The Dec 12 1954 live BBC telecast of Orwell's "Nineteen Eighty-Four" changed the career for star Peter Cushing forever after. His depiction of Winston Smith brought him to the attention of Hammer Films, who spent two years trying to sign him to a film, while a prolific string of teleplays kept him busier than ever. He deservedly won the Guild of Television Award for Best Actor for his performance here (the British equivalent of the American Emmy), yet was passed over for the feature version for Edmond O'Brien (only Donald Pleasence was retained from the BBC version, in a different part). In a repressed future society where 'War is Peace,' 'Freedom is Weakness,' and 'Ignorance is Strength,' thoughts and feelings are outlawed by the totalitarian government. Daring to love Julia Dixon (Yvonne Mitchell), Smith knows that there is no escape for them, only that 'some kinds of failure are better than others' (forbidden fruit is the best of all). Some critics rightly complained that Yvonne Mitchell's Julia lacked 'warmth,' but there was nothing but praise for Andre Morell's chilling O'Brien (replaced in the movie by Michael Redgrave), overseeing final punishment, using their own fears against them to completely wear down all defenses (no trace of humanity). As grueling as it is to watch now, one cannot imagine how shocking it must have been for viewers 60 years ago.
22 Reviews
A Legendary Teleplay Of A Legendary Novel
Theo Robertson19 August 2009
Warning: Spoilers
1984 is Orwell's legendary cerebral work . It's a novel that is bleak , downbeat and philosophical . It seems something of a pity however that much of his other work is overlooked such as his essays . Notes On Nationalism for example is a scathing attack on those people who are " anti-war " but whose bitter condemnation of conflict is only heard when it's waged by the democracies of Britain and America . It was written in the spring of 1945 so fundamentally it's far more prophetic than 1984 but 1984 is considered Orwell's masterwork
Scriptwriter Nigel Kneale is - Like much of Orwell's work - somewhat forgotten today . He was once a household name in Britain due to both this adaptation of 1984 and the Quatermass serials . Regretfully it's forgotten how controversial the teleplay was when it was broadcast away back in December 1954 , so controversial that the houses of parliament debated television standards after the BBC was deluged with complaints . Perhaps this collective amnesia works in its favour when viewed today ?
You have to be slightly forgiving when viewing 1984 . It may seem talky and static compared to even 1970 British television but if you compare it the same production team's THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT the year before which had the same production values as a school play you'll see how far things have come in such a short space of time . It's also noticeable how much Rudolph Cartier has been influenced by German Expressionist Cinema . We see nods to it here and see it even more explicitly in QUATERMASS 2
Kneale's script does contain a slight hiccup at the beginning when we're told of atomic wars and shown a vision of a devastated London . It's difficult to believe a nation that has survived such a catastrophe and still have the technology of telescreens but this is soon forgotten and we get on with the story proper . Kneale has a written a great adaptation on a novel that is probably impossible to film . Much of the novel's mechanics has Winston Smith thinking to himself and the subtext involves the idea that both personnel Utopia and societal Utopia are mere delusions that should never be sought . All the bits you remember from the novel are here and they're easily understood . Compare this to the 1984 movie by Michael Radford where the story is confused and you'll see how well Kneale has done in doing the impossible
The cast are good and there's little in the way of over emphatic performances though they are sometimes noticeable when they do appear but they're nowhere as bad as some that plagued television in the 1950s . There is the slight problem of middle class extras giving it " Cor blimey guv " working accents but having heard David Tennant's mockney accent in DOCTOR WHO for several years I've become immune to them . It's also a novelty seeing Cushing and Pleasence both most famous for horror films appearing on screen in a story about the horrors perpetrated by humans on one another . The stand out performance though belongs to Andre Morrell as O'Brien . Morrell was a prolific British actor in film and television and painfully underrated . He is absolutely outstanding in the torture scene with Cushing where he gives a virtual soliloquy on the metaphysical aims and existence of the party . It's this scene you'll remember long after the rats in Room 101 which caused so much controversy
All in all this is a legend of television based upon a legendary novel . There's an argument that both are overrated and I'll probably agree with you on Orwell's novel but that's probably because I believe the author should be remembered more for his other works and how he lived his life . I should state also QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is my favourite of Kneale's wonderful work . Nevertheless this is a milestone of television and should be celebrated as such
Scriptwriter Nigel Kneale is - Like much of Orwell's work - somewhat forgotten today . He was once a household name in Britain due to both this adaptation of 1984 and the Quatermass serials . Regretfully it's forgotten how controversial the teleplay was when it was broadcast away back in December 1954 , so controversial that the houses of parliament debated television standards after the BBC was deluged with complaints . Perhaps this collective amnesia works in its favour when viewed today ?
