By Sidney Lumet Page #8

head of the animal department and who was going to ship me--

we needed about 200 horses-- he was going to ship me 200

horses from Hollywood to Virginia, the greatest horse

breeding state in the union. NELSON CHANEY: I

don't believe this. I don't believe the top brass

of a national television network is sitting around

their Caesar salads-- FRANK HACKETT: The top brass of

a bankrupt national television network with projected losses-- SIDNEY LUMET: "Network"

was about nothing but the men in suits, really. Nobody in that

movie is creative. The most creative person

in there is a lunatic. Affiliates will

kiss your ass if you can hand them a hit show. SIDNEY LUMET: I don't think it

was part of Paddy Chayefsky's intent and it

certainly wasn't part of mine to needle the networks. I think we were after bigger

game, if I may say that. For me, it was a

question of corruption in the American spirit. ARTHUR JENSEN: Good

morning, Mr. Beale. They tell me you're a madman. How are you now? I'm as mad as a hatter. ARTHUR JENSEN: Who isn't? I'm going to take you

into our conference room. Seems more seemly a setting

for what I have to say to you. I started as a

salesman, Mr. Beale. I sold sewing machines and

automobile parts, hairbrushes, and electronic equipment. They say I can sell anything. SIDNEY LUMET: Clearly, "Network"

is not just about television. "Network" is a

metaphor for America. ARTHUR JENSEN:

Valhalla, Mr. Beale. Please, sit down. SIDNEY LUMET: One

of the things that was so blinding when I read that

script was Paddy's prescience. That is a scene where Ned Beatty

reads the Riot Act to Howard. He says, what's the matter

with you, you idiot? There is no city, country. There's only one

giant corporation. Isn't that more true today than

almost any other single factor? Do you have any doubt? I mean, the insanity. We are in a war. Men are dying. Halliburton is

cooking their meals? And our children

will live, Mr. Beale, to see that perfect world in

which there's no war or famine, oppression or brutality, one

vast and ecumenical holding company for whom all men will

work to serve a common profit, in which all men will

hold a share of stock-- SIDNEY LUMET: The power is

never in conflict or in doubt. Gentlemen, this is the

President of the United States. Whatever orders I give

to American personnel are to be considered

direct orders from the Commander in Chief. They are to be obeyed

fully, without reservation, and at once. We must do everything we

can to prevent our planes from attacking Moscow. The Soviet Premier has

behaved as I believe I would under similar conditions. He has delayed retaliation. I think he believes

this is an accident. I therefore order every

American to cooperate fully with Soviet

officers in shooting down our invading planes. Gentlemen, I expect you to

conduct yourselves as patriots. [inaudible] Roberts. Sir. Your commanding officer

gave you an order. He ordered you to fight, so you

don't just [inaudible] there. Is that right? Sir. Is that all you got to say? Sir, it's all I want to say. See that hill? I noticed it as I came in. We built it special. A few tons of sand and rock

and a lot of labor and sweat. The prisoners built it. Well that's marvelous, sir. That's a great

construction feat. Something tells me you're

going to get to know him well. I don't want any

special privileges. SIDNEY LUMET: "The

Hill" is about a very heroic, well-seasoned

fighting sergeant, British sergeant, who refuses

to obey an order in a combat situation and gets

court-martialed and sentenced to two years at this

British stockade, which is a very rough place, indeed. By early December of

'42, I was in the army. And as miserable as it

was, and it was miserable, the culture shock for

somebody like me, who, despite my rough life, had never

seen this kind of roughness, it was in many ways as painful

a time as I've ever had, and yet it was a

time that I wanted. Because of my eyes, I was

what's called limited service, but I desperately

wanted to get overseas. I very much resented

the theater people that I knew who were

spending the war at the Russian Tea Room. They would get

themselves assigned to various army

entertainment projects and never leave New York. The terrible part was army

life, where the main object is to reduce you to a

common denominator so that you react-- all of you

react-- in the exact same way. It took me so long to figure

out Why when you had toilets, they couldn't put up stalls. I'm not even

talking about doors. Just put up walls

so that one toilet is separated from the other. Uh-uh, they don't. You take your dump next

to another person taking their dump and that is to

destroy any sense of you're an individual. Order a first strike, General. Put an end to it

once and for all. You have the power. You can do it. Colonel, you are

talking treason. Stop it now or I'll have

you put under arrest. MARSHAL NEVSKY (ON

RADIO):
General Bogan, this is Marshal Nevsky. Yes, Marshal? MARSHAL NEVSKY (ON RADIO):

Will you please give us position of the three planes? We can fly fighters

at various altitudes. Can do. Gentlemen, I am taking

over command of this post. By the direct authority

of the president, I now command you to

take all orders from-- Colonel, we got

orders, Colonel. You make a fuss,

they'll kill you. SIDNEY LUMET: The mob

mentality is precisely what the Army works on. [groans] Me first. SIDNEY LUMET: "The Hill,"

it's about the hopelessness of fighting authority

for anything other than your own conscience. Not guilty. SIDNEY LUMET: I consider that

fight for your individuality, for me, it's the essence of what

a life should be about, what a good life should be about. I think not just the

Army, everything conspires to crush your individuality. [music playing] - Hello Frank.

- Hey Frank. Frankie. All right, look, We all know

what this is about, right? So without any bullshit, Frank,

what the hell was happening between you and Don Rubello? Simple I-- I didn't

take any money. I don't take money. Rubello said if I changed

my mind, he'd hold my share. He'd give it back to me. I didn't change my mind. Conniving bastard. All right. That was my money

he was stealing. Look, I'll handle Rubello. I'll get back the

money he took, but this ain't going to happen again. From now on, no

more three bagmen. Starting today, every

one of you fucks makes his own collections. No stops. No bread, OK? OK. Right, you got it. What about you, Frank? I'll make up what

Don took from you. Why should I stop now? Everybody'd feel a lot

better about you, Frank. You can always give

it to charity, Frank. Look, Frankie, what do

you say $100 a month, just for expenses? For my secretary and

my business lunches, entertainment? All right. We split Frank's

share from now on. You're a schmuck, Frank. [music playing] Question authority. Whoever the schmuck was who

said, listen, let's take down the wall and bring

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