1984 (1956)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

George Orwell (novel)
Ralph Gilbert Bettison (writer) ...

Release Date:

September 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Will Ecstasy Be a Crime ...In the Terrifying World of the Future?

Plot:

George Orwell's novel of a totalitarian future society in which a man whose daily work is rewriting history tries to rebel by falling in love.

Plot Keywords:

Future | Big Brother | Brainwashing | 1980s | Dystopia

Cast

Edmond O'Brien	...	Winston Smith
Michael Redgrave	...	Gen. O'Connor
Jan Sterling	...	Julia
David Kossoff	...	Charrington the Junk Shop Owner
Mervyn Johns	...	Jones
Donald Pleasence	...	R. Parsons
Carol Wolveridge	...	Selina Parsons
Ernest Clark	...	Outer Party Announcer
Patrick Allen	...	Inner Party Official
Ronan O'Casey	...	Rutherford
Michael Ripper	...	Outer Party Orator
Ewen Solon	...	Outer Party Orator
Kenneth Griffith	...	Prisoner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anthony Jacobs	...	Telescreen (voice)

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16

Company:

Holiday Film Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

John Vernon's first TV role.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Martians and Us (2006) (TV)

Double good version of the Orwell classic

Dingy, atmospheric version of George Orwells tale concerning two citizens of the New World Order involved in illicit, illegal love. Nothing is pretty in this story, and perhaps O'Brian and Sterling are a bit long in the tooth for the characters the author had in mind, however the superb dramatizations overcome any casting mishaps. The story of life in a totalitarian society rings chillingly familiar today. And, in the conclusion, to quote the poet laureate of our times, Todd Rundgren "Winston Smith Takes it on the Jaw Again!"