Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Michael Radford

Writers:

George Orwell (novel)
Michael Radford (written by)

Release Date:

14 December 1984 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

George Orwell's Terrifying Vision Comes To The Screen.

Plot:

George Orwell's novel of a totalitarian future society in which a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by falling in love.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Propaganda | Big Brother | Sex | 1984

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 6 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

John Hurt	...	Winston Smith
Richard Burton	...	O'Brien
Suzanna Hamilton	...	Julia
Cyril Cusack	...	Charrington
Gregor Fisher	...	Parsons
James Walker	...	Syme
Andrew Wilde	...	Tillotson
David Trevena	...	Tillotson's Friend
David Cann	...	Martin
Anthony Benson	...	Jones
Peter Frye	...	Rutherford
Roger Lloyd-Pack	...	Waiter (as Roger Lloyd Pack)
Rupert Baderman	...	Winston as a Boy
Corinna Seddon	...	Winston's Mother
Martha Parsey	...	Winston's Sister
Merelina Kendall	...	Mrs. Parsons
P.J. Nicholas	...	William Parsons
Lynne Radford	...	Susan Parsons
Pip Donaghy	...	Inner Party Speaker
Shirley Stelfox	...	Whore
Janet Key	...	Instructress
Hugh Walters	...	Artsem Lecturer
John Hughes	...	Man in White Coat
Robert Putt	...	Shouting Prole
Christine Hargreaves	...	Soup Lady
Garry Cooper	...	Guard
Matthew Scurfield	...	Guard
John Golightly	...	Patrolman
Rolf Saxon	...	Patrolman
Ole Oldendorp	...	Eurasian Soldier
Eddie Stacey	...	Executioner
Norman Bacon	...	Man on Station
John Foss	...	Youth Leader
Carey Wilson	...	Party Member
Mitzi McKenzie	...	Party Member
Phyllis Logan	...	The Telescreen Announcer
Pam Gems	...	The Washerwoman
Joscik Barbarossa	...	Aaronson
John Boswall	...	Goldstein
Bob Flag	...	Big Brother
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Annie Lennox	...	Cameo (uncredited)
Michael Munn	...	Interrogation Room Soldier (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Radford

Writing credits
George Orwell		(novel 1984)
Michael Radford		(written by)

Produced by
Al Clark	....	co-producer
John Davis	....	associate producer
Robert Devereux	....	co-producer
Simon Perry	....	producer
Marvin J. Rosenblum	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Dominic Muldowney

Cinematography by
Roger Deakins

Film Editing by
Tom Priestley

Casting by
Rebecca Howard

Production Design by
Allan Cameron

Art Direction by
Martyn Hebert		(as Martin Hebert)
Grant Hicks

Costume Design by
Emma Porteus		(as Emma Porteous)

Makeup Department
Anna Dryhurst	....	makeup artist
Paula Gillespie	....	hairdressing supervisor
Mary Hillman	....	makeup supervisor
Stephanie Kaye	....	hairdresser
Debbie Scragg	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Tony Hopkins	....	production supervisor: Wiltshire
Gladys Pearce	....	production manager
Paul Shersby	....	unit manager
Paul Sparrow	....	production manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Stephen Brown	....	assistant director: Wiltshire locations
John Dodds	....	second assistant director
David Keating	....	assistant director (as Dave Keating)
Patrick Kinney	....	third assistant director
Crispin Reece	....	assistant director: Wiltshire locations
Chris Rose	....	first assistant director
Kevin Westley	....	additional third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
John Allenby	....	property master
Eddie Andres	....	art department assistant
Royce Baxter	....	draughtsman
Mark Fruin	....	propman
John Godfrey	....	construction manager
Amanda Grenville	....	art department assistant
Harry Harrison	....	stand-by crew
Jeff Khan	....	stand-by crew
Pat Lynch	....	stand-by crew
Kieron Mcnamara	....	chargehand propman (as Kieron Macnamara)
Simon Murton	....	sketch artist
Mark Raggett	....	assistant art director
Peter Rutherford	....	production buyer
Tony Strong	....	scenic artist
Sid Sutton	....	graphic designer
Bill Wolohan	....	stand-by crew

Sound Department
Bill Barringer	....	assistant sound editor
Gerry Bates	....	sound assistant
Joe Gallagher	....	assistant sound editor
Derek Holding	....	dialogue editor
Gerry Humphreys	....	dubbing mixer: Twickenham Film Studios
Colin Miller	....	sound editor
Robin O'Donoghue	....	dubbing mixer: Twickenham Film Studios
Trevor Pyke	....	re-recording mixer
Guido Reidy	....	boom operator
Bryan Tilling	....	effects editor
Bruce White	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
David Scholefield	....	special effects assistant
Ian Scoones	....	special effects supervisor
Andrew Thompson	....	special effects technician
Chris Verner	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Ray Caple	....	matte artist
Tony Willis	....	effects cameraman (uncredited)

Stunts
Eddie Stacey	....	stunt coordinator
Terry Walsh	....	stunt coordinator
Bill Weston	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
James Ainslie	....	focus puller
Mike Andrews	....	camera grip
Roger Deakins	....	camera operator
John Haylen	....	chargehand electrician
John Higgins	....	chief electrician
Michael James	....	chargehand electrician
Dick Pope	....	camera operator: second unit
Sarah Quill	....	still photographer
Andrew Speller	....	camera operator: second unit
Andrew Speller	....	senior focus puller
Phil St. John	....	supervising rigger
Fraser Taggert	....	clapper loader (as Fraser Taggart)

