Magical Realism
Lumet and Chayefsky said that they weren’t making a satire, that their film was sheer reportage. With that in mind, cinematographer Owen Roizman had to create shots with Lumet that spoke to Howard Beale’s story of being a prophet. If Beale was screaming on a street corner, it’s hard to say if anyone would listen, but put him in front of a camera and what appears like madness becomes magical realism, or a form showing the real world with fantastical elements. Lumet and Roizman captured this form in a shot when Beale is prophesying to a live audience on national television. They show Beale from behind, and we see the audience head on, and the canned lights hanging from above, used to brighten Beale’s face have become stars in the sky. Lumet didn’t like to shoot directly into light, but when Roizman pitched him the idea in order to create magical realism, he went for it.
In The Shadows
In one of the final scenes, Hackett, Diana and other executives sit in an office and decide to murder Howard on live television in order to get rid of him and to increase ratings. Lumet and Roizman staged the actors with shadows crossing their faces and bodies. They did this as an outward expression of what was happening in the character’s souls at this moment. They were able to use lighting to reveal character with the image.
Time is Running Out
The first news desk set we see Howard Beale at is lined with clocks over his shoulder. Lumet was able to use a set object that many news stations in the day used as a way to foreshadow Beale’s death. The clocks represent that his time is running out.
The Staircase
When Howard goes to meet Jensen, Lumet shoots him walking up a large staircase. As he shouts like a mad prophet, his voice echoing off the walls, Hackett has to reel him in because this isn’t a place for shouting. Lumet wanted Howard to look at Jensen like he was looking at God, and this short scene of Beale ascending the staircase makes you feel like he is in a sanctuary and is on his way to stand before the high courts. A short scene, but one that perfectly sets the stage for the relationship between Beale and Jensen.
