by Jon Partridge
“War is peace Freedom is slavery
Ignorance is strength.”
Dystopic societies are all the rage these days, from the best film of 2015 (Mad Max: Fury Road) to its dominance of the YA market (The Hunger Games, Divergent the Divergenting) and even our TV stations (Colony, The Walking Dead, Battlestar Galactica, The Man in the High Castle). Hell, even Trump is leading in the GOP nominee polls, how much more dystopic can this country get? It seems fitting then that Twilight Time has recently released the granddaddy…or more accurately the “Big Brother” of dystopic cinema, 1984.
An adaptation of George Orwell’s seminal book, 1984 offers a bleak took at a possible future. Oceania is a military state, forever at war, keeping the masses under the thumb. People live in squalor, stripped of their individuality and free thought, loyalty to the state revered above all else. Government agents and monitoring devices ensuring this all in the name of the overseer, Big Brother. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a low level employee at the Ministry of Truth, tasked with updating “Newspeak” stories and records to better reflect the changing whims of the government. One day he finds a blank diary, which soon becomes an outlet for his repressed thoughts. This “thoughtcrime” goes further when he encounters Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a woman similarly inclined to rebel against the restrictions of the state. They begin a love affair but in this time and place, nothing escapes the watchful eye of Big Brother.
1984 was as much about the time it was written as it was a prescient look at the future, stemming from Orwell’s experiences in post-World War II England; a bleak time when darkness, desolation, and uncertainty still pervaded that part of the world. It wasn’t so much science fiction as an exaggeration, a commentary on the era and direction Orwell saw the state was heading in. In this way it is startlingly prescient and offers a chilling warning even today, about how a government can adopt totalitarian aspirations and whip up fears to tighten their grip on a society. Sound familiar to anyone?
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face — forever.”
The setting is a region of Oceania that was formerly the British Isles is now know as ‘Airstrip One’, reflecting its status as a military complex. The land is subjected to the constant broadcasting of victories and defeats against whomever the country is at war with that week. Fear ensures loyalty; emotion is only stirred by the propaganda-heavy announcements to the poor huddled masses. “The Party” and its all-seeing, all-powerful dictator Big Brother, his visage peering down from every room in every building, have broken the people in every conceivable sense. Winston’s job, redacting history to more accurately represent the current state of affairs within the regime, includes removing people from documents and photos after they have fallen out of favor. Another measure of control, The Party changes the past to tighten their grip on the future. Perhaps it is this insight into their fallibility that sends Wilson down his path of thoughtcrime, rebelling against the totalitarian state.
The plot is gripping enough, but the world Orwell sculpted is what ensures its legacy, permeating the cultural consciousness and English language. You are dropped into a fully formed land, which only adds to the fascination. While intended to be set in the future, the film adopts a retro design; grays and blues dominate, deprived of all warmth, embracing the feel of dereliction and stagnation with lingering remnants of older technologies to reflect that this advanced society has gone backwards in many ways. The success of the adaptation goes beyond the production design, with much resting on the talents of John Hurt. He gives a magnificent performance, beaten down but not broken, resolute and eventually liberated before the final act comes crashing down on him. Hamilton shows a conviction to match, and her fiery Julia is the perfect thing to help fan the flame of rebellion in Hurt’s Winston. Richard Burton, here in his final film role, brings the gravitas and intrigue necessary for O’Brien, a high ranking party official who may or may not be a fellow enemy of the state.
1984 was filmed and released just prior to Brazil, another peak in dystopic cinema. It lacks the imaginative flourish of that film, adopting a more grounded approach, as pessimistic as it is prescient. But both deliver a bleak stomach punch, a warning of the dangers of the unchecked power of a government. While in each case the endings are not upbeat, they are necessary to drive home the real message. Don’t rebel later, act now, before it’s too late.
THE PACKAGE1984 is a film shot in a bleak way, lacking saturation and taking on a grainy feel. The transfer respects this and is beautiful, in that bleak way. It shows good detail, textured with no noticeable artifacts or problems. Roger Deakins’ cinematography has never looked so good.
Special features are sadly limited to two trailers and the customary isolated score track, but with a difference. Fans of the film will know that an original orchestral score accompanied the film, crafted by composer Dominic Muldowney under instruction from director Michael Radford. This music was looked upon unfavorably by financiers Virgin films, who commissioned a synth-heavy score by pop group the Eurythmics which was added for the film’s release. Thanks to Twilight Time, you can have it either way! #TeamMuldowney.
THE BOTTOM LINE1984 is one of the greatest novels of our time and this adaptation is a near perfect realization of Orwell’s vision. Twilight Time’s release is a no-brainer for addition to your collection. Even if you think you’re unfamiliar with the film, you aren’t, its influence is felt in not only movies being released today but pop culture and even our common vernacular. A welcome re-release of a resonant classic.
1984 is available now from Twilight Time in a Limited Edition release of 3,000 units.