Casting Department
Jane Arnell	....	assistant casting director

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John Brady	....	wardrobe supervisor
Cynthea Dowling	....	wardrobe assistant
Philippe Pickford	....	wardrobe supervisor
Noel Radford	....	wardrobe assistant
Colin Wilson	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Nicolette Bolgar	....	assistant editor
Neil Farrell	....	assistant editor
Nicolas Gaster	....	associate editor
Simon Harris	....	assistant editor
Éva Martin	....	assistant editor (as Eva Martin)
Polly Moseley	....	associate editor

Music Department
Dick Lewzey	....	mixer: CTS Studios

Other crew
Beryl Brown	....	assistant accountant
Lynne Buckley	....	unit nurse
Simon Cellan Jones	....	production runner (as Simon Cellan-Jones)
Paul Collard	....	original research: Kay Laboratories
David Corke	....	rat handler
Richard Craven	....	location manager
Robin Dalton	....	project development
Mary Davies	....	assistant to producer
Jonathan Gems	....	additional script material
John Hemmings	....	laboratory executive: Kay Laboratories
Sandra Nixon	....	cashier
Sarah O'Brien	....	production assistant
Sarah Rains	....	cutting room runner
Jack Ross	....	crowd coordinator
Jack Smith	....	production accountant
Charles Staffell	....	technical supervisor
Rebecca Starr	....	accounts secretary
Sue Sudbury	....	film researcher
Ann Tasker	....	unit publicist
Margaret Waldie	....	continuity: second unit
Margaret Waldie	....	production coordinator
Gerard Wall	....	floor runner
Ene Watts	....	continuity

Thanks
Richard Burton	....	acknowledgment: with love and admiration
Burton W. Kanter	....	special thanks
Gina Rosenblum	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Umbrella-Rosenblum Films Production
• Virgin

Distributors

• Atlantic Releasing Corporation (1984) (USA) (theatrical)
• Norstar Releasing (1985) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Senator Film (1984) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Image Entertainment (1985) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• International Video Entertainment (IVE) (1996) (USA) (VHS)
• Lume Filmes (2009) (Brazil) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Germany) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Roadshow Home Video
• Top Tape (Brazil) (VHS)
• USA Home Video (II) (1985) (USA) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Airstrip One Company, The  soundtrack album (1999)

Also Known As:

1984 (UK) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 (1984) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 (f) | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Filming Locations:

Alexandra Palace Way, London, England, UK

Company:

Umbrella-Rosenblum Films Production

Trivia:

Executive Producer Marvin J. Rosenblum, a Chicago lawyer, secured the film rights to the novel from Orwell's widow, Sonia Brownell, shortly before she died in 1980. It took a lot of persuading on Mr. Rosenblum's part before Mrs. Orwell eventually agreed to allow him to produce the film only under the stipulation that no futuristic sci-fi special effects be used to tell the story. Mrs. Orwell was said to have hated the 1956 version of "Nineteen Eighty-four" starring Edmond O'Brien and Jan Sterling. She was also appalled when David Bowie proposed turning "Nineteen Eighty-four" into a rock musical in the mid-1970s.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Winston and Julia are together in the room upstairs for the second time, Julia asks Winston what time the clock says. He responds that it is 21 hours, or 9pm. When Julia leaves and Winston picks up the glass ball off the table, the clock behind it says 2:30.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Big Brother: [voiceover] This is our land. A land of peace and of plenty. A land of harmony and hope. This is our land. Oceania. These are our people. The workers, the strivers, the builders. These are our people. The builders of our world, struggling, fighting, bleeding, dying. On the streets of our cities and on the far-flung battlefields. Fighting against the mutilation of our hopes and dreams. Who are they?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Remington Steele: Cast in Steele (#3.9)" (1984)

Soundtrack:

Julia

Comments on Comments

I really have only one thing to comment on. Most of the other reviewers have stated just about everything about this wonderfully gritty, dark, foreboding movie that still remains an eerie parallel to our lives today, especially in the last 2 years...

But I'm confused by the number of people who have commented that claim to be put off by "the gratuitous nudity" by the two characters of Winston and Julia. Given the fact that everything in this society--waking up, food, habits, desires, work, workers, even the underwear and overalls--is so uniform, has it occurred to viewers that being nude was the only link to identity that these characters had? Everything in their world depends, thrives on sameness. Without clothes, everyone is unique. The two lovers were already in dire conditions by committing the sin of feeling for another human being, let alone carnally but in the heart. And they had to deceive and pretend and go through the motions of the dutiful cogs in the Big Brother wheel. But their only shared peace and comfort was their sacred time alone, and in love. They had finally found their own identities through loving each other. Their nudity was merely symbolic of that. In that sense, their union and expressions of that union only becomes more fragile, beautiful and honest, in such a heartless, cold, indifferent world.

May that be truly said of us, and all of us...

OK, that out of the way...one of the most gritty, realistic, honest translations ever to grace the screen. Wouldn't have changed a thing. Highly, highly recommended, along with the original 1955 version of "Animal Farm". Perfect double-feature for a somber, thoughtful evening's viewing.