1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

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1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)

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1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Recent Reviews

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Recent Reviews

1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Recent Reviews
  • davodd
    August 30, 2009
    davodd
    Not aging gracefully as films from the same time period (Bladerunner, for example is still pristine) ... but still works as a dystopian warning.
  • mjgildea
    June 8, 2009
    mjgildea
    Concerning 1984, I hope the book is better than the movie. I will say for the movie that John Hurt and Richard Burton (in his last role) were amazing. Roger Deakins' cinematography was also top-notch to go along with a great soundtrack. I remember very little of the book (my last...( read more) and only attempt to make it through was junior year of high school) but I remember that it took the time to explain things the movie didn't bother with. I get the impression that you'd get the most out of the movie if you've read the book. I was kind of sick when I watched 1984 so I don't know if I was just generally out of it when I say the movie jumped around or if its just a crappy adaptation of the script. Either way its not a wasted watch...
  • rebvodka042099
    May 31, 2009
    rebvodka042099
    I read the book just a couple of weeks before watching the movie and I was, well...disappointed. I found the Orwell's vision terrifying yet exhilarating but the language of the book is tiring and I ultimately found myself not caring about the characters. For some reason, all char...( read more)acters (and mainly Winston and Julia who are after all, the leads) lack the "human" factor -their humanity is shaky and you can't believe in their motives. Maybe that occurs naturally because of the theme of the book, but what is the point of following a story where the characters aren't appealing?

    So, I was hoping that the movie would provide me with what the book was lacking. But of course, because it is George Orwell we're talking about, the screenwriter and director's intervention was minimal to none. Thus, it was like reading the book all over again. The performances are splendid -John Hurt and Richard Burton simply have that unprecedented talent you hardly meet today. The movie is silently powerful and makes you wonder and get angry. But again, the same problem I had here was the one I had in the book: I didn't care at all for the characters. It's nearly impossible to feel compassion or even sympathy for them. And that's the major spoiler for me. It's worth watching by all means, but I wasn't impressed. If I had to choose a film of the sort to watch, I'd go for Fahrenheit 451.
  • stopitgoaway
    May 29, 2009
    stopitgoaway
    From the opening shot of "Nineteen Eighty Four" the viewer is plunged right into the hellhole of Oceania and the ultimate totalitarian nightmare. Whilst the year 1984 may be long past us, the essential themes of George Orwell's best known work still remain as timely and as releva...( read more)nt as ever.

    Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a drone worker in the Bureau of Information, and his job is to edit the news in accordance with the needs of the governing Party (which is in continual, seemingly endless war with Eurasia and other opposing states). He must also refer to the dictionary of Newsspeak, which is the government's language for the distribution of information.

    He lives in a world where there is no escape from the authority of the government who regiment the every thought and deed of their subjects. The Party is steadily working on a way to outlaw the concept of the family and the idea of conception. This is done to eradicate Thoughtcrime and guarantee the worker's total devotion to the Party and its leader, Big Brother.

    Winston abides by this (recording his increasingly ambiguous thoughts about society in a hidden, handwritten diary) until he encounters Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a strange young women with rebellious ideas, to whom he develops a powerful attraction. But their passionate, forbidden relationship cannot escape the all-seeing eyes of Big Brother.....

    Screenwriter Jonathan Gems has a done a terrific job with the script. He successfully translates Orwell's ideas to the screen with great clarity. Micheal Radford directs with subtlety around the greasy sets and crumbling locations (the picture was filmed in and around the very area in which Orwell set his novel).

    The performances from the chief principals are very strong. John Hurt is excellent as Winston, bringing a subtle and considerate approach to the character. Particularly disturbing is his final scenes, as he becomes gaunt and disfigured through government torture. Suzanna Hamilton is gentle and quirky as Julia and "Rab C Nesbitt" actor Gregor Fisher appears as Winston's ill-fated friend, Parsons.

    Veteran actor Richard Burton lends a cold charisma to government enforcer O'Brien and he too excels in the film's final moments, as he coolly and sadistically tortures Winston, subjecting him to severe physical pain to subdue him, casually pulling a tooth out of his rotting mouth, then exposing him to the horrors of Room 101, all the while exhorting obedience to the Party and love to Big Brother.

    The strong relevance of the concepts of "Nineteen Eighty Four" should not be underestimated. Whilst the term "Big Brother" is now synonymous with the ridiculous "reality" TV shows of the same name, others like the Two Minutes Hate (in which the workers are coerced, through a two-minute broadcast, into hating the enemies of the state); the idea of a government waging a perpetual war to advocate "peace" (especially relevant in the aftermath of September 11) as well as the editing of news and the abuse of language in order to suit the needs of government and disguise its true agendas are ideas that are chillingly present in today's society.

    All of this is powerful and thought-provoking stuff, and helps to make "Nineteen Eighty Four" an accurate and powerful rendering of a still very timely piece of work.
  • jsd35
    March 20, 2008
    jsd35
    Grim and very loyal adaptation of the novel. Highly recommended, and a film I believe is a must see film for those who wish to engage in political thought, although it is not a film to watch if you plan to remain cheerful. It's quite depressing viewing.

    I have no particular prob...( read more)lem with the contribution The Eurythmics made to the soundtrack, but I would certainly like to see the film with the score by Dominic Muldowney intact.
  • jsbond008
    December 5, 2009
    jsbond008
    mediocre adaptation of the classic George Orwell novel.
  • crazymonkeys2004
    December 4, 2009
    crazymonkeys2004
    I thought John Hurt and Richard Burton gave great perforamnces. The film really captured the dystopian feel of the book. It would still be interesting to see a new adaptation.
  • dethklok009
    November 22, 2009
    dethklok009
    DULL, LIFELESS AND DEPRESSING.
    Steer clear of this awful piece of fecal matter, because it'll only waste your time. Give me SAW anyday and I HATE the SAW series with a passion.
    The novel was exactly the same, but only worse.
    That George Orwell describes stuff to the point of.....( read more).. nevermind. It just took like 4 million pages just for Winston to write an entry in his bloody diary.
    Wanna see a decent movie? Go to youtube and type in NASCAR crashes, because watching a pack of cars crashing is much more interesting than watching this piece of crap. It's stressful enough reading it, let alone watching the f**king thing!
    Definite FAIL from me.
  • weikel2000
    November 1, 2009
    weikel2000
    The book was sooooo much better, but the movie wasn't bad, it doesn't leave out any of the important stuff, it just doesn't convey the same kind of terror that has become synonymous with the title.
  • krazykoreankyle
    October 28, 2009
    krazykoreankyle
    the book was better, but still amazing
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