Seen before: Yes
The film is, as you may have guessed, based on George Orwell's 1949 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', which termed a number of modern phrases such as 'Big Brother', 'thought police' and 'Room 101'. I have never read Orwell's book and had no prior knowledge of it before watching the film, other than 'Big Brother' somehow controlled everyone.
---Plot Summary---
John Hurt plays Winston Smith, a man, who along with the rest of society, is presided over and somewhat controlled by 'Big Brother', the leader of a totalitarian party that outlaws independent thought. He becomes drawn into a forbidden relationship with a woman named Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) who, like him, has grown tired and frustrated with Big Brother's rules. They attempt to maintain a relationship, knowing that they may be caught at any time...
---Review---
After watching '1984', I have to say I will definitely be looking to read the book, as the entire concept is one which interests me greatly, and adaptations are usually (with some exceptions!) not up to scratch when compared with the source material. It's essentially a futuristic (although set in our past - confusing?) take on what could happen with the outbreak of a third world war.
From the offset, it becomes apparent that the central character Winston does not agree with or adhere to the rules set by Big Brother. The opening scene is set during a rally in 'Victory Square', where every member of the party gathers to watch propaganda videos and messages, during which they are subjected to an image of 'the enemy', Goldstein. Winston shows less enthusiasm than the others in proclaiming shouts of 'Traitor!', implying already that he has become dissatisfied with this society.
As the film progresses, we learn more about the society Winston lives in, which is captured terrifically by Michael Radford with images of derelict buildings and streets, bombs going off in the distance, and tanks and helicopters patrolling the area. It gives a real sense that Oceania (the 'fictional' country where the film takes place) is indeed in a gruelling conflict with the forces of Eurasia/East Asia. The settings are dark, damp and rustic, which in turn creates a growing sense of unease within the mind of the viewer (Big Brother is always watching you)
John Hurt turns in an emotional performance (more towards the end) as a man who wants to be different but is denied this. Winston appears frail, physically, throughout but shows great strength, mentally, just before a climax that sticks in the mind for a while. Richard Burton stars as O'Brien (in what was his last film role before his death), who is a high level member of the party, and turns in an immensely unsettling performance of stoicism as his character attempts to break Winston's will.
I liked the vision of '1984' that the director uses in the film. On a social level, it is clearly in the future, but physical objects remain intact that give us a vision of the past (bottles of gin, razor blades, phones with a dial ring), leading to a view that it could have been an entirely possible setting the world may have found itself in at that time, and Eurythmics provide an enthralling soundtrack to this dystopian/utopian (depending how you look at it) landscape.
As previously mentioned, the scene at the end of the film set in Room 101 is both despairing and shocking, as throughout the film we are led to believe (through Winston's dreams/visions) that it is a place of beauty and peace (I guess in some weird way it could be argued that it is).
The one criticism I level at the film is that at times it appears disjointed and slightly confusing (I am still not certain what has happened when Winston remembers stealing the chocolate from his sister as a child) but otherwise it was very enjoyable and has convinced me I must read the original novel.
---Rating---
8/10
Tomorrow: 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, 2004)
The film is, as you may have guessed, based on George Orwell's 1949 novel 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', which termed a number of modern phrases such as 'Big Brother', 'thought police' and 'Room 101'. I have never read Orwell's book and had no prior knowledge of it before watching the film, other than 'Big Brother' somehow controlled everyone.
---Plot Summary---
John Hurt plays Winston Smith, a man, who along with the rest of society, is presided over and somewhat controlled by 'Big Brother', the leader of a totalitarian party that outlaws independent thought. He becomes drawn into a forbidden relationship with a woman named Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) who, like him, has grown tired and frustrated with Big Brother's rules. They attempt to maintain a relationship, knowing that they may be caught at any time...
---Review---
After watching '1984', I have to say I will definitely be looking to read the book, as the entire concept is one which interests me greatly, and adaptations are usually (with some exceptions!) not up to scratch when compared with the source material. It's essentially a futuristic (although set in our past - confusing?) take on what could happen with the outbreak of a third world war.
From the offset, it becomes apparent that the central character Winston does not agree with or adhere to the rules set by Big Brother. The opening scene is set during a rally in 'Victory Square', where every member of the party gathers to watch propaganda videos and messages, during which they are subjected to an image of 'the enemy', Goldstein. Winston shows less enthusiasm than the others in proclaiming shouts of 'Traitor!', implying already that he has become dissatisfied with this society.
As the film progresses, we learn more about the society Winston lives in, which is captured terrifically by Michael Radford with images of derelict buildings and streets, bombs going off in the distance, and tanks and helicopters patrolling the area. It gives a real sense that Oceania (the 'fictional' country where the film takes place) is indeed in a gruelling conflict with the forces of Eurasia/East Asia. The settings are dark, damp and rustic, which in turn creates a growing sense of unease within the mind of the viewer (Big Brother is always watching you)
John Hurt turns in an emotional performance (more towards the end) as a man who wants to be different but is denied this. Winston appears frail, physically, throughout but shows great strength, mentally, just before a climax that sticks in the mind for a while. Richard Burton stars as O'Brien (in what was his last film role before his death), who is a high level member of the party, and turns in an immensely unsettling performance of stoicism as his character attempts to break Winston's will.
I liked the vision of '1984' that the director uses in the film. On a social level, it is clearly in the future, but physical objects remain intact that give us a vision of the past (bottles of gin, razor blades, phones with a dial ring), leading to a view that it could have been an entirely possible setting the world may have found itself in at that time, and Eurythmics provide an enthralling soundtrack to this dystopian/utopian (depending how you look at it) landscape.
As previously mentioned, the scene at the end of the film set in Room 101 is both despairing and shocking, as throughout the film we are led to believe (through Winston's dreams/visions) that it is a place of beauty and peace (I guess in some weird way it could be argued that it is).
The one criticism I level at the film is that at times it appears disjointed and slightly confusing (I am still not certain what has happened when Winston remembers stealing the chocolate from his sister as a child) but otherwise it was very enjoyable and has convinced me I must read the original novel.
---Rating---
8/10
Tomorrow: 2046 (Wong Kar-Wai, 2004)
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