Madsen: THERE'S STILL SOMETHING SO ROMANTIC
ABOUT GOING AND SITTING IN THE DARK
AND WATCHING SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL.
PEOPLE LOVE GOING TO THE MOVIES.
SO, THE ACADEMY INVITED ME TO SEE ANY MOVIE THAT I WANTED
FROM THEIR ARCHIVES IN THE THEATER.
I PICKED "NETWORK," AND "NETWORK" WAS A FILM FROM 1976,
DIRECTED BY SIDNEY LUMET.
I REMEMBER IT HAVING A HUGE IMPACT ON ME
BECAUSE I FELT LIKE MOVIES THEN WERE MORE POLITICAL,
THEY LIVED MORE DANGEROUSLY,
AND SIDNEY LUMET IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE DIRECTORS.
IT'S A TELEVISION NETWORK, AND THERE IS A NEWSCASTER
WHO IS PLAYED BY PETER FINCH, WHO WON THE OSCAR
FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR POSTHUMOUSLY.
HE'S KIND OF LOSING IT,
AND HE STARTS TO SORT OF GO ON A RANT
ABOUT ALL THINGS POLITICAL AND HOW UNHAPPY HE IS
WITH THE STATE OF THE WORLD, AND THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING.
THIS IS LIVE TELEVISION.
Hunter: HOWARD, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU FLIPPED OR WHAT?
Man: I THINK WE BETTER GET HIM OFF.
Hunter: GET HIM OFF!
Beale: WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU FELLAS?
Madsen: BUT THEN HE GETS A FOLLOWING,
AND HE BECOMES A PHENOMENON,
AND SO THE NETWORK SORT OF TAKES ADVANTAGE OF HIM.
Christensen: I WANT THAT SHOW, FRANK.
I CAN TURN THAT SHOW INTO THE BIGGEST SMASH ON TELEVISION.
Hackett: WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU WANT THAT SHOW?
IT'S A NEWS SHOW. IT'S NOT YOUR DEPARTMENT.
Madsen: IT ALMOST IS LIKE HE BECOMES A PREACHER,
PREACHING AGAINST THE STATE OF THE WORLD.
AND I FEEL LIKE IT'S ONE OF THOSE MOVIES,
ONE OF THOSE GREAT FILMS, THAT JUST ISN'T SEEN ENOUGH.
IT'S NOT REALLY TALKED ABOUT ENOUGH.
I'M GOING WITH MY FELLA, NICK HOLMES.
AND HE'S AN ACTOR. WE'LL KIND OF HAVE A DATE MOVIE.
AND HE LOVES THIS MOVIE AS MUCH AS I DO,
ALSO HASN'T SEEN IT IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
AND WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE BEAUTIFUL EGYPTIAN
ON HOLLYWOOD BOULEVARD AND WATCH "NETWORK."
THAT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOVIES THAT WHEN I LEFT THE THEATER,
I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S THE KIND OF MOVIE I WANT TO MAKE."
Holmes: YEAH.
Madsen: "AND I'M GONNA MEET FAYE DUNAWAY."
-AND I DID MEET FAYE DUNAWAY. -Holmes: YEAH?
Madsen: VERY GLAMOROUS STORY.
I MET HER ON THE RED CARPET AT THE ACADEMY AWARDS.
SHE STEPPED ON THE TRAIN OF MY GOWN,
AND I -- AND I HEARD THIS SORT OF LITTLE TEAR,
AND I WAS LIKE -- [ GASPS ]
AND I TURNED AROUND, AND THERE WAS FAYE DUNAWAY.
AND SO I DIDN'T TELL HER THAT SHE WAS STANDING ON MY DRESS.
AND SHE -- AND SHE WENT, "I KNOW YOU."
Holmes: OH, MAN. THAT'S SO COOL.
Madsen: AND -- AND SO, AS BLONDE AS I WAS,
I SAID, "I KNOW YOU, TOO!"
[ BOTH LAUGH ]
Holmes: A GREAT WAY TO SEE A MOVIE.
Madsen: WE HAD THIS WONDERFUL OLD MOVIE PALACE
IN EVANSTON, ILLINOIS,
AND THEY WOULD SHOW SECOND-RUN MOVIES.
MY BROTHER, MICHAEL, WOULD ALWAYS TAKE ME TO THESE MOVIES
ON SUNDAYS, AND I JUST FELL IN LOVE WITH THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MOVIES IS BEING TRANSPORTED
INTO WHATEVER WORLD THAT IS THAT YOU'RE WATCHING.
IT'S A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE GOING TO THE THEATER
THAN JUST WATCHING ON YOUR COMPUTER
OR WATCHING IT ON TELEVISION.
WHEN YOU'RE IN THE THEATER, YOU ARE IN THE EXPERIENCE.
OH, I LOVED IT.
FIRST OF ALL, WAIT.
CAN I JUST -- LET'S DRINK TO SIDNEY LUMET.
Holmes: SIDNEY LUMET. WHAT A FILMMAKER.
