On the basis of this main line, the film joins a new show produced by UBS’s ambitious young female producer Diana Christerson, as well as her and Howard Bill’s old friend and former head of news Max Schumacher Between the two auxiliary lines of feelings. Through the shaping of three front-line workers active in TV programs, the film connects the general public in front of the TV with the senior executives and shareholders of the TV network, exposing the unscrupulous methods of the TV producers to the viewers, and the consortium behind the scenes is brazen. The ugliness and the far-reaching impact these have on the television industry itself and on the lives of the people. Sidney Lumet, who has always been good at controlling characters and scenes, once again demonstrated his unique perspective and talent as an artist who uses the lens to make social criticism with his "TV Station Storm." Watching "TV Station Storm" is a more challenging process. On the one hand, it takes a lot of effort to digest a lot of lines, while at the same time it is intoxicated by the almost crazy performances of the actors. After watching this movie, there will not be the pleasure of taking a table on the table all at once, but after thinking about it for a period of time, I firmly label it as a classic movie.
At the beginning of the movie, Howard Bill is a news host who is about to be expelled. Because of his resentment and alcoholism, he said on the show that he was going to commit suicide on the farewell show, which attracted the attention of the whole city. The sober Howard Bill did not commit suicide on the show. Instead, he made a cynical remark. At the time of the Great Depression in the United States, the TV executives were very angry about it, but this venting remarks won the hearts of the people. Howard Bill’s show ratings Ascend again. Howard Bill talked to himself one night, as if he was talking to God, and then made crazy speeches on the show, which became popular again. The TV station took advantage of this to make new shows and constantly took advantage of Howard Bill’s madness. Until things got out of control...In fact, Howard Beal was the first person to fall into madness in this TV mode. As a host with a high ratings, he faced the multiple flanking attacks of career troughs, utilitarian and ruthless TV stations and declining worlds. Next, he collapsed. He vented his dissatisfaction with the world as if he had received the will of God, and his sharp remarks were supported by the same repressed people. It seems that lunatics have always mastered the truth. Those mad words and lunatics are directly causing social evils. In fact, they are the most sober people. For this reason, when Howard Bill realized that no matter how he shouted, he still could not get a response and change. When it has been corrupted and hopeless, his fierce remarks have brought a strong mood of pessimism and despair, but how many people are willing to admit that there is no way to go in reality? So a sober lunatic, the road came to an end.
Compared with Howard Beal, who played the role of Peter Finch and Max Schumacher, played by William Holden after the death of Peter Finch, this character can see the situation clearly but does not try to change it. He just wants to live in peace. He will not be immersed in the fictional world like the fools in front of the TV, nor will he have the ambition to become God's spokesperson and inform current affairs like Howard Bill. I lost my job, but I don’t have to fight at this age. It’s more important to keep a life for a few more days. So he said Howard Bill was a lunatic, but took care of him when he was down and down and homeless; he and his wife fell in love with Diana Christson, and he knew that Diana Christson fell in love with him. It was not him, but the "script" of the plot of falling in love with a middle-aged man, but decided to stay with her; the same was true when he broke up with Diana Christson, although he asked her to love him, But I knew it was impossible. As long as he can still feel happiness, pain and love, it means that he is not crazy yet, and he can still protect himself and retreat in this hard time.
Although Max Schumacher is not considered successful, he lives in contentment with the status quo, humble and cowardly, but also unrestrained. This should also be the way most people live, even if they are dissatisfied, they have to follow the hair of this era.
Max Schumacher said that Diana Christson is "the incarnation of television, indifferent to pain, and insensitive to happiness." This is a generation who grew up watching TV, and all values are drawn from TV as a program producer. Human Diana Christson, there is only such things as ratings and ratings in her mind. Even when she is dating and having sex, she doesn’t talk about love. It is the planning of the show. It is these things that fascinate her and make her love it. She orgasm. Compared with business executives, she is a machine that surrenders to TV shows. The revolutionary party members were not recruited to promote political theory, but to use their own controversy to gain ratings. She has no sense of justice at all. To do these things is nothing more than to prove that she is a successful producer. So in the end, when she conspired with the top to murder Howard Beal because of the ratings, she was indifferent and firm like a stone. That's right, Howard Beal was shot during the live show, just because his ratings dropped again and again. Without too much groundwork and nonsense, as soon as he appeared on the stage, without allowing him to say a word, he was shot to death indiscriminately. And this bloody scene was only broadcast as one of many TV shows, and the attitude was as flat as killing a chicken on live broadcast, mixed with other time ads, how many people would care about it, maybe after two or three days. No one remembers such a live-streamed murder, no one will be held accountable, and everyone still has new TV programs to watch.
