Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

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

Director:

Michael Radford

Writers:

George Orwell (novel), Michael Radford

Stars:

John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Rupert Baderman	...	Winston Smith as a Boy
Corinna Seddon	...	Winston's Mother
Martha Parsey	...	Winston's Sister

Storyline

In the year 1984, rocket bombs and rats prey on the inhabitants of the crumbling metropolis of London. Far away on the Malabar Front, a seemingly interminable war rages against Eastasia. The Ministry of Truth broadcasts ceaselessly to the population via its inescapable network of telescreens. These devices, which pervade all aspects of peoples' lives, are also capable of monitoring their every word and action. They form part of an elaborate surveillance system used by the Ministry of Love, and its dreaded agents the Thought Police, to serve their singular goal: the elimination of 'thoughtcrime'. Winston Smith is a Party worker - part of the vast social caste known as the Outer Party, the rank and file of the sprawling apparatus of government. Winston works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth - the section charged with modifying historical news archives for consistency. When by chance Winston uncovers incontrovertible proof that the Party is lying, he embarks on a ...

---

Plot Keywords:

female nudity | dystopia | pneumatic tube | totalitarianism | helicopter | 

---

Taglines:

2+2=5

---

Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 March 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

1984

Filming Locations:

RAF Hullavington, Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£3,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$8,400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Umbrella-Rosenblum Films Production, Virgin Benelux, Virgin Schallplatten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song "Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree" was based on an old English song called "Go no more a-rushing". The song was published as early as 1891. The song was a popular camp song in the 1920s, sung with corresponding movements. Glenn Miller recorded the song in 1939.

---

Goofs

At the end of the movie, Winston is sitting in the Chestnut Tree Café (acute accent over the e). In the book (before there were accent marks), it was Cafe. Also, given what society was like in movie, Café feels wrong.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Big Brother: [voice-over] 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?

---

Crazy Credits

After the end credits finish and the screen goes black, the monotonous end-title music keeps droning on for nine more minutes.

---

Connections

Referenced in Are You Being Served?: Big Brother (1974)

---

Soundtracks

Julia
Written & Performed by The Eurythmics
(VHS version only)

User Reviews

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.