:
John Hurt,
John Hurt,
Richard Burton,
more...
:
Michael Radford,
Michael Radford
see all cast/crew...
: 
: MGM
: Foreign, Science Fiction , Political Satire, UK
: 110 min.
: English
: English, Spanish, French
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This title is currently out of print.
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Directed by British filmmaker Michael Radford, Nineteen Eighty-Four is the second film adaptation of the 1948 George Orwell novel. The film is set during April of 1984 in post-atomic war London, the capital city of the repressive totalitarian state of Oceania. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government bureaucrat whose job is rewriting history and erasing people from existence. While his co-worker Parsons (Gregor Fisher) seems content to follow the state's laws, Winston starts to write in a secret diary despite the fact the "Big Brother" is watching everyone at all times by way of monitors. He silently suffers and tries to comprehend his oppression, which forbids individual human behaviors such as free thinking and sex. He meets Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), who works for the Ministry of Truth, and they engage in a stoic love affair. They are soon found out, and Winston is interrogated and tortured by his former friend O'Brien (Richard Burton in his final film appearance). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
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| Very good, as adaptations go.
by aloft
December 6, 2003 - 7:39 PM PST
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10 out of 10 members found this review helpful
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1984 was one of the most influential social-political fictions of the century. It has become so much a part of culture, that terms like Orwellian, and Big Brother, have become a part of our language.
I have lost track of how many times I have read the book. Unable to find the DVD anywhere, I'd never seen the movie, and finally got a chance to rent it here. I was impressed with how faithful it was to the book. I only noted a few very minor discrepancies which are so minor they needn't even be mentioned. This is quite refreshing, as I am used to seeing books getting slaughtered on the screen, sometimes for what seems like no good reason other than to change things for the sake of changing them. To me, even the tone and pacing are preserved. It was also interesting to see another person's idea of how the various technologies in this world appear. The design aesthetic was well thought out and implementent. Wallscreens loom foreboding over everything, and just like in the book, Big Brother's eyes are always watching, always following no matter what angle you view him from. Everything else is war torn, gritty, and dark.
If you like slow movies which demand attention and thought; which present important social and political messages, you should definitely give this one a go. And if you like the story, give the book a read, too. It is a small book, and worth every minute. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 7.32)
179 Votes
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