Another layer of thinking in the film is aimed at news. What is news? If Diana Christson’s terrorist news, shooting anchor news is news? So where is the justice of the news? If news can be made, what is the meaning of news? Is there true freedom of speech and press justice for news organizations controlled by the interests of the consortium? Is there a relatively correct development direction for TV news? Sidney Lumet is keenly aware that the news industry has a huge social influence, and if this influence is not controlled, it will cause serious consequences. Personal ambition and self-interest are likely to cause harm. Journalists with conscience must constantly reflect on the meaning and value of news in such a moral anxiety. In addition to thinking about the meaning of television itself, I have some new understandings about the production and success of television programs: the production of television programs is not completely carried out in accordance with the mode of commercial operation and in accordance with rational demands. I also participate in the process. Mixed with uncertainty. For example, the host’s own unique style, momentary uncontrollable mood swings or illness, like Howard Bill, can cause him to do some extraordinary things; and the person in charge may also relax the gates due to momentary moodiness, such as Max. Schumacher disregarded the accusations from the upper echelons and ended Howard Beal's show.
These unexpected events eventually contributed to the increase in the ratings of the program and created a new successful program model. After Hackett took over, a comment directed at the boss was not sentenced to death due to the boss’s personal expectations of Howard Bill. Instead, it entered a period of boring show decline, which could not be reversed because of the boss’s personal preferences. These unexpected factors affect the production and income of TV programs, and pure TV production theory cannot solve these problems. TV person and news person can be said to be a glorious profession, but behind it we have seen hysteria and ugliness. In order to increase the ratings, we do not hesitate to vilify our own image, and human dignity has become exchange value. When Howard Bill's cynical words aroused the audience's desire to watch, expressing the true feelings of "I'm crazy and can't stand this anymore." Diana Christson threw the phone away with joy: " Damn, we dug up the treasure." Their madness reached a climax. She disregarded the advice of Howard Bill’s friend Max Schumacher: “He (Howard Bill) is mentally unhealthy, he is irresponsible to himself, and he needs care and treatment.” Her aim is to make money. the most important. The inhumane producer did not hesitate to make money, and the completely crazy Bieu lost his dignity for money. The seemingly sacred profession is really like what Hackett said: "We are not a famous family, we are a brothel." In order to solve the boss's control of the show, the production team made an amazing decision to give the movie a The ironic ending-a live assassination. Howard Bill became a victim of the producer's "policy at the top and countermeasures at the bottom". The final narration of the film "This is the story of Howard Beal, the first brutally murdered case because of low ratings", which confirms that this is a fableful movie. Because in real life, more uncertainty can solve the problem of the producer in other ways.
