In 1932 Aldous Huxley released a confused and naive social rant that gathered what are now considered the worst gimmicks and cliches of science fiction into a single book. 66 years later, Mazur and Tausik managed to assemble that book's characters and a few of its more credible ideas into a worthwhile story. Huxley's book was obsessed with the social effects of what he perceived to be the advent of factory production (actually, it was 300 years old at the time). The movie's focus is instead on the interplay between pop culture, politics, and social relations. The movie premiered in the year of the Lewinsky scandal, and the scandal of the Hatcheries Director is presented with obvious references to the real media's unrealistic expectations of public figures ("How could someone in his position be allowed to have a baby!"). In the book John was portrayed as an Indian, but here he is from a trailer park, and this allows Mazur & Tausik to explore class prejudice. As in the book, everyone is pigeonholed into a rigid social class from birth. John doesn't fit the mold; he is poor but intelligent and doesn't want any part of your brave new world, thanks. The press are baffled that anyone would question massive social planning as the solution to everything, and they don't know what to do with John except make him a gossip and parody piece. There is a clear analogy to today's national press, based in metropolitan cities where non-urbanites are often viewed with contempt.
There is plenty more that speaks to the present day. Bernard Marx has an run-in with a disgruntled Delta who "goes postal." In an encounter between John and Mustapha Mond, the latter reveals that (unlike in the book) classical literature isn't forbidden at all; people simply don't read it because the culture doesn't equip them to understand it.
The strength of this adaptation rests on the fact that it is examining a real social trend, the development American baby-boomer culture. Nearly all of Huxley's gimmicks (including the nursery rhymes and the absurd Henry Ford cult) are gone. The result, unlike the book, is a social commentary that matters.
There is plenty more that speaks to the present day. Bernard Marx has an run-in with a disgruntled Delta who "goes postal." In an encounter between John and Mustapha Mond, the latter reveals that (unlike in the book) classical literature isn't forbidden at all; people simply don't read it because the culture doesn't equip them to understand it.
The strength of this adaptation rests on the fact that it is examining a real social trend, the development American baby-boomer culture. Nearly all of Huxley's gimmicks (including the nursery rhymes and the absurd Henry Ford cult) are gone. The result, unlike the book, is a social commentary that matters.
Tell Your Friends