1984

As we all know and as usual George Orwell's book 1984 is always listed in most everyone's top favorite books. The book is an astonishingly shocking look into what Orwell thought that the future held and to my freight I could see bits and pieces out of the book that had actually happened with similar occurrences in real life today. One of them being the idea of using children as 'spies'. according to an article I read, UK children were going to be shown a video on how to spot a terrorist when they see one so they can report them to the authorizes. The book is nothing short of a masterpiece and the only reason I think a film was made out of the book is usually so they can get people to read the book or, at least that's what I try to tell myself. But, as always it's usually hard to take such a controversial and compelling book and make it into film.

In a totalitarian government run future, the people of what use to be called, Europe, now Oceania, has been waging war against Eurasia. The crumbling population of London are left to work under war conditions with rations and curfews while the Ministry of Truth and the poster boy for the ministry, Big Brother, keep an open eye on their every detail. and the Ministry of Truth watches their every move to make sure there is no traitor amidst in their numbers. Winston Smith (John Hurt) is one of the working few that keep the system going strong in it's everyday routine. Winston follows along with the daily routine as though he is a supporter of the Ministry and an ally of Oceania but, inside his soul is wrenched in turmoil and hatred towards Big Brother and the Ministry documenting everything in his journal that he bought of a antiques launderer. Winston starts to become what is called a 'thought-criminal'. One day, Winston begins to a notice a young woman named Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) watching him and being in his area more and more often and thinks that she is a spy for the Thought Police and becomes paranoid and imagines killing her. The woman confronts Winston and slips him a concealed note spelling out the message, "I love you" and telling him where to meet her. The two meet face to face in a forest outskirts area meant for hiking and immediately make love. The two begin to fall in love and share deep thoughts with one another about their past, future ambitions, and the hate of the government they both share.

The film more or less plays out more fixated on the story of Winston and Julia than it actually digs into the main plot and meaning of that the book does. It more or less skims the surface of the message Orwell was wanting to get out. It only starts to become most psychological towards the ending of the film. Basically, in this case the book is a much stronger medium for what this story sends across to the one interested in it. It was a love story on top of the world George Orwell had created where as in the book, the love between Winston and Julia was like an act of anarchy and symbolism of real love that could still exist even in the bleakest hours of the human race. You felt more compelled and emotionally attached to Winston and Julia because it was more personal. The film even skipped over the more important aspects of the book that maybe would have shed some more light on the actually film for folks that didn't fully understand it. I know that some cases like with books such as Trainspotting, A Clockwork Orange, or the Shinning, it's an entirely different medium but, in the case of 1984 , it didn't work out. I honestly think the film adaptation of Animal Farm was better than this one. Some of the images they brought to life like the ever watchful eyes of Big Brother was a definite good touch but the rest was just a failed 80s grit film attempt to make another forgettable piece of work.

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