This screen adaptation of George Orwell's famous novel 1984 was made for the BBC SUNDAY-NIGHT THEATRE show and scripted by QUATERMASS scribe Nigel Kneale. It's chiefly remembered today for being the production that catapulted star Peter Cushing to later fame as a Hammer Horror icon, as it got him the Frankenstein role in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. He's certainly impressive as Winston Smith, bringing a mix of steely inhumanity and deep-rooted thought and feeling. As for the production itself, it's a sterling piece of work, a little cheap and stagey by modern tastes - there's no disguising the "filmed play" feel. A sterling cast including fellow luminaries Andre Morell and Donald Pleasence help to bring the material to life, but overall it's Kneale who comes out the winner for successfully getting to the novel's icy heart.
Review of Nineteen Eighty-Four
