1984

(1984) Written and directed by Michael Radford; Based on the novel Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell; Starring: John Hurt, Richard Burton, Suzanna Hamilton, Cyril Cusack and Gregor Fisher; Available on DVD

Rating: ****

“Winston, you were thinking that my face is old and tired. While I talk of power, I’m unable to prevent the decay of my own body. The individual is only a cell, Winston, and the weariness of the cell is the vigor of the organism.” – O’Brien (Richard Burton)

“Julia, there is truth and there is untruth. To be in the minority doesn’t make you mad.” – Winston Smith (John Hurt)

I’m elated to participate in the Regaling About RichardBurton Blogathon, a three-day celebration of one of cinema’s most esteemed thespians. Thanks to Gill Jacob from RealWeegieMidget Reviews for hosting this blogathon, and for being so flexible on the deadline (These days, if I’m not running behind, I’m not running at all). My selection is notable for two reasons: It was Burton’s last film, and the first in my month-long retrospective, Dystopian December. What better choice than director Michael Radford’s sobering adaptation of George Orwell’s classic novel?

1984’s totalitarian society is about as bleak as one might imagine. Instead of a slick future with gleaming skyscrapers, thriving citizens and sleek monorails, Oceania consists of old crumbling brick buildings amidst a barren landscape. Everything, including its residents, is in a state of entropy and decay. In the opening scene, the camera pans across a rally, filled with a sea of men and women in drab jumpsuits shouting in unison, as a united front against their sworn enemy, Eurasia (the boogeyman of the moment). The enemy is presented as a mindless being full of bloodlust, contrasted with the munificent leadership of Oceania and its virtuous citizens. A continuous stream of propaganda plays from television screens everywhere (the TV can’t be shut off or silenced), while the ubiquitous, enigmatic face of Big Brother watches over all. Roger Deakins’ cinematography sets the tone for the movie’s appearance. Everything has a grayish pall, with purposely desaturated colors that endow the film with an archival look.

Winston Smith (John Hurt), with his gaunt frame and pallid complexion, is the ideal resident for this grim, joyless world. His chronic cough (the product of some undisclosed affliction) only serves to remind us that malnutrition is rampant. He toils at the ironically named Ministry of Truth, where he endeavors with a team of co-workers in identical, cage-like cubicles, to re-invent history. After work, he chronicles his observations about Oceania’s ills in a secret diary. His life changes forever when he crosses paths with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton), one of the rally’s loudest participants. We soon learn that her apparent fervor is nothing more than a front for her quiet disobedience. They embark on an illicit relationship, finding love amidst the repressive society. Their brief romantic tryst is exemplified by a small artifact carried by Smith, a piece of coral, trapped in a glass sphere. It’s a relic from a bygone age, a thing of beauty, suspended in time and isolated from the ugliness of their present-day life.

Richard Burton captivates as Smith’s confidant-turned-interrogator, O’Brien.* Although Burton was in reportedly poor health during filming, he has a commanding presence in the film. The fact that he passed away after completing his role only adds a textural layer to his speech about the frailty of the individual. In hindsight, spoken by someone who knew that his days were numbered, he reinforces the concept that ideas are more enduring than people. Burton is so effectively chilling as O’Brien because he speaks with the conviction of someone who’s a true believer. He never raises his voice, even when he oversees Smith’s torture.** His deceptively gentle demeanor comes across as paternal, not as punishment, but from a place of love (for the state). Convincing Smith that he sees five fingers, even when he’s only holding up four, is nothing less than a vindication of the state over the individual.  

* Fun Fact: Some of the names considered for the role of O’Brien were Sean Connery, Rod Steiger, Marlon Brando (who wanted far in excess of the $80,000 the filmmakers were willing to offer), Alan Bates and Paul Scofield.

