On N List of Movie Reviews
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Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
4/16
4/16:
How fitting it is for the producers to release Nineteen Eighty-Four during the year of *drum roll* 1984.
I bet they were salivating over it by going, "This is going to be awesome." Anyway, I like George Orwell's book, and in
many ways, it's been prophetic. In fact, the big brother is already here as witnessed through the media, the government, and
the internet.
The film adaptation of the book is pretty good, too. It hits a lot of notes, and I'm pleased with the overall message.
However, a couple of points are docked from my intended rating for not wrapping things up in an energetic manner; instead,
it has left me sleepy.
John Hurt is perfect for the role, and he's able to convey a lot of emotions subtly. Because of his performance,
Nineteen Eighty-Four is more of a human than a robotic picture; in fact, if it's to be remade, what
John Hurt did will have been lost in translation due to inferior acting that pervades Hollywood nowadays.
It's shocking to see how dramatically changed Richard Burton is. He looks really old, and his health seems
precarious. He'll die of alcoholism two month afterwards at age 58. What a shame because Richard Burton, nominated for
seven Oscars and the best to hail from Wales, was one of the finest actors in cinema history.
All in all, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a landmark book, and the movie does a nice job of capturing it in spirit.