1984 (1956)

In a totalitarian future society, Winston Smith, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

George Orwell (freely adapted from the novel by: "1984"), William Templeton (screenplay) (as William P. Templeton)

Stars:

Edmond O'Brien, Michael Redgrave, Jan Sterling

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Edmond O'Brien	...	Winston Smith of the Outer Party
Michael Redgrave	...	O'Connor of the Inner Party
Jan Sterling	...	Julia of the Outer Party
David Kossoff	...	Charrington the Junk Shop Owner
Mervyn Johns	...	Jones
Donald Pleasence	...	R. Parsons (as Donald Pleasance)
Carol Wolveridge	...	Selina Parsons
Ernest Clark	...	Outer Party Announcer
Patrick Allen	...	Inner Party Official
Ronan O'Casey	...	Rutherford
Michael Ripper	...	Outer Party Orator
Ewen Solon	...	Outer Party Orator
Kenneth Griffith	...	Prisoner (as Kenneth Griffiths)

Storyline

In a futuristic, state-run society controlled by "Big Brother" in which love is outlawed, employee of the state Winston Smith falls for Julia, and is tortured and brainwashed for his crime.

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Plot Keywords:

future | big brother | communist dictatorship | orwellian | dystopia | 

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Taglines:

Tense! Terrifying! Terrific!

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

September 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

1984

Filming Locations:

UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Holiday Film Productions Ltd.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In PR and other cast lists the character that Patrick Allen plays is listed as playing Inner Party Official, but in production paperwork he is called Faber.

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Alternate Versions

There are reportedly two endings to this film. The UK version ends with a defiant Winston Smith and Julia being executed by the authorities. The US version is more faithful to Orwell's book and concludes with Winston and Julia being brainwashed into becoming loyal followers of "Big Brother."

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood and the Stars: The Angry Screen (1964)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No.9 Fourth Movement
(uncredited)
Music by Ludwig van Beethoven

User Reviews

A Cold War 1984

It's been too long since I read the book, so I'm just concerned with the movie as a movie. And what a downer the 90-minutes is for the generally sunny 1950's. Hard to think of a grimmer storyline or more downbeat ending for that period. I take the film's anomalous presence as a useful Cold War commentary on the Soviet Union, the rivalry then at its peak.

Anyhow, the sets are grim, even the one outdoor scene is drained of any natural beauty, while the photography remains dull gray, as it should be given the dystopian subject matter. Then too, the two leads, O'Brien and Sterling, are not exactly marquee names. However, they are excellent actors, as the storyline requires—you don't want "movie stars" competing with the plot-heavy symbolism. In short, the production, though clearly economical, is pretty uncompromising.

Story-wise we're plunged into the middle of the dystopian society without much explanation of how it got that way or why. Instead, the narrative emphasizes the tools of thought control among Party members, who are subjected to all sorts of thought conditioning techniques, such as the histrionic hate sessions. Just how the non-party people live is not really portrayed. However, love may be forbidden among Party members, but I doubt that it was among the common people, otherwise how would re-population take place.

Besides dwelling on Winston's (O'Brien) efforts at contacting the political underground, the script dwells on the forbidden love affair between Winston and Julia (Sterling). And I had to laugh when Julia sheds her shapeless Party uniform for a flowing white gown right out of the Loretta Young Show of the time. This may be the movie's one concession to 1950's norms. The film does manage a few twists, one of which I didn't see coming. But, if I have one complaint, it's that Redgrave's high Party official lacks subtlety, in pretty much a one-note performance. This can be seen as a defect if you think about his official's changing roles.

Anyway, the film remains a visual oddity for then as well as now. However, its thought- control message, though crudely put, may be more relevant in our digitalized age than it was then. At the same time, this is one of the few subjects that I think needs a bigger budget remake to do it justice. I haven't seen the latest remake from 1984, so I can't comment on its worth. All in all, this version maintains a grimly narrow, but thought-provoking focus.

(In passing—having seen the movie on first release, I seem to remember the "rat cage" sequence as being longer, more detailed with glowing eyes, and much scarier than my DVD version. But then that was well over 50-years ago.)