LIKE, I THINK THIS MOVIE COULD BE REALLY BAD
IN THE HANDS OF A MEDIOCRE STORYTELLER.
Madsen: IT JUST OCCURRED TO ME BECAUSE HE WAS IN THAT WORLD.
HE WAS IN THE TV WORLD WHEN HE STARTED OUT.
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT'S ALL VERY MUCH THE SAME TODAY.
Holmes: HE HAD QUITE A CLEAR VIEW POINT ON IT.
Madsen: IT'S JUST AMAZING HOW CURRENT THIS IS,
AND THE FACT THAT FAYE DUNAWAY'S CHARACTER
IS PITCHING REALITY TV.
Holmes: MM-HMM.
Madsen: SHE WAS PITCHING IT AS IT IS TODAY.
LIKE, I WISH I COULD ASK SIDNEY LUMET
WHAT HE THOUGHT OF REALITY TV TODAY.
Holmes: RIGHT.
Madsen: DID HE ENVISION THAT BACK THEN? HE MUST HAVE.
Holmes: I THINK THERE'S A REALLY INCREDIBLE POINT TO BE MADE
ABOUT HOW SMOOTHLY THE FILM SWITCHES GEARS.
YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE FOR THE FIRST HALF-HOUR,
YOU'RE SORT OF TAKING THIS ALL IN.
Madsen: AND THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY GREAT HUMOR
IN THAT WHOLE FIRST HALF-HOUR.
Holmes: YEAH, AND THEN, SUDDENLY,
WILLIAM HOLDEN AND FAYE DUNAWAY ARE HAVING AN AFFAIR,
AND PETER FINCH IS A PROPHET.
IT TAKES YOU FROM THIS --
FROM THIS PLACE WHERE YOU'RE WITNESSING
SORT OF A BEHIND-THE-SCENES LOOK AT SOMETHING
TO THIS MESSIANIC BUILD-UP OF THIS PERSON.
Madsen: THAT'S THE BRILLIANCE OF THIS SCREENPLAY, THOUGH,
IS I DIDN'T REMEMBER THAT IT HAD SO MUCH HUMOR.
Holmes: I HAD SUCH ANTICIPATION TO SEE THE SCENE.
Madsen: "I'M MAD AS HELL!" THAT WAS SO GREAT!
Holmes: AND IT WAS -- IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT.
Beale: I'M AS MAD AS HELL,
AND I'M NOT GONNA TAKE THIS ANYMORE!
Holmes: IT'S A LITTLE BIT ABSURD.
LIKE, THE PEOPLE YELLING OUT OF THEIR WINDOWS.
BUT IT'S SUCH MOVIE MAGIC.
Madsen: I MEAN, IT MADE YOU WANT TO DO IT IN THE THEATER.
IT MADE YOU WANT TO YELL, "I'M MAD AS HELL."
Holmes: EVERY CHARACTER GETS A FULL BREATH
TO REALLY GIVE YOU THEIR VIEWPOINT.
LIKE, NED BEATTY, YOU HAVE SUCH A FULL IDEA OF HIM.
Madsen: THAT SPEECH THAT HE MAKES
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FILM --
I'M STUNNED BY THAT MAN'S PERFORMANCE.
Holmes: YEAH.
Madsen: WHAT AN EXTRAORDINARY ACTOR.
Jensen: YOU HAVE MEDDLED
WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE, MR. BEALE!
Madsen: "YOU'VE DISRUPTED NATURE!"
Holmes: AND THE BIG MOTIONS OF THINGS HE'S DOING.
Madsen: OH, MY GOD, AND THIS THING.
Holmes: AND YOU'RE LIKE, "WHY ISN'T THAT COMICAL?
WHY ISN'T WHAT YOU'RE DOING -- WHY IS THAT WORKING SO WELL?"
Madsen: YEAH.
I'D LOVE TO GO SEE MORE MOVIES LIKE THIS.
AND IT WAS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE IT ON FILM,
'CAUSE MY EYES BECOME SO USED TO THE DIGITAL --
Holmes: ULTRA-HIGH DEFINITION, SMOOTH MOTION,
HIGH REFRESH RATE, CRISP, YEAH.
Madsen: AND THIS WAS JUST SO GOLDEN AND SMOOTH.
-Holmes: AND GRAINY. -Madsen: AND GRAINY.
Holmes: IT WASN'T UNTIL AFTER THIS
I REALIZED HOW NOSTALGIC I AM FOR THAT KIND
OF THEATER EXPERIENCE.
LIKE, I DON'T REMEMBER THE LAST QUIET MOVIE
I SAW IN THE THEATER.
Madsen: YEAH. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SEE NEXT?
Holmes: SOMETHING ROMANTIC. LIKE "DIE HARD."
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THAT MOVIE.
Madsen: OH, I'D LOVE TO SEE THAT ON THE BIG SCREEN!
Holmes: YEAH.
Madsen: THAT WOULD BE EXCELLENT.