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IMDbPro

1984

Original title: Nineteen Eighty-Four
  • 19841984
  • RR
  • 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
74K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,381
203
John Hurt, Bob Flag, and Suzanna Hamilton in 1984 (1984)
Trailer
Play trailer3:00
1 Video
71 Photos
DramaSci-Fi
In a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.In a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.In a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
74K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,381
203
    • Michael Radford
    • Michael Radford
    • George Orwell(novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four")
  • Stars
    • John Hurt
    • Richard Burton
    • Suzanna Hamilton
    • Michael Radford
    • Michael Radford
    • George Orwell(novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four")
  • Stars
    • John Hurt
    • Richard Burton
    • Suzanna Hamilton
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 272User reviews
    • 76Critic reviews
    • 67Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award

    Videos1

    1984
    Trailer 3:00
    Watch 1984

    Photos71

    John Hurt and Bob Flag in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton and Andrew Wilde in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton and John Hurt in 1984 (1984)
    John Hurt in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton in 1984 (1984)
    John Hurt and Suzanna Hamilton in 1984 (1984)
    John Boswall and Pip Donaghy in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton and John Hurt in 1984 (1984)
    John Hurt and Suzanna Hamilton in 1984 (1984)
    John Hurt and Pip Donaghy in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton and John Hurt in 1984 (1984)
    Richard Burton and John Hurt in 1984 (1984)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Hurt
    John Hurt
    • Winston Smith
    Richard Burton
    Richard Burton
    • O'Brien
    Suzanna Hamilton
    Suzanna Hamilton
    • Julia
    Cyril Cusack
    Cyril Cusack
    • Charrington
    Gregor Fisher
    Gregor Fisher
    • Parsons
    James Walker
    • Syme
    Andrew Wilde
    Andrew Wilde
    • Tillotson
    David Trevena
    • Tillotson's Friend
    David Cann
    • Martin
    Anthony Benson
    • Jones
    Peter Frye
    • Rutherford
    Roger Lloyd Pack
    Roger Lloyd Pack
    • Waiter
    Rupert Baderman
    • Winston Smith as a Boy
    Corinna Seddon
    • Winston's Mother
    Martha Parsey
    • Winston's Sister
    Merelina Kendall
    Merelina Kendall
    • Mrs. Parsons
    P.J. Nicholas
    • William Parsons
    Lynne Radford
    • Susan Parsons
      • Michael Radford
      • Michael Radford
      • George Orwell(novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In poor health during most of the filming, Richard Burton had great difficulty remembering his lines and sometimes had to film a scene dozens of times before he could get it right. The scene in O'Brien's apartment where he is talking to Winston about Goldstein's book took a record of forty-one takes for Burton to say his speech without fumbling his lines.
    • Goofs
      After the rack torture scene, O'Brien removes Winston's front tooth. Later, in the rat mask torture scene, his tooth is back again. (In the book, Winston is given dentures after O'Brien pulled the tooth, but this was not explained in the movie.)
    • Quotes

      Winston Smith: [reads from Goldstein's book] "In accordance to the principles of Doublethink, it does not matter if the war is not real, or when it is, that victory is not possible. The war is not meant to be won. It is meant to be continuous. The essential act of modern warfare is the destruction of the produce of human labor. A hierarchical society is only possible on the basis of poverty and ignorance. In principle, the war effort is always planned to keep society on the brink of starvation. The war is waged by the ruling group against its own subjects. And its object is not victory over Eurasia or Eastasia, but to keep the very structure of society intact." Julia? Are you awake? There is truth, and there is untruth. To be in a minority of one doesn't make you mad.

    • Crazy credits
      The movie begins with the title, "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."
    • Alternate versions
      From director of photography Roger Deakins: "Be careful which '1984' you watch as some do not have the 'Bleach Bypass' effect built in. As the effect was done on all the prints, the IP and subsequent INs do not reflect the intended look of the film."
    • Connections
      Featured in Eurythmics: Sexcrime (Nineteen Eighty-Four) (1984)
    • Soundtracks
      Oceania,'Tis For Thee
      Music by Dominic Muldowney

      Lyrics by Jonathan Gems

      Sung by the London Voices, directed by Terry Edwards

      Soprano soloist: Sally Mates

      Contralto soloist: Linda Hirst

      Conducted by Dominic Muldowney

    User reviews272

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Accurate and powerful rendering of a timely piece of work
    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 relevant 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.
    helpful•99
    26
    • alainenglish
    • Sep 18, 2002

    FAQ5

    • What is a Proletariat?
    • What is the significance of the "Oranges and Lemons" poem?
    • Is Julia a member of the Thought Police?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 22, 1985 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Battersea Power Station, Battersea, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Virgin
      • Umbrella-Rosenblum Films Production
      • Virgin Benelux
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 53 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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