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John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, Cyril Cusack, Gregor Fisher ... see more see more... , James Walker , Andrew Wilde , Rupert Baderman , Anthony Benson , David Cann , Peter Frye , John Golightly , Christine Hargreaves , Merelina Kendall , Janet Key , Phyllis Logan , Roger Lloyd Pack , Matthew Scurfield , Shirley Stelfox , David Trevena , Hugh Walters , Eddie Stacey , Bob Flag , Robert Putt , Rolf Saxon , Garry Cooper , Norman Bacon , John Boswall , Martha Parsey , John Hughes , Carey Wilson

Directed by British filmmaker Michael Radford, Nineteen Eighty-Four is the second film adaptation of the George Orwell novel. The film is set during April of 1984 in post-atomic war London, the capita... read more read more...l city of the repressive totalitarian state of Oceania. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government bureaucrat whose job is rewriting history and erasing people from existence. While his co-worker Parsons (Gregor Fisher) seems content to follow the state's laws, Winston starts to write in a secret diary despite the fact the "Big Brother" is watching everyone at all times by way of monitors. He silently suffers and tries to comprehend his oppression, which forbids individual human behaviors such as free thinking and sex. He meets Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), who works for the Ministry of Truth, and they engage in a stoic love affair. They are soon found out, and Winston is interrogated and tortured by his former friend O'Brien (Richard Burton in his final film appearance). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Flixster Users

69% liked it

53,037 ratings

Critics

79% liked it

14 critics

R, 2 hr.

Directed by: Michael Radford

Release Date: October 10, 1984

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DVD Release Date: March 4, 2003

Stats: 2,613 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,613)

  • theunknownhobo
    October 11, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    There are just some stories that are better left on paper. For all my love of Orwell (and believe me it runs deep) there was something sordid about watching some of my most beloved and loathed characters play out on the screen, however well the actors delivered on their end of th... read moree bargain. When it comes to something so utterly seperate from reality as 1984 is, I feel that it is better left in the minds of those who dare to imagine it rather than to have someone elses view imagined for you and played out on the screen. This will always be one of those "you need to read the book" kinda deals.
  • blkbomb
    September 28, 2011
    blkbomb
    O'Brien: Power is tearing human minds apart and putting them back together in new shapes of your own choosing. 

    "Big Brother is watching"

    1984 may be a great book, but as far as this movie goes; I didn't care for it at all. The only thing I liked about the movie was the always ... read moregreat Roger Deakins and his cinematography. Other than that I disliked everything about this movie. The interesting premise is ruined by scene after scene of dullness. It becomes so incredibly tiresome watching dull performances and listening to dull dialogue. 

    This is probably just a case of a book not translating well to screen. This story is better when read. On the screen, it comes off as uninteresting and boring, when in reality the concept could not be more interesting. I kind of had a feeling I wasn't going to like this movie after the first 20 minutes. The one thing the director did succeed in was making a bleak movie. Everything about it is bleak, even the filmmaking. 

    This is one of those movies that I just don't want to even think about watching again. It was just so hard to sit through. I can watch a movie that is slow as long as it is interesting. I can't watch a slow, boring, dull film that is a subpar recreation of a story I can get somewhere else. Watch it if you must, but don't say I didn't tell you so.
  • purplemegan
    September 18, 2011
    purplemegan
    It really didn't catch my attention at all. I remember liking the book a lot in high school but I just couldn't get into this movie.
  • fb1341085175
    June 9, 2011
    fb1341085175
    Competent but straightforward adaptation of one of my favourite novels. Makes me wonder what a more visionary director like Alan Parker or Terry Gilliam could have done with the material.
  • ajv2688
    January 17, 2011
    ajv2688
    A pretty good adaptation of Orwell's novel, but it's really boring for the most part, unfortunately. Still, it was really cool to see the story brought to life anyway.
  • DrBenway
    May 15, 2010
    DrBenway
    While no movie can replace Orwell's words, and his novel should be read first, director Michael Radford's version is worth your time. The faithful attempt at bringing George Orwell's 1984 to the big screen captures the grim world of a fascist government. Some arguments will say ... read morethe film is dated. I feel it's timeless. Nothing about the film gives away the date that it was made. Only the fact I know who John Hurt and Richard Burton are gives a hint to time period. If this film had been released today, it would be seen as a direct attack on the Bush Administration. It's almost difficult to think the film was about communism.

    1984 is a horror movie. True horror. The horror is the monster hidden in every form of government which not only wants to control over every action, but your every thought. Some governments have this horror under control more than others, but none are without it. This is George Orwell's warning. 1984 is one of the most depressing films I've ever seen. It's not for those who demand a good time or a happy ending. Richard Burton is as brutal and dry as they come and John Hurt in the lead role as Winston broke my heart. All this through the lens of cinematographer Roger Deakins.

