Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984)

Nineteen Eighty-Four

• Ashamedly, I’ve never actually read “1984”. I’ve most definitely heard of it and know the gist, but I;ve just never gotten around to reading it. That being said, I can’t comment on how accurate this film is to the source material. But this definitely piqued my interest in reading the book. The dystopian setting is so ominous and mysterious, and it has such a great atmosphere to it. It reminded me a lot of “Fahrenheit 451” in terms of tone and feeling. You hear “Big Brother” get referenced so much in society, both on national news, in schools, or just little quips between friends. I can understand why this story is talked about so much, especially in today’s day and age. Orwell certainly knew what he was writing about. But more specifically, the study of a fallen, restructured society was very intriguing. The dark, drabby colors perfectly draw out the dystopian vision, and though there’s nothing very vibrant, it’s still interesting to look at. The cinematography was spot on, and some of the best at mirroring the point of the story. Similar to films such as ‘The Grand Budapest Hotel’ or ‘La La Land’. Color is used to advance the story and display emotions. Moving on, the score was subtle yet very effective. It wasn’t over the top, but prominent when it needed to deliver a big hit. Same for the performances. I don’t think anyone completely excelled, except for Sir John Hurt, but when it was needed, the cast was there to bring depth. My final thought is this: it’s a very solid film, and presents a great but tragic idea of an authoritarian and controlling grip on innocent, brainwashed people. It’s not the best film ever made, but it’s strong on delivering that message. Especially the last 20-30 minutes. I’d probably recommend this to most sci-fi/thriller fans. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!