You have to be slightly forgiving when viewing 1984 . It may seem talky and static compared to even 1970 British television but if you compare it the same production team's THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT the year before which had the same production values as a school play you'll see how far things have come in such a short space of time . It's also noticeable how much Rudolph Cartier has been influenced by German Expressionist Cinema . We see nods to it here and see it even more explicitly in QUATERMASS 2
Kneale's script does contain a slight hiccup at the beginning when we're told of atomic wars and shown a vision of a devastated London . It's difficult to believe a nation that has survived such a catastrophe and still have the technology of telescreens but this is soon forgotten and we get on with the story proper . Kneale has a written a great adaptation on a novel that is probably impossible to film . Much of the novel's mechanics has Winston Smith thinking to himself and the subtext involves the idea that both personnel Utopia and societal Utopia are mere delusions that should never be sought . All the bits you remember from the novel are here and they're easily understood . Compare this to the 1984 movie by Michael Radford where the story is confused and you'll see how well Kneale has done in doing the impossible
The cast are good and there's little in the way of over emphatic performances though they are sometimes noticeable when they do appear but they're nowhere as bad as some that plagued television in the 1950s . There is the slight problem of middle class extras giving it " Cor blimey guv " working accents but having heard David Tennant's mockney accent in DOCTOR WHO for several years I've become immune to them . It's also a novelty seeing Cushing and Pleasence both most famous for horror films appearing on screen in a story about the horrors perpetrated by humans on one another . The stand out performance though belongs to Andre Morrell as O'Brien . Morrell was a prolific British actor in film and television and painfully underrated . He is absolutely outstanding in the torture scene with Cushing where he gives a virtual soliloquy on the metaphysical aims and existence of the party . It's this scene you'll remember long after the rats in Room 101 which caused so much controversy
All in all this is a legend of television based upon a legendary novel . There's an argument that both are overrated and I'll probably agree with you on Orwell's novel but that's probably because I believe the author should be remembered more for his other works and how he lived his life . I should state also QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is my favourite of Kneale's wonderful work . Nevertheless this is a milestone of television and should be celebrated as such
Excellent, exhausting adaptation
Patguy29 October 1999
Difficult to find, and largely overshadowed by the 1984 film, this live television performance from 1954 deserves to be made more widely available.
At the time controversial for its scenes of torture and sexuality, it provoked an outburst of Thought Police-style outrage among politicians and assorted editorialists. In fact, the program seems brutal even today, with its depictions of comprehensive hopelessness and deliberate cruelty.
Peter Cushing was probably the most famous live television personality in Britain at the time, and he puts in a typically excellent performance. Yvonne Mitchell and Andre Morell neatly tie up the remaining emotional possibilities in this dystopia, with the rest of the cast expressing only various shades of despair. A very young Donald Pleasence plays Newspeak-auteur Syme, confronted here not by "Ultimate Evil," but rather doublethink and "Double-Plus-Ungood."
"We are the dead."
At the time controversial for its scenes of torture and sexuality, it provoked an outburst of Thought Police-style outrage among politicians and assorted editorialists. In fact, the program seems brutal even today, with its depictions of comprehensive hopelessness and deliberate cruelty.
