Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
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A man struggles to maintain his sanity and identity in a totalitarian superstate where every thought is monitored.
The story
In a dystopian 1984, Winston Smith endures a squalid existence in the totalitarian superstate of Oceania under the constant surveillance of the Thought Police. He resides in London, the capital city of the territory of Airstrip One, and works at the Ministry of Truth, rewriting history as dictated by the Party and its leader, Big Brother. While his co-worker seems content to follow the state's laws, Winston, haunted by memories and desires, keeps a secret diary of his private thoughts. His life changes when he is accosted by Julia, a bold-looking woman who works in the same ministry, and they begin an illicit affair.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the totalitarian state of Oceania, Winston Smith works at the Ministry of Truth, where he secretly records his thoughts in a diary. He begins an illicit affair with Julia, a fellow worker. They eventually move to a private flat where they share a life of relative freedom until they are betrayed by the owner and arrested by the Thought Police. Winston is taken to the Ministry of Love, where he is tortured by O'Brien, who uses the concept of doublethink to break his spirit. In Room 101, faced with his greatest fear—a cage of rats—Winston's resistance breaks, and he betrays Julia. He is released and eventually meets Julia again in a cafe; both have been 'rehabilitated' and are now shells of their former selves. The film ends with Winston, physically broken and mentally hollowed out, watching a broadcast of Big Brother while secretly whispering 'I love you' to Julia as he prepares for his eventual 'vaporization'.
- First release year
- 1984
- Runtime (minutes)
- 110
- Production countries
- United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Michael Radford
- Writers
- Michael Radford · writer
- Cast and characters
- John Hurt · Winston Smith; Richard Burton · O'Brien; Suzanna Hamilton · Julia; Cyril Cusack · Mr. Charrington; Gregor Fisher · Parsons; James Walker · Syme; Andrew Wilde · Tillotson; Merelina Kendall · Mrs. Parsons
- Genres
- dystopian; science fiction; drama
- Themes
- Totalitarianism; Surveillance; Individualism; Censorship
- Tone and mood
- Bleak; Dystopian
- Setting
- A dystopian 1984 in the superstate of Oceania, specifically in London (Airstrip One).
- Premise and plot tags
- Dystopian; Political Drama; Surveillance
- Source material / true-story basis
- George Orwell's 1949 novel
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, who specifically praised the cinematography and the use of the bleach bypass technique.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 76% · scale: percentage · review count: 33; Metacritic · score: 67 · scale: 100 · review count: 8
- Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award · Best Art Direction · 1985 · Nomination; Evening Standard British Film Award · Best Film · Win; Evening Standard British Film Award · Best Actor · Win; Golden Tulip Award · Istanbul International Film Festival · 1985 · Win
- Production trivia
- Richard Burton's last screen appearance; Use of bleach bypass technique
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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