of distinguishing themselves from the 8,117,194,199 other people on Earth (at this writing) in order to qualify their existence in their own minds. It's quite sick actually, when you think about it.