Nineteen Eighty-Four

Nineteen Eighty-Four - 1984 | 110 mins | Science-Fiction, Drama | Colour

The Production Team

Director: Michael Radford.
Producer: Simon Perry.
Script: Michael Radford and Jonathan Gems. (from the George Orwell novel 1984)
Cinematography: Roger Deakins.
Special Effects: David Scholefield, Ian Scoones, Andrew Thompson and Chris Verner.
Production Design: Allan Cameron.
Editing: Tom Priestley.
Art Direction: Martyn Hebert and Grant Hicks.
Costume Design: Emma Porteus.
Make-up: Anna Dryhurst, Paula Gillespie, Mary Hillman, Stephanie Kaye and Debbie Scragg.
Sound: Bill Barringer, Gerry Bates, Joe Gallagher, Derek Holding and Colin Mille.
Original Music: Annie Lennox, Dominic Muldowney and David A. Stewart.

The Cast

John Hurt - Winston Smith
Richard Burton - O'Brien
Suzanna Hamilton - Julia
Cyril Cusack - Charrington
Gregor Fisher - Parsons
James Walker - Syme
Andrew Wilde - Tillotson

Plot Synopsis

Director Michael Radford’s faithful attempt at bringing George Orwell's 1984 to the big screen captures the grim mood of the fascist government, but perhaps stays too faithful to the classic novel. The film was Richard Burton's final role.

Set in the totalitarian state of Oceania, this is story of citizen Winston Smith (John Hurt), a bureaucratic bookkeeper whose job it is to erase certain people from existence and rewrite history for the government. Big Brother, the autocratic symbol of an oppressive regime that has forbidden such things as freethinking, expression, and sex. Winston breaks the law by becoming involved in an illicit love affair with Ministry of Truth worker Julia (Suzanna Hamilton). Unfortunately for Winston, a high-ranking member of the government, O'Brien (Richard Burton), who has looked upon him as a protégé, discovers the rebellion. Winston is imprisoned by the Thought Police, tortured and brainwashed into a system of belief that he loves the State.