Nineteen Eighty-Four

Two things really impressd me about this movie: the print quality for a twenty year old film, and how faithful it was to the book. This is not a movie to start watching at 11:00 at night because it uses a very understated way of doing things. Nothing is big, everything is just there. This means, unless you've read the book, you need to really pay attention and think to grasp what's going on. I have read the book and, hence, was impressed by the faithfullness of the adaptation. I fell asleep for about 20 minutes in the second half and when I woke up I knew exactly what had happened and what would happen next. Since the book consists mostly of internal dialogue, flashback, and expose, the film version moves rather quickly through the physical happeneings with alot of voice over and a few lengthy monologues. Visually this is a counterpart to Brazil with predominant dark, drab colours and industrial setting. As a matter of story comparison where Brazil gave us the indominable human spirit amidst opression and decay, Nineteen Eighty-Four gives us the disintegrated remains of that human spirit. Really it's only a difference between the end of the characters' days. Where Sam Lowry successfully escaped into his fantasy by locking himself in his mind, Winston Smith fails to escape and is ruined.
In the end, watch this movie while you're quite awake, have a note pad, and be ready to discuss it afterwards. If you just kick back and relax, wating to be entertained, it's just not going to happen. In any case, read the book aswell. If you do the movie will make alot more sense.

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