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1984
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Orwell's nightmare visions brilliantly realised.
Review date: 2008-10-21 Rating: 10 out of 10
Based on the book by George Orwell, this is one of the most disturbing films I've seen n a long time. In fact it is probably more relevant in the UK today than at any time since the novel first appeared. John Hurt is fantastic in a nightmare world of an overbearing government personified in the form of Big Brother staring at everyone in every room. The notion that things we take for granted - real food, freedom of thought, love and families - could one day become forbidden by law is certainly a terrifying one. Cleverly written and realised, cerebral but never boring, there are some creepy images that really stay with you. Mention must go to the scenes in Room 101 and the chief torturer, who is the picture of menacing calm. An all-time great.
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Reviews
Good film of a great book
Review date: 2008-08-29 Rating: 6 out of 10
Given that '1984' is one of those books that's just too well-written to survive dramatic adaptation with all its depths and ironies intact, Michael Radford did a pretty good job of making a movie out of it back in the year that the book was actually set. He used as locations the same then-derelict London docklands that Kubrick would use for "Full Metal Jacket", giving the film an authentically bombed-out look. The largely English cast is excellent. Suzanna Hamilton, in her first film role, is as good a Julia as can be imagined; plucky, sharp and sexy to begin with, and in her final post-torture appearance, a sullen, dead-eyed shadow. Richard Burton is superb as O'Brien, giving the quietest and least flashy performance of his erratic film career. The supporting players are all great, but the gold palm goes to John Hurt, who manages to make Winston a more sympathetic character than he is in the book. Orwell had a good point to make about Winston, namely that he was the kind of guy who would have ended up selling out Julia; but the heartbroken look on Hurt's face in the last moments of the film lets you know that this Winston truly understands the extent to which he has betrayed his better self. The ending of the movie is both more ambiguous and more heartbreaking than the end of the book.
Among the incidental pleasures: Dominic Muldowney's music is both authentically totalitarian-kitsch, and weirdly moving; the national anthem 'Oceania, 'Tis for Thee', played at strategic moments throughout, is, on a verbal level, a fascist hymn, but musically speaking it's a lament for the humanity that the characters have lost. Even the Eurhythmics' incidental electronica seems to work, for some reason. Not a very fun film, but a good one.
Bobbins
Review date: 2008-07-07 Rating: 2 out of 10
Rubbish. Boring.
Watched this straight after reading the book. The book is a masterpiece of British literature. The film sent me to sleep.
Dial This
Review date: 2008-04-05 Rating: 10 out of 10
If you're in the UK, and you have a telephone landline, dial: 1984
You should get an INSTANT reply 'Specialist Services' ?
???
Anyway - this is a deep portrayal of the not so distant fate of humanity's hope, severely condensed into a theatre-bite-sized exposure.
A great film either way.
Vision of an upcoming future ?
Review date: 2007-11-07 Rating: 10 out of 10
V for Vendetta had strongly moved me, and the end is ecstatic and full of hope, but 1984 horrified and traumatized me. 1984 is the anti-V for Vendetta, the V which ends badly, where people don't wake up, where humanity is forever crushed, where History is denied. This movie was a shock for me (I haven't read the novel yet). I strongly recommand it. It's unforgettable, terrifiying and very efficient. I must add that the actors are fantastic. Richard Burton is excellent as an essential psychopath, a true monster who has nothing human whatsoever. 1984 touches the darkest abyss, and maybe that's whyt it's stronger than V for Vendetta, coz it really shows the horror of an existence in a 100% fascist regime where the most basic rights are denied. IMO, everybody should see it NOW (along with V for Vendetta, to keep some kind of balance and hope).
Here are a few slogans from the book/movie, which might remind you of the present neo-con propaganda :
War is Peace
Freedom is Slavery
Ignorance is Strength
... and perhaps the most distressing prophecy of the entire novel:
"If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face--for ever."
Terrible... and terribly prophetic (??)
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Cyril Cusack
John Hurt
Richard Burton
Roger Lloyd-Pack
Creators:
John Hurt (Primary Contributor)
Richard Burton (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5050070020250
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2004-09-20
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 106 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1984
Language: English (Original Language)