| Under the spreading chestnut tree... |
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| written by larbeck |
December 7, 2003 - 9:16 PM PST |
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0 out of 6 members found this review helpful
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| Richard Burton's last movie was good. Dark, but good to me. |
| Very good, as adaptations go. |
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| written by aloft |
December 6, 2003 - 7:39 PM PST |
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11 out of 11 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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