** According to Burton, “The director initially wanted me to make it more sinister, but you have to be your own man: I think it’s the lines and the situation that communicate evil.” (Source: New York Times article, “A Directors Vision of Orwell’s 1984 Draws Inspiration from 1948,” by Michael Billington)

Misdirection and contradiction are the status quo in Oceania. The government spin doctors create the illusion of a land of plenty and a content populace. Meanwhile the citizens are soothed by rallies and thrown scraps, while members of the leading class bask in relative luxury. Society remains perpetually at war, while the allies and opponents continually vacillate (Eurasia is replaced by Eastasia as the enemy du jour), effectively    steering the public’s attention from society’s problems. Enemies of the state are constantly invented and deleted. People are systematically added into and subtracted from society, as it suits the whims of the leadership. On a side note, this capricious element has always fascinated me. As the once lowly editor of a department newsletter, I always marveled at how an employee could be lauded one moment, only to leave the company and subsequently become an “unperson” the next, as if they never existed. Anyone who’s ever worked in a large corporation or organization will likely identify with the themes explored in 1984: the unsavory elements of groupthink, or the unquestioning acceptance of authority. Dissenting opinion is, more often than not, frowned upon, and anyone who opposes these contrary views is promptly brought into line or stamped out.

I normally don’t enjoy comparing the novel to the movie version – literature and film are distinctly different media. How one can be qualitatively “better” than another is beyond my comprehension. Much like A Clockwork Orange, so much of the book is about the warping of language, so in the process of transitioning from a medium of words to a visual medium, we merely get a sampling of the novel’s double-speak (“unperson,” “thought criminal,” “doubleplusgood,” etc…). The movie only scratches the surface of the written word and the innermost thoughts of Smith, but what we get is a visual distillation of the world that George Orwell envisioned. The true test of a film adaptation is if it captures the spirit of the book, and in this case, it succeeds admirably. 

1984 seems more prescient every day, as our society becomes more dependent on technology to do the thinking for us, and we gradually accept the twisting of language and facts. It’s not an easy watch, nor should it be. It’s a film destined to remain embedded in our consciousness and stir debate. How free are we when we so readily and blindly accept so much as fact, without critical scrutiny? The more we permit unchecked information to become ingrained in our culture, our world becomes more aligned with Orwell’s vision of distorted reality. This unrelenting, grim vision of society is more than a cautionary tale, but a window into the darker recesses of humanity.

November Quick Picks and Pans

Razorback (1984) Music video director Russell Mulcahy made his audacious feature film debut with this stylish tale of man against nature. An American TV journalist (Judy Morris) travels to a remote Australian town for her animal abuse investigation, where she’s met with hostility and indifference from the locals. After she vanishes without a trace, her fiancé flies out to find the answers, and finds himself face to face with a virtually unstoppable beast. Razorback might be described as Jaws on the outback, but that’s selling it short. The film has a flavor all its own, thanks to a script by Ozploitation auteur Everett De Roche (based on a novel by Peter Brennan), which raises the exploits of an oversized killer boar to mythical proportions. Dean Semler’s (The Road Warrior) stunning cinematography transforms the barren landscape into something from another planet, using red filters and exploiting the odd shapes of the desert terrain to great effect. A gore-streaked pet food plant, incorporating various critters scavenged from the wasteland, becomes a character itself. This film would be a great double feature with Wake in Fright, and likely crush any aspirations of visiting the outback.

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD

Something Weird (1967) This aptly named wonder (which inspired the eponymous video distributor) from low budget filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis contains the requisite stilted dialogue and cheap sets that Lewis is known for, but never fails to entertain. After an unfortunate run-in with a downed powerline, Mitch (Tony McCabe) ends up with a disfigured face, but is endowed with psychic abilities. He encounters a hideous witch (Mudite Arums) who can restore his appearance for a steep price – he’s bound to be her lover forever. She disguises her own appearance as his attractive young secretary (Elizabeth Lee), while he helps authorities search for a killer. One of the film’s highlights is a trippy orange-tinged LSD scene, simulating Mitch’s dalliance with LSD. If you’re tired of the same old stuff, give this a watch.

Rating: ***. Available on DVD

Terror Street (aka: 36 Hours) (1953) Dan Duryea stars as Major Bill Rogers, an American pilot on furlough in England. He returns to the flat that he shares with his wife (Elsie Albiin), only to discover that she’s left him. He tracks her down to another flat, where he finds her dead, and he’s the prime suspect. Now he has 36 hours to evade the authorities and solve the mystery before he’s arrested by British police or declared AWOL by the Air Force. He crosses path with dangerous con man Orville Hart (John Chandos), who’s masquerading as a government official.

