1984

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1984

R

1984

1h 55m

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

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33 Reviews

71%

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50,000+ Ratings

A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

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Critics Consensus

1984 doesn't fully emerge from the shadow of its source material, but still proves a solid, suitably discomfiting adaptation of a classic dystopian tale.

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Paul Attanasio

Washington Post

01/02/2018

Nodding to the movie's bleak mood, Burton bleakens himself; robbed of the pleasures of the grand, show-offy way he could use his voice, the mischievous twinkle of his eye, you feel cheated.

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

10/23/2004

3.5/4

Michael Radford's brilliant film of Orwell's vision does a good job of finding that line between the "future" world of 1984 and the grim postwar world in which Orwell wrote.

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Sarah Boslaugh

TheArtsStl

May 2

8/10

The oppression in 1984 is not just material, it's also psychological: normal human relationships would be a threat to the Party's absolute power, so they must be discouraged and punished.

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Michael Clark

Epoch Times

06/18/2024

4.5/5

Frequently and incorrectly labeled as “sci-fi,” “1984” is pure New World Order dystopia, a situation that sadly is finding renewed interest among many of the globe’s current two-legged, all-compliant sheep.

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Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

05/07/2024

The film is faultlessly acted by the entire cast and the settings are perfectly photographed in the kind of lighting that prevails on Waterloo or any of the main-line railway stations in London.

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Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

01/21/2024

5/5

‘…the word Orwellian is now misused to mean any future that doesn’t reflect the speaker’s own wishes, but that’s not the highly specific message of the book or film, and in terms of predicting the feel of the future Orwell and Radford got it dead right.

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Caleb C.

@RT01788518 Apr 5

99/100 best movie I’ve watched, I’ve read the book and watched the movie three times

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Simon T

@MovieTart Mar 1

John Hurt is ideal casting here. His trademark haunted melancholy as the conflicted Winston Smith raises Michael Radford's already superlative adaptation to even greater heights. Production design, cinematography, music all contribute, and Richard Burton's final performance, all silky understatement and pedestrian cruelty, is a magnificent swansong and perfect counterpoint to Hurt. Their climactic encounter in the infamous Room 101 is terrifying.

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Allison C

@Allison229 Feb 7

Just Amazing so ahead of its time!!!!. Love anything by George Orwell ❤️ 💕 Amazing acting from an amazing cast.

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André Ferreira F

@andre_f Dec 15

Nunca li o livro, por isso a minha opinião pode mudar no futuro. O filme cria muito bem o ambiente opressivo e autoritário que pretende transmitir, porém por vezes parece que se distancia demasiado do público. (avaliação: 6.5/10)

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Igor S

@Igor_Sena Dec 8

Sadly, this movie is more relevant now than ever. It drills its story into your mind, the same way that the propaganda in the movie does to the characters. What's so frightening about it, is the harsh, cold truth it depicts: that not only so much of its content has always been true throughout history; but those who rule over us are happy to continue to treat us, the people, not just like sheep, but like grains of dust in their cleaning of what makes us human. Hopefully, in reality, the human spirit is not so easy tamable. Otherwise, we are lost...

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Chris H

@RT60525826 Sep 15

For me, this is the definitive film adaptation of Orwell's novel. Stunning performances by John Hurt and Richard Burton glue you to the screen.

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Michael Radford

Director

John Hurt

Winston Smith

Richard Burton

O'Brien

Suzanna Hamilton

Julia

Cyril Cusack

Charrington

Gregor Fisher

Parsons

1984: Official Clip - It Creeps Up on You

2:13

1984: Official Clip - O'Brien Tortures Winston

2:13

1984: Official Clip - Your Kind is Extinct

2:11

1984: Official Clip - Corrupt to the Core

2:12

1984: Official Clip - Victory is Not Possible

2:54

1984: Official Clip - Caught in the Bedroom

0:57

1984: Official Clip - Vision of the Future

2:55

1984: Official Clip - Two Minutes Hate

2:13

1984: Official Clip - Winston is Tested

2:11

1984: Official Clip - A Small Effort of Will

2:13

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1984: Teaser Trailer

1:11

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Synopsis

A man loses his identity while living under a repressive regime. In a story based on George Orwell's classic novel, Winston Smith (John Hurt) is a government employee whose job involves the rewriting of history in a manner that casts his fictional country's leaders in a charitable light. His trysts with Julia (Suzanna Hamilton) provide his only measure of enjoyment, but lawmakers frown on the relationship -- and in this closely monitored society, there is no escape from Big Brother.

Director: Michael Radford
Producer: Simon Perry
Screenwriter: George Orwell, Michael Radford
Distributor: Atlantic Releasing Corp.
Production Co: Paramount, MGM
Rating: R
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 6, 2013
Runtime: 1h 55m