1984 (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 ...

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Plot Keywords:

bare breasts | female nudity | nudity | dystopia | pneumatic tube | 

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Taglines:

George Orwell's Terrifying Vision Comes To The Screen.

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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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)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,897, 16 December 1984, Limited Release

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

Michael Radford once said of this film: "There are attitudes of doublethink all around us. (George) Orwell pointed it out in a very extreme form. He was writing when the world had just experienced an upheaval from the Right (Nazism), but since then we have an upheaval from the Left (Soviet Communism), and now we can see both sides of it. What I have tried to do is tread a delicate path between satire and parody, and make it clear that Orwell was offering a vision of totalitarianism derived from the world he knew. The film is not a pseudo-documentary about what might happen if the Soviets took over Britain. At the bottom, 1984 is about a human being, and that's all. Orwell was a philosopher of human decency. There are no references to anything that happened after 1948. This is, in a sense, a period movie. I have tried to make the story utterly real, although the setting is utterly unreal. Everybody behaves as normally as possible, which produces a strange, surreal effect. That's how you feel when you read the book. I think this is the first ever naturalistic science fiction movie."

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Goofs

When the telescreen is broadcasting the news that Ogilvy has been awarded the order of Conspicuous Gallantry, the announcer says that Ogilvy has received the order for his actions against the forces of Eastasia. However, at that point of the movie Oceania is at war with Eurasia, not Eastasia.

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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?

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Crazy Credits

The movie begins with the title "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

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Alternate Versions

The original theatrical release was shown in desaturated color, enhancing the dystopian tone of the film. Later video and TV versions have been shown in truer, "natural" color.

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Connections

Referenced in The Argyle Machine

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Soundtracks

Sex Crime
Written & Performed by The Eurythmics

User Reviews

One of the great screen adaptations

Merely a few days after finishing my read of George Orwell's fantastic 1948 novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four", I was immediately keen on looking to rent the modern film version, "1984" - filmed, appropriately enough, not only during the actual YEAR of 1984, but also during the exact same short span of months that the story took place in. This, to me, is a prime example of perfect, and unbelievably well-timed, brilliance. A picture based on such complex, prophetic, and well-known material could have turned out to be a complete disaster (which it certainly had potential for, judging from the horrendous-looking DVD cover); thankfully, however, I was not disappointed.

"1984" is probably one of the most, if not THE most, masterful transitions from book to movie I have ever seen. Easily, its most impressive aspect was its phenomenal accuracy, attention to detail, etc. In other words, this film was FAITHFUL, in every sense of the word, to its source material. One can't give such a statement about films these days.

Amazing casting, terrific musical score, and mind-blowing sets, cinematography, and direction, "1984" is surely a unique treasure, and one that still retains the same timeless messages even decades since its release.