This example of Hammer noir (a co-production from Anthony Hinds and Robert L. Lippert) is well paced, with an excellent performance by Chandos as the heavy and a satisfying conclusion in a shady import shop. Unfortunately, the film suffers from an unsympathetic protagonist who bullies everyone in sight, including a good-hearted social worker (Gudrun Ure). Rogers seems more interested in clearing his name than experiencing any semblance of grief over the death of his estranged wife. It’s worth a peek.

Rating: ***. Available on DVD

The Hunger (1983) Catherine Deneuve stars as Miriam Blaylock, a centuries-old vampire. She resides in New York with her husband John (David Bowie), who begins to undergo rapid aging. As John fades away, she takes interest in Dr. Sarah Roberts (Susan Sarandon), a young gerontologist. Deneuve is good as the seductive, enigmatic Miriam, who grooms Sarah to become her new life partner. It’s too bad the rest of the film succumbs to an excess of style instead of substance. The Hunger toys with the intriguing concept of vampirism as a cure for aging, but it’s far too interested in focusing on its self-absorbed characters and slick visuals. If nothing else, it’s a pretty looking exercise, and Deneuve is radiant in a role she seemed born to play.

 Rating: **½. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Amazon Video

Short Take: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

(1956) Directed by Don Siegel; Written by Daniel Mainwaring; Based on the novel The Body Snatchers by Jack Finney; Starring: Kevin McCarthy, Dana Wynter, Larry Gates, King Donovan, Carolyn Jones, Jean Willes and Ralph Dumke; Available on: Blu-ray (Olive Films) and DVD

Rating: ****

Note: This is a slightly expanded version of a capsule review that appeared on this blog several years back.

“…I have no recollection of any serious discussions taking place about what the film is about. To me, the film is about conforming… I said to myself that Jack Finney, who wrote the novel, was thinking about the fact that everybody started trying to be taught to do certain things, and the advertising agencies are responsible...” – Kevin McCarthy (from Blu-ray commentary track)

To date, there have been four film versions* of Jack Finney’s novel (which originally appeared as a serialized story through Collier’s Magazine), but the first is the most faithful to the source material. Kevin McCarthy stars as family doctor Miles Bennell, who watches as the residents of his small town become systematically replaced by emotionless duplicates. Filmed on a modest budget of $350,000, the Allied Artists (formerly Monogram Studios) production is big on performances and atmosphere. If ever there were a candidate for sci-fi noir, this would be it, with a man and woman running from authorities who are complicit in a shadowy conspiracy. As if to reinforce the point, the filmmakers recycled some footage from the Allied Artists film noir, The Big Combo.

* True confession: We are, to a greater or lesser extent, a product of our time, and I’m no exception. My favorite adaptation of Finney’s book is the 1978 remake, although the original is a very close second.

Olive Films outdid themselves with their Olive Signature Blu-ray edition of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. It boasts a solid lineup of features, including interviews with cast members and filmmakers that were inspired by the movie. A fun group of featurettes spotlight the Southern California locations where the movie was shot. But the crown jewel is the commentary track (one of two), recorded more than a decade ago, with filmmaker Joe Dante and stars Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter, providing illuminating stories about their early careers, along with their perspectives on making the film.

More than half a century after its cinematic debut, Invasion of the Body Snatchers remains as relevant as it was in 1956. Director Don Siegel and screenwriter Daniel Mainwaring set out to make a scary movie with no specific political or social ideology, which makes it applicable to multiple situations. One of the story’s lasting effects was adding the term “pod people” to our pop culture consciousness.  It’s been used interchangeably to describe someone whose behavior has become erratic, or alternatively, one who thinks and acts like everyone else. The film can alternately be regarded as an allegory for communism or McCarthyism, or in a more general sense, a loss of individuality in cookie-cutter post-war American society. The source material is so timeless that we likely haven’t seen the last of the film adaptations. Bennell’s chilling admonition “You’re next” penetrates our souls to the core – at once a warning and reminder that a little healthy paranoia can be a good thing.

* Fun Fact: The solid cast also includes a pre-directing-career Sam Peckinpah, and Carolyn Jones, several years before her role as Morticia Addams.