X
- 1985
- R
- Atlantic Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
- 1985
- R
- Atlantic Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
Summary In a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.
Directed By: Michael Radford
Written By: George Orwell, Michael Radford
- 1985
- R
- Atlantic Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
- 1985
- R
- Atlantic Releasing
- 1 h 53 m
1984
67
6.0
Where to Watch
Summary In a totalitarian future society, a man, whose daily work is re-writing history, tries to rebel by falling in love.
Directed By: Michael Radford
Written By: George Orwell, Michael Radford
Where to Watch
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
67
38% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
63% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 8 Critic Reviews
67
38% Positive
3 Reviews
3 Reviews
63% Mixed
5 Reviews
5 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The 1954 film version of Orwell's novel turned it into a cautionary, simplistic science-fiction tale. This version penetrates much more deeply into the novel's heart of darkness.
Radford's 1984 is a time of relentless oppression in every corner of life, and his images -- corroded, soiled, darkly corrupted -- speak of Orwell as eloquently as the characters. [15 Mar 1985, p.D6]
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.0
59% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
24% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
17% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
User Score
Mixed or Average
Based on 29 User Ratings
6.0
59% Positive
17 Ratings
17 Ratings
24% Mixed
7 Ratings
7 Ratings
17% Negative
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
Excellent work and fantastic dedication to George Orwell masterpiece. Film can not never fully embrace frightening realism and pain of "1984", but with all limitations, it proved to be great.
Applaud to John Hurt and Richard Burton!
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This 1984 is not an easy film to watch, but it exerts a fascination that demands attention even as you want to turn away from it. That the Orwell tale still works so well - and this version works far better than the 1956 film adaptation - also makes it apparent that the novel was always more cautionary in its intentions than prophetic.
The look of the film certainly achieves the right rubble-strewn, monochrome period feel with precision and genuinely cinematic scope. Perhaps the greatest hurdle cleared, however, is the problem of incident. Radford's achievement is to have incorporated the impossible preaching and crazed ideas into the fabric with hardly any loose threads. The locations look very like modern Britain; and Burton at last found the one serious role for which he searched all his life.
The performances in the film are excellent, and its look is entirely appropriate and mesmerizing--but only for a while. The film's basic flaw is that it's just too painful, too depressing, and too slow to watch.
The movie stands simply as an artful adaptation, and not an altogether engaging one. The repeated scenes of the rallying mob, chanting and howling at Big Brother on the screen, soon grow tiresome; like everything about 1984, they seem redundant.
Important film/story overall, but poorly executed here.
Stick to the book. (if it isn't banned in the future)
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While "1984" is prescient, faithful to its novel and perfectly captures the feeling of helplessness in such type of regime, the film doesn't quite capture the character development and pacing of the novel that made it unputdownable.
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Well, the book may be iconic, idk, I nether read it. But the movie definetly isn't. There is no character development, no character background, no chracter anything. They could be replaced by potatoes and sticks and it wouldn't make a difference.
The whole movie in general becomes really tiresome real fast.
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Awards
Valladolid International Film Festival
• 2 Wins & 3 Nominations
Evening Standard British Film Awards
• 2 Wins & 2 Nominations
Fantasporto
• 1 Win & 2 Nominations
