Gauss's Movie of the Week: 1984

[Gauss]

Well I am back with what seems to be my movie of "whenever I get a chance". This week I am shying away from my previous two recommendations and picking something more socially important.

In honor of NDAA and SOPA, My movie this week: 1984! Coincidentally another one of the few good film adaptations of a novel.

1984 is based on one of the most important books ever put to print, and is one of the few examples of a film that does the novel justice. Its a story about a man, Winston, who functions within the Ministry of Truth in London in a dystopian 1984. His job is basically to re-write history according to what the party dictates. He eventually meets Julia and the two have what can only be described as a fling, but in the totalitarian and all-controlling arena with which the story is set... A simple romance and the simple things a couple romantically involved would do are outlawed. What ends up being revealed is a web of lies as the paranoid nature of the political party in control begin to be revealed.

Very simple things implied throughout the movie come into question. Is the Big Brother authority figure real? What about the supposed enemy of the regime? What is reality? These questions are all furthered by things like Winston's previous job and the concept of how people murdered by the state become "unpersons."

This movie defines the concept of emotional attachment, and much like the book tugs at the very essence of our beings by presenting an environment where the very freedom of thought and the ability to do what makes you happy comes into question. This is the type of movie that will change how you think about everything from human rights and how much power the government should have to just how important and valuable being yourself and letting others be themselves is.

Particularly when you realize that there aren't alot of special circumstances that created the situations we see here. The government is put in place by apathetic and devious people, Winston's job is just the literary representation of the elimination of the 1st Amendment, and the spark that brings Winston's very being into question is something most people on this planet will experience atleast once in their lives: Love for another person and being with that person.

The book this film is based off of was so powerful an adjective, Orwellian, was actually invented to describe processes, ways of thinking, and social concepts which are aligned to logically end up in the type of totalitarian regime seen in the film. Thats how powerful this story is, a word was officially added to the English language (yup, so official its a valid in Scrabble/WwF) to describe the very stepping stones of the political philosophy in this book.

This film is available on Netflix, and its a very powerful hour and 45 mins. This book was arguably the first truly mainstream work of dystopian fiction, and honestly its yet to be topped. This movie pays a great homage to the book and adapts the story to a visual median in a truly great way.

[NeW_CLeaR_HoRRoR]

Read the book years ago, but strangely enough I don't think I knew there was a movie adaptation... I always thought Metallica's "Eye of the Beholder" was based on that novel, too.

[YumeOMiru]

The book is better.

[Compalicious]

I can honestly say I have never heard of the book or movie, but reading this makes me feel like I am missing out on something. So I shall look for one or the other.

Gauss

[NeW_CLeaR_HoRRoR]

If you watch Minority Report with Tom Cruise, it's like a futuristic version of the Thought Police... who I believe play a big part of "1984".

[Gauss]

The book is better.

I don't agree personally. The book is different, but thats because a novel is told differently than a film.

I say this is a good adaptation because it has all the same major plot points and all the same notes I want in any adaptation, the spirit of what 1984 was is all there, but its told the way a movie should be told.

The movie does things you can't/shouldn't do in a novel, and vice versa the novel contains things you can't/shouldn't do in a movie.

Its your opinion, but I am merely stating that I feel this is a phenomenal film... when considered as a film.

I don't recommend the book with any less veracity or pin it as being any less impactful. Its just impactful in a different way.

[dr_mayus]

I can honestly say I have never heard of the book or movie, but reading this makes me feel like I am missing out on something. So I shall look for one or the other.

Gauss

You must read this book...as well as Animal Farm also by Orwell (well actually I loved all of Orwell's books).

1984 was a great film but I think Brazil was a better version. Both should be watched though.

[Gauss]

You must read this book...as well as Animal Farm also by Orwell (well actually I loved all of Orwell's books).

1984 was a great film but I think Brazil was a better version. Both should be watched though.

Can't disagree with these statements either.

I will say though Brazil vs. 1984 is a bit of a weird decision because I feel both films speak to different moods. 1984 is very serious in tone, its very much a true thriller or drama. Brazil deals with largely the same topics, but has much more comedic elements to it. Thats not a bad thing of course, but its... different.

