Four Screens
Lumet opens and closes his film with the same shot: four tv screens. In the opening shot the four screens represent the four networks competing for ratings. The final shot is of Beale’s murder, news anchors reporting on his death, and commercials for airlines and softdrinks being played. Lumet has shown is in two shots the story that he wanted to tell: the news once was about reporting the news, now it is about selling ad space, and the more eyes that are on the screen the more consumers are reached. That’s why the gruesome murder being played alongside these commercials weighs so heavy. Life has become less important than the corporations, and repeating this opening shot reveals where the story has taken us.
Hackett's Tuxedos
When we are introduced to Frank Hackett he has been pulled out of a swanky banquet. We know this because he is wearing a tuxedo while everyone else is wearing a suit. They are doing business while he is playing corporate dress up. Chayefsky and Lumet recall this tuxedo in a later scene where Diana is being celebrated as a conquering hero for raising the ratings of the network. This time, though, Hackett’s tuxedo has become even more over the top. His white shirt has frills down the front as well as on the cuffs. Initially, Hackett’s tux had a standard shirt, he didn’t have to dress in any grand way to stand out from the others. He was in a tux they were in suits, he stood out. But, now that he is in a room full of network execs he has to stand out even more because they are all wearing tuxedos as well. The use of costume to reveal that Hackett wants to be more than everyone else is a fine detail that is recalled by Lumet in photographing this character in his journey.
Stained Glass Window
Once Diana takes over The Howard Beale Show, the entire set changes. Gone is the traditional news desk, and Beale is placed on a stage for his dramatic performances as the new-age prophet. In Chayefsky’s script, he wrote that there was a stained glass window behind Beale during his prophetic messages. It’s an incredible symbol because it’s quite easy to assume that Beale is mad and the stained glass adds to the satirical value of the story, but though Beale is suffering a breakdown, what he is saying isn’t false. He’s giving voice to those who have none, and bringing truth to the television where there rarely is any. He’s a prophet preaching in the fabricated church of network tv. And like any prophet who tells the truth and predicts a bleak future he is executed. The stained glass window could detract many from watching, and even seem like a cheap trick used in this film, but what gives it weight and meaning is that it is placed behind Beale while he is on tv. It’s duality is that there’s truth to him standing before it just as much as there is a ridiculousness as well. It all depends on how it’s sold, which is what the network is all about.
Face of God
Owen Roizman, the director of photography on this film used heavy backlighting on Ned Beatty as Arthur Jensen towards the end of his speech to Howard Beale. He did this because Lumet wanted Beale to be looking into the face of God. The backlight creates a halo effect around his head, darkening his face so you can’t quite see it clearly. Shooting it this way creates a symbol that the face of God looks the way the viewer sees it, not how someone tells us. Also, by not seeing Jensen’s face clearly it allows us to also question him taking the role of God in relationship to Beale and justifies his inner-life by placing his face in darkness.
The Final Camera Move
After Beale is gunned down, Lumet captures the studio camera pushing in to a close up of Beale lying dead. As the audience, we go from seeing the body to it being covered by the camera, and the only image we are left with is what is inside the screen on the camera. This shot is a symbol for how the truth is distorted, the grotesque monetized, and a life is marginalized. Lumet is a master of meaning in his staging, and this shot gives us so much information in a matter of seconds about who we are as a society, and symbolizes the television’s role in our de-evolution.
