Tuesday, June 10, 2008

1984

"1984"

Directed by: Peter Weir
Written by: John Logan
Cinematography: John Seale
Edited by: Hughes Winborne

Main Cast

Winston Smith: Elijah Wood
Julia: Emily Blunt
O'Brien: Hugh Laurie
Big Brother: Alan Rickman

Tagline: "War is Peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength"

Synopsis: “Big Brother” is everywhere, everyone, and everything. You are never alone that’s why your safe, his leadership provides protection in this safe-haven that is called Oceania. Posters, Ads, Books, Movies, Documentaries, and the Internet are all controlled and regulated by “Big Brother”. Winston Smith works for the Ministry of Truth, where his job is to rewrite historical documents so that they match current party lines. His girlfriend Julia seems to have an anger towards “Big Brother”. Winston is lured by O'Brien a fellow co-worker to join a secret organization aimed at demeaning “Big Brother”. There it is learned O'Brien is a government agent has Winston captured without revealing himself. After being tortured Winston outs Julia’s secrets. Months later they bump into each other and begin to meet secretly and they have fallen in love again. O'Brien meets with them and asks them if they would be willing to never see each other again if “Big Brother” told them so. They both disagree and Winston has a heavy heart doing so. The next day they are arrested by the Thought police. O'Brien reveals he’s a loyal party member who brainwashes them to make them “perfect” before they are executed. He “informs” Winston that Julia caved to the Party’s pressure and they start torturing him for months. You get to see many torture methods put upon this man and the effect months has upon his body as months go by. Then he is brought into Room 101 where O'Brien has rats ready to devour his face (Winston has a particular fear of these creatures) and Winston begs his torturers to do this to Julia. They meet one last time by chance in the streets and announce to each other they no longer have feelings for each other. Winston realizes he only has feelings for “Big Brother”- the only form of love accepted in Oceania.

What the Press would say:

1984 has come and gone but that doesn't take away this film’s true genius. Peter Weir masterfully directs every shot so that you can see the tension, the passion, and the betrayal in full retro scope. John Logan writes a beautiful script that matches with some of the best of all time. The performances should never be denounced because Elijah Wood gives a raved performance as Winston Smith the protagonist of the story. His performance shows us the true gift that he posses in front of a camera. Emily Blunt comes into the framework with her performance as Julia the rebellious young woman who shows Winston who he can become. When she comes in throughout the story, she seemingly goes from rebellion to utter devotion and Blunt provides that transition for us perfectly. The most pivotal performances comes from Hugh Laurie and Alan Rickman. Hugh Laurie is in most of the film but basically plays two characters. The sympathetic, friend that is O'Brien and the psychotic, torturer that he is seen to truly be. Alan Rickman plays the ever watching “Big Brother” and he shows up every once in a while to dispel “knowledge” to the audience members and to the characters. Even though he never speaks to a character you just learn to loathe him throughout the story. When the torture begins that’s when almost everything comes together because Laurie, Wood, Rickman, Peter Weir, and John Logan excel in their own ways within this section and give us the true climatic nature seen within the film. 1984 takes that to another level and provides a story that is seemingly timeless and provides an experience for audience members everywhere. A masterpiece was created on almost every level of filmmaking from the actors to the direction there is no bad frame.

FYC

Best Picture
Best Director- Peter Weir
Best Actor- Elijah Wood
Best Actor- Hugh Laurie
Best Supporting Actress- Emily Blunt
Best Supporting Actor- Alan Rickman
Best Adapted Screenplay- John Logan

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