[Nagflar]

1984 was a great film but I think Brazil was a better version. Both should be watched though.

I came here to say I'd rather watch Brazil !

Can't disagree with these statements either.

I will say though Brazil vs. 1984 is a bit of a weird decision because I feel both films speak to different moods. 1984 is very serious in tone, its very much a true thriller or drama. Brazil deals with largely the same topics, but has much more comedic elements to it. Thats not a bad thing of course, but its... different.

While I agree in the difference in tone, I think Brazil is better due to the acting and the cinematography. You may judge movies based on their story-telling and character/plot development, but I preffer to judge them based on the whole package: story-related elements + acting + cinematography. Those 3 together make a movie, just like the afformentioned story-related elements, graphics and gameplay make a game.

[Gauss]

While I agree in the difference in tone, I think Brazil is better due to the acting and the cinematography. You may judge movies based on their story-telling and character/plot development, but I preffer to judge them based on the whole package: story-related elements + acting + cinematography. Those 3 together make a movie, just like the afformentioned story-related elements, graphics and gameplay make a game.

I do judge on everything, you can't judge a visual media without considering cinematography since its just as much apart of the story as the actual plot, look at Wall-E, for example... Only about 30ish minutes of that film contains dialogue, the rest is told through visuals, if you take the cinematography out of the equation you are actually eliminating gigantic chunks of the story-telling. Citizen Kane is another great example of a movie that contains alot of information conveyed only through visuals, the angles of the scenes, for example, match exactly the emotion trying to be conveyed. When he starts becoming over-bearing and powerful the shots begin to slowly start coming from lower angles to make him feel powerful, its critical because thats the type of thing that can only be implied using cinematography when it comes to film.

You also can't judge characters in a film without considering acting. After all thats how the emotion and dialogue are conveyed, and emotion is a critical part in character development.

I am not disagreeing at all with Dr. Mayus or you on Brazil being a better film, 1984 is still a good move though. Its just a different type of film that fit better with the rationality as to why I picked this particular movie this week. The NDAA stuff of recent just put me in a mood for a movie with a more serious tone, something with a darker tinge to it. I wanted to be slapped in the face and reminded why I value the pursuit of self-actualization so much. Hence I picked this movie for this week because its a good film that fit my mood better.

If it will make you guys happy, I'll pick Brazil another week

After all, thats another good movie.

[Feral]

I've heard of this movie but never actually watched it. Sounds pretty good, might have to hire it out.

[Nagflar]

I do judge on everything, you can't judge a visual media without considering cinematography since its just as much apart of the story as the actual plot, look at Wall-E, for example... Only about 30ish minutes of that film contains dialogue, the rest is told through visuals, if you take the cinematography out of the equation you are actually eliminating gigantic chunks of the story-telling. Citizen Kane is another great example of a movie that contains alot of information conveyed only through visuals, the angles of the scenes, for example, match exactly the emotion trying to be conveyed. When he starts becoming over-bearing and powerful the shots begin to slowly start coming from lower angles to make him feel powerful, its critical because thats the type of thing that can only be implied using cinematography when it comes to film.

You also can't judge characters in a film without considering acting. After all thats how the emotion and dialogue are conveyed, and emotion is a critical part in character development.

I am not disagreeing at all with Dr. Mayus or you on Brazil being a better film, 1984 is still a good move though. Its just a different type of film that fit better with the rationality as to why I picked this particular movie this week. The NDAA stuff of recent just put me in a mood for a movie with a more serious tone, something with a darker tinge to it. I wanted to be slapped in the face and reminded why I value the pursuit of self-actualization so much. Hence I picked this movie for this week because its a good film that fit my mood better.

If it will make you guys happy, I'll pick Brazil another week

After all, thats another good movie.

I see. It's just that most of the time I read one of your text-walls, I see more focus on the story-related elements than on anything else, so I had to complain at some point or another .

And sure, pick it another week, I won't complain then .

[Larrydavidsavatar]

Good choice Gauss, not enough people have either read the book or watched the film, it pains me to add when someone said 'Big Brother is watching you' in conversation a while back i said,
'Yeah it is like 1984 isn't it?' the reply came,
'What happened in 1984?'