1984

The human mind is incredibly malleable... Filmed by a fan of the book, it’s clear to see. I won’t give it all five stars because of the slow take-off and sleepy tempo. Richard Burton (in his last ever role) and a fairly young John Hurt give excellent performances and it’s no problem to believe their every thought. To tell the truth, I watched 1984 just as preparation for an exam, but in the end I was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere of nothingness and despair. Who controls the past, controls the future. Who controls the present, controls the past. (07/05/2010)

I have to admit that the atmosphere of the movie, as well as the solid cast and performances, impressed me. The visual aspects of the film, the dirt, uniformity, and archaic industrial technology of an era when totalitarian states experienced their golden years, earned the most points with me. However, I have to say that even the book, considered the best novel of the 20th century, did not make as much of an impression on me as I had expected, and the film adaptation did not even come close to the quality of the book. This is because Orwell wrote his seminal work at a time when a similar vision of the triumph of totalitarian regimes, which he knew from his own experience, was immediately looming, terrifying him, and considering it as a truly possible success. But I was born into a time when the era of industrial totalitarian regimes, based on a mass concept of society, was overcome, and those regimes either long since disappeared or represented a mockery of the ideas of their founders. The inhabitants had already emptied and adapted them to their own image long ago. Orwell described systems that function and to which their supporters and enemies believe. The image that I remember from the 80s represented a long-rotted system that had long since denied the ideas of those who had invented them. Of those old dystopias of a similar nature, the intimate novel "Kallocain" by the Swedish author Karin Boye made a much greater impression on me. Even greater depression was caused by other novels about the decay of society consumed by consumerism. Orwell fights with old demons, and in reality, the threat of totalitarianism comes from elsewhere today. Modern technology already allows for greater control over human psychology and behavior than Orwell could imagine, and sometime in the middle of the century, the possibility of control will be absolute. Ideology is not necessary when you have cutting-edge technology and media power. Overall impression: 60%. (03/16/2011)

This film’s biggest problem is the existence of the great book it adapts. Therefore, avoiding comparisons is impossible and they make the film feel like some sort of summary that we are supposed watch as illustration while reading the book. But I actually don’t think it could be possible to do it much better. (11/27/2008)

Orwell was absolutely incredible in describing dictatorship. And as Honza Vojtíšek wrote, it doesn't matter which dictatorship it is. "1984" is a beautiful example of how power can destroy people, but also because they allow themselves to be destroyed. If an individual rebels, they are crushed. And if everyone rebels... it's hard to say. (03/27/2015)

Unfortunately, I haven't read George Orwell's dystopian novel (shame on me), so in this case I can't judge to what extent the film manages to bring the main ideas from the book to the screen. As far as the film is concerned, I definitely have to praise the production design in the first place – the gloomy atmosphere of the grey and drab city guarded by the eyes of Big Brother is well done. I consider the final confrontation between the conscious individual and the ruthless system to be the strongest moment. On the other hand, I found the film stiff, likewise with the performances. Personally, I think that in order to fully judge the film, I would have to read the book first, so this rating should be taken with a grain of salt. (04/08/2019)