Recall that the film started from a video wall composed of four TV screens, and gradually pushed to the anchor in the lower right corner, and began to tell the case of the first anchor who was assassinated because of the low ratings. At the end of the film, it was still fixed on a TV wall composed of four TV screens, gradually moving from the scene where Howard Bill was shot to shots of waves hitting rocks and advertisements starring two children. The video wall composed of four TV sets is the carrier of film selection-a net that no one can break free of. Under such a background, television is essentially what people think of as the "true face" of the life world. We saw that on this website, there were Howard Bill’s death, advertisements for children’s products, tourist attractions, and war news. Life is deconstructed into illusory symbols. In such a hide-and-seek world, a Howard Bill is gone, and a new one will come again, be popularized, and then decline and be abandoned. But TV will continue to be broadcast, no matter who it is, or even what it is. As the Bible says, "Generation has come and gone, and the sun will rise as usual", and this is the truth that the film will ultimately tell us. The final reflection of "TV Station" is aimed at the TV itself. Since TV people are not perfect people, and these imperfect people control TV with imperfect behaviors, such as introducing naked violence into TV, and even using TV (the UBS president Jason in the film successfully used the spirit The fragile Howard Bill solved the company’s political dilemma), so what is TV? There are many ironic scenes in the film, such as the madman Howard Bill suggested that everyone stand in front of the window and shout. As a result, all the United States ran to the window and shouted. He asked everyone to send a telegram to the White House, and the White House would actually take it the next day. By the millions of telegrams-the immense inflammatory nature of television is shocking. If Howard Bill’s crazy live broadcast continues, will it become a crazy cult in the United States? This may be a joke, but it cannot be laughed off. It is a timely reminder by Sidney Lumet of the possible demonization of public opinion caused by television. As a powerful media, the influence of television is beyond the imagination of ordinary people, especially in contemporary society, especially in the 1970s before the emergence of the Internet. It has a strong ideological guidance. It can control speech, so it can. Reversing right and wrong, especially live broadcast, can immediately interact with the audience, so the damage it may cause is particularly serious-in this respect, its energy is far greater than that of movies. So who controls the TV? political party? Consortium? All these are interest groups, it is impossible not to infiltrate their thoughts and authority through television, so who will supervise them?
Sidney Lumet is worthy of the title of "the ruler of social conscience". He used his lens to pierce the ugly faces of those who mirrored him. He was never afraid and never had any extra lens. The opening scene is a messy scene with multiple pictures, where Howard Bill is a living loser, and at the end it also uses multiple pictures. Howard Bill is still a loser, but he is dead. Everyone wants to shout in the age of hardship, but who can guarantee that they can speak smoothly and survive in the world. No matter how exciting the world on TV is, it is always fictitious, and you can learn from it, but don't dare to indulge. Another highlight of "TV Station" is the actors. The film has three emperors and one queen, which can be compared with the famous "Godfather" (1972) lineup. The film won many nominations for best picture and director at the Oscar that year. Among them, The best actor won two nominations. Finally, Peter Finch won the best actor award, Fei Donnavy won the best actress award, Beatrice Strett won the best supporting actress award, It became the second film in Oscar history to win three performance awards. The first was "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1951. This movie is also a grand gathering of actors. Everyone gave their greatest strength. It proved its greatness with the three Oscar performance awards after "A Streetcar Named Desire". Director Sidney Lumet has always been good at character and scene control. The dramatic tension of "Twelve Angry Men 12" (1957) is his most exciting early masterpiece, and this film was filmed in the mid-1970s of "Television Station". "Storm" pointed the finger at the television industry that once had a huge impact (destructive blow) on the American film industry. However, Sidney Lumet's move was not a malicious revenge by the filmmaker against the television person.
Although the whole film is full of unscrupulous means to TV producers and the brazen and ugly exaggeration and ridicule of the consortium behind the scenes, as a whole, its serious thinking on the TV industry itself and the far-reaching impact of TV on national life, etc., still reflects Sidney Lumet’s unique perspective and talent as an artist who uses the lens to make social criticism. The arrogant and wild characteristics of Fei Donnaville have combined body and soul with the unscrupulous radio program producer Diana in "TV Station" in pursuit of ratings. So we have seen Fei Dunaway on the screen over the years. The most exciting performance. This film won an Oscar for Best Actress for Fei Donnavy. Her tough, indifferent, and arrogant temperament is very suitable for starring in a strong woman, and her superb and strong performance on the screen often makes people feel that this is the true nature of Faye Donnavy. Finally, quoting Bozeman’s "Entertainment to Death" as a concluding remark, "Huxley tells us in "Brave New World" that what people feel painful is not that they use laughter instead of thinking, but that they don’t. Know why you laugh and why you no longer think." This film was shot in the 1970s, and it is indeed forward-looking, because we are still surrounded by capital and technology. After you have some understanding of media environment, you can watch "TV Station Storm", and you can especially appreciate the humanistic care behind the warning. Wearing the hat of a media determinist, what actually emphasizes is only a bias that the world ignores, not a judgment but a hope for utopia from the heart. I sincerely hope that we can all be more vigilant in the face of capital and technology invasion.
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