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  • fb619846742
    August 20, 2009
    fb619846742
    A cold, harsh, unforgiving adaption of a classic novel. Hurt gives an internally scarred performance, a man torn between being a loyal citizen to his fascist nation, or pursuing a love interest that is strictly forbidden. It's not a pretty film to look at, but that's the point of... read more the story. If you get depressed easily, don't watch this movie, but if you like governmental thrillers in which the lead character actually is more human that superhero, you should like this.
  • mjgildea
    June 8, 2009
    mjgildea
    Concerning 1984, I hope the book is better than the movie. I will say for the movie that John Hurt and Richard Burton (in his last role) were amazing. Roger Deakins' cinematography was also top-notch to go along with a great soundtrack. I remember very little of the book (my last... read more and only attempt to make it through was junior year of high school) but I remember that it took the time to explain things the movie didn't bother with. I get the impression that you'd get the most out of the movie if you've read the book. I was kind of sick when I watched 1984 so I don't know if I was just generally out of it when I say the movie jumped around or if its just a crappy adaptation of the script. Either way its not a wasted watch...
  • matertenebraum
    May 29, 2009
    matertenebraum
    From the opening shot of "Nineteen Eighty Four" the viewer is plunged right into the hellhole of Oceania and the ultimate totalitarian nightmare. Whilst the year 1984 may be long past us, the essential themes of George Orwell's best known work still remain as timely and as releva... read morent as ever.

    Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a drone worker in the Bureau of Information, and his job is to edit the news in accordance with the needs of the governing Party (which is in continual, seemingly endless war with Eurasia and other opposing states). He must also refer to the dictionary of Newsspeak, which is the government's language for the distribution of information.

    He lives in a world where there is no escape from the authority of the government who regiment the every thought and deed of their subjects. The Party is steadily working on a way to outlaw the concept of the family and the idea of conception. This is done to eradicate Thoughtcrime and guarantee the worker's total devotion to the Party and its leader, Big Brother.

    Winston abides by this (recording his increasingly ambiguous thoughts about society in a hidden, handwritten diary) until he encounters Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), a strange young women with rebellious ideas, to whom he develops a powerful attraction. But their passionate, forbidden relationship cannot escape the all-seeing eyes of Big Brother.....

    Screenwriter Jonathan Gems has a done a terrific job with the script. He successfully translates Orwell's ideas to the screen with great clarity. Micheal Radford directs with subtlety around the greasy sets and crumbling locations (the picture was filmed in and around the very area in which Orwell set his novel).

    The performances from the chief principals are very strong. John Hurt is excellent as Winston, bringing a subtle and considerate approach to the character. Particularly disturbing is his final scenes, as he becomes gaunt and disfigured through government torture. Suzanna Hamilton is gentle and quirky as Julia and "Rab C Nesbitt" actor Gregor Fisher appears as Winston's ill-fated friend, Parsons.

    Veteran actor Richard Burton lends a cold charisma to government enforcer O'Brien and he too excels in the film's final moments, as he coolly and sadistically tortures Winston, subjecting him to severe physical pain to subdue him, casually pulling a tooth out of his rotting mouth, then exposing him to the horrors of Room 101, all the while exhorting obedience to the Party and love to Big Brother.

    The strong relevance of the concepts of "Nineteen Eighty Four" should not be underestimated. Whilst the term "Big Brother" is now synonymous with the ridiculous "reality" TV shows of the same name, others like the Two Minutes Hate (in which the workers are coerced, through a two-minute broadcast, into hating the enemies of the state); the idea of a government waging a perpetual war to advocate "peace" (especially relevant in the aftermath of September 11) as well as the editing of news and the abuse of language in order to suit the needs of government and disguise its true agendas are ideas that are chillingly present in today's society.

    All of this is powerful and thought-provoking stuff, and helps to make "Nineteen Eighty Four" an accurate and powerful rendering of a still very timely piece of work.
  • pier007
    February 14, 2008
    pier007
    Surprisingly good, and sadly underrated, take on George Orwell's seminal novel. great cinematography and art design. superbly played by John Hurt and Richard Burton, in his last screen role.

View All 1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Steve Crum
February 17, 2008
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com

Solid version of the famous sci-fi novel. Big Brother again rules.

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 22, 2004
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

A scary reminder of how easily totalitarian ideas and ideals crop up in societies and take fierce hold. Full Review

Alex Sandell
April 11, 2003
Alex Sandell, Juicy Cerebellum

Better than to be expected adaptation of the book. Not bad, but nothing worthy writing Big Brother about.

Larry Carroll
August 8, 2002
Larry Carroll, Countingdown.com

Slow moving and hard to follow. Not nearly as good as it should have been. Just go read the book instead.

Pablo Villaca
May 31, 2002
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

É bom ver o cinema cumprindo uma velha função que, às vezes, é esquecida: levar o espectador a refletir sobre si mesmo e sobre a sociedade em que vive.

Roger Ebert
October 23, 2004
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Vincent Canby
February 14, 2004
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Cole Smithey
November 14, 2007
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

Philip Martin
January 7, 2006
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Chuck O'Leary
October 9, 2005
Chuck O'Leary, Fantastica Daily

No review available.

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1984 (Nineteen Eighty-Four) Trivia

  • What film was based on the book 1984?  Answer »
  • What movie has the famous tagline "Big Brother is Watching You"?  Answer »
  • True or False: The movie "Nineteen Eighty-Four" was filmed in the year 1984 and some of the scenes were shot on actual dates noted in Winston Smith's diary from the novel of the same name.  Answer »
  • Big Brother, one of the best reality shows on British TV, the idea came from which film, based on the novel by George Orwelle?  Answer »
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