Synopsis
Welcome to Oceania in 1984, the last word in totalitarian regimes. Winston Smith, a lowlevel functionary, engages in two kinds of thought crime: he falls in love, and he questions BigBrother. The film is as compellingly and utterly bleak as the novel. The vision of future isactually a vision of the past: Oceania is a worst-case version of late-40s Britain. This approach isbrilliant, because, as a result, the film does not date, and its chilling warning, in these days ofTota… Information Awareness, is more timely than ever. John Hurt is superb as Smith, andRichard Burton, in his final film role, is magnificently chilling.
Audio
The sound is mono, so no descent in the environment of Oceania, sadly. The mono isperfectly serviceable, however. It is distortion-free, and the nuances of the soundtrack comethrough very clearly.
Video
The film looks drab, but it’s supposed to: a bleak, dreary, monochrome, almost sepia-likeexistence is what the characters live. This looks is nicely captured by the 1.85:1 anamorphicwidescreen transfer. Some of the blacks, however, could be a bit stronger, and there is some grainin a few of the dark shots. There is also the occasional bit of edge enhancement visible.
Special Features
Sadly, nothing more than the trailer and a scored main page for the menu. This is a film thatdeserves more.
Closing Thoughts
The almost total lack of extras is a real missed opportunity, but viewers should not make asimilar mistake and miss this film.
Special Features List
- Theatrical Trailer
