1984
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Movie Reviews of 1984
Movie Review: The Dead Who Have Yet To Be Born
Summary: 5 Stars
Or even better still, also read the book by George Orwell, an inspiring piece of worldly paranoia, that is truth, quoted well into the twenty first century as the future, and it is, not because mankind doesn't think it will ever go this way, but because we know full well we are, but somehow are allowing it to happen everyday. It is decentralization of power from the human being, in all aspects of one's life, to a higher power, a bigger cause, communism called the great Lucifer because all was given to the collective body and not to God, now God is the great Lucifer because we give ourselves to the collective body of something that we can not prove, so Science is the great Lucifer, producing weapons to kill the world a million times over, toxins to poison us a million times over, are all forms of giving to a collective body the nature of death? Is it the giving to a collective body that robs the soul of its power? Is it giving oneself wholly and utterly to something other than one's own self the conduit of decent into the investment of despair. 1984 sees men and women working their themselves to skin and bone to achieve a greater good that never emerges, the ultimate failings masked by a strict authoritative regime, BIG BROTHER, the power all seeing and ever controlling, rewriting history, editing the world around them, at war with this nation one minute and switching to another the next, neighbours up and vanish and protagonists invest in each other for but a fleeting glimpse of love only to be captured by the THOUGHT POLICE for engaging in illegal activity, men at the top of this society using torture and mind control to enforce a pathology of unquestionable and undeniable supremacy of all the power to the BIG BROTHER system, and that this is the system and that is why they are alive at all, at which point we question if it is worth living at all to which Orwell delivers a resounding, no, of course it is not worth living this life, why bother at all, and that this is a piece of work that must be understood by everyone and anyone who can read and is certainly mandatory reading for anyone in least bit interested in politics or political science.
Unfortunately however we tend to vote in military commanders, lawyers and extreme capitalists into government and then ask why it is all going down hill.
The problem is there is no terminology in the English language to describe the act of one human being killing their unborn future children by process of setting up a bad management system with a legal body incorporated into that system before they die. This prison kills, yet it is justified. 1984 is maybe that word, filicide being the closest English equivalent.
Movie Review: Incisive and haunting nightmare!
Summary: 5 Stars
In a future not so far there will be the Big Brother, the private eye of each one of us , controlling every little movement.
The liberties will be restricted. The free will be just an illusion. A totalitarian vision will build the basis for a new world. The triumph of the silent majority will impose and the thinking minorities will be sent to prison. The wise words of Henrik Ibsen will be an obsesive statement in your mind: the majority never owns the reason.
In middle of this horror atmosphere , there will be an outlaw who will defy the Status Quo.
Richard Burton I his last appearance shares honors with John Hurt in a tour de force dark and gloomy film.
Dazzling direction of Michael Radford!
Movie Review: An Underrated Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
I saw this film when it first came out in 1984 and was very impressed with it. It is probably the best film adaptation of a novel, ever. It captures all of the gloom, claustrophobia, and paranoia of Orwell's world perfectly. Each scene seems to jump right off the pages of the book. The casting was particularly good: John Hurt, Richard Burton, and Suzanna Hamilton each fit their roles like a glove. In fact, I recall reading the book for the first time in the early 1970's and imagining Richard Burton in the role of O'Brien: the role that he later played.
Having said this, I purchased the DVD version with some trepidation, as many of the Amazon.com reviews I had read complained about the substitution of a classical score for the original Eurythmics score, at the request of the director, Michael Radford. Having now seen both versions, I can say that I liked the Eurythmics score a little better. It created an edgy, surreal atmosphere which fit the story well, as everything in this world which Orwell created is a lie. However, the difference is minor: both scores are rather muted and subdued. Don't let the score substitution stop you from buying the DVD. I have always believed that this film has been underrated by critics and filmgoers alike. The principal criticism is that the film (especially the second half) is very bleak and depressing. As Orwell's story is about the dehumanization of individuals living under a Totalitarian Communist regime, I don't see how it could be anything but bleak! I applaud Michael Radford for staying true to Orwell's vision, and creating this great film. Imagine if 1984 were remade by Hollywood, today. Winston Smith would be played by Brad Pitt or perhaps Denzel Washington. Julia would be played by (who else?) Julia Roberts (No nudity: this would violate the actors contracts, earn an NC-17 rating, and offend the largely American audience). While in the Ministry of Love, Winston and Julia would wrestle automatic weapons away from their guards, and, after mowing down legions of stormtrooper-types would blow up the Ministry of Love and escape! Well...you get my point.
Movie Review: 1984 as an anti-American work
Summary: 4 Stars
I have read the novel more than four times and was eager to watch the movie. I guess that the movie was faithful to the original work of Orwell. there is no doubt that Orwell wrote the book to attack the totalitarian governments. During his lifetime Orwell saw such governments in USSR and aimed at criticizing the ploicies of totalitarian states. 1984 was a book to be pointed at if you liked to tell people to read something that highlights the individual as a helpless creature facing the tyranny of the state. But after USSR dissolved and USA became the only power in the world one can't help thinking about Lord Acton's words "power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absoluetly." The systematic process of brainwashing that is depicted in Orwell's 1984 is paralleled by the USA today:information distorted; American ideology justified (wars in the name of Christ and human rights); media is herded and is herding the masses..etc. The irony is that Orwell's 1984 was once used by capitalists and Americans to attack USSR and communism. Now, unfortunately, 1984 is a work that backfired the so called American civilized values. Movie Review: How freakin' DARE they??
Summary: 1 Stars
I've just read the reviews detailing how the woefully misguided director ruined an awesome adaptation of Orwell's classic novel by removing the Eurythmics soundtrack as well as making totally inappropriate stylistic changes to the look of the film. (A brightly lit 1984? How many ways can one say "bad idea"??) I refuse to buy this DVD and insist that the production company release a DVD that remains true to the VHS version.