Peter Cushing was probably the most famous live television personality in Britain at the time, and he puts in a typically excellent performance. Yvonne Mitchell and Andre Morell neatly tie up the remaining emotional possibilities in this dystopia, with the rest of the cast expressing only various shades of despair. A very young Donald Pleasence plays Newspeak-auteur Syme, confronted here not by "Ultimate Evil," but rather doublethink and "Double-Plus-Ungood."
"We are the dead."
The best 1984 by far
TheBogieFan22 September 2002
This production is breathtaking. The BBC did an amazing job of translating Orwell's bleak book onto the screen. It is very dark and the treatment of Smith at the end of the film is not glossed over, this is really daring given the time it was made.
This is a TV movie, the first film based on the novel, 2 years later a US movie version was made which also starred Donald Pleasance but the two films couldn't be more different. Pleasance plays Syme in this one, and does a great job - most memorably describing how beautiful destroying words is. In the 1956 movie he plays Parsons and is less suited to that role, the actor who plays Parsons in this film is Campbell Gray who i know nothing about but he does a fine job playing the role later played by Gregor Fisher of Rab C Nesbitt fame in the 80s version. Cushing plays Winston Smith and gives a typically great performance, physically he is ideal to play Smith and of course he was a fine actor.
This version stays truest to the novel and is actually better than the John Hurt/Richard Burton version from the eighties.
I can't think of one bad thing about this film, apart from the fact you can't buy it anywhere.
This is a TV movie, the first film based on the novel, 2 years later a US movie version was made which also starred Donald Pleasance but the two films couldn't be more different. Pleasance plays Syme in this one, and does a great job - most memorably describing how beautiful destroying words is. In the 1956 movie he plays Parsons and is less suited to that role, the actor who plays Parsons in this film is Campbell Gray who i know nothing about but he does a fine job playing the role later played by Gregor Fisher of Rab C Nesbitt fame in the 80s version. Cushing plays Winston Smith and gives a typically great performance, physically he is ideal to play Smith and of course he was a fine actor.
This version stays truest to the novel and is actually better than the John Hurt/Richard Burton version from the eighties.
I can't think of one bad thing about this film, apart from the fact you can't buy it anywhere.
'You may as well say goodbye'
hugh197117 June 2003
I had heard of this programme but never seen it so was very pleased when BBC4 screened it recently.
In many ways the play was shockingly 'modern' with its allusions to sex and pornography...even the word 'orgasm' is mentioned which must have caused a few raised eyebrows in English drawing rooms! ('ask your father, dear....')
What struck me more though was how BBC drama has changed since this was broadcast in 1954. While the production values are minimal (the sets of Victory Mansions for example look like something out of a primary school play, and the opening 'exterior' shot of the Ministry of Love looks like it was drawn with crayon) the acting is superb and unlike anything you would get on a modern tv drama.
The sense of claustrophobia is intense and the 'stagey' feel adds to this. Cushing is brilliant as are the majority of the cast. While set in 1984 the atmosphere is clearly that of bombed out, austere post war London - the dinner lady 'Them's stew with salt; them's stew without' has an Edwardian proletarian twang which has now utterly gone from English speech. My one dislike was the scene when the 'proles' were reading a pornographic book - this looked like three RADA students pretending to be 'common'. Wilfred Brambell as the old man was suspiciously like 'Steptoe' - did Galton and Simpson get the idea from this, I wonder...!
And Orwell's story comes across excellently - the sense of hopelessness in the face of grinding totalitarianism - he would have been proud.
In many ways the play was shockingly 'modern' with its allusions to sex and pornography...even the word 'orgasm' is mentioned which must have caused a few raised eyebrows in English drawing rooms! ('ask your father, dear....')
What struck me more though was how BBC drama has changed since this was broadcast in 1954. While the production values are minimal (the sets of Victory Mansions for example look like something out of a primary school play, and the opening 'exterior' shot of the Ministry of Love looks like it was drawn with crayon) the acting is superb and unlike anything you would get on a modern tv drama.
The sense of claustrophobia is intense and the 'stagey' feel adds to this. Cushing is brilliant as are the majority of the cast. While set in 1984 the atmosphere is clearly that of bombed out, austere post war London - the dinner lady 'Them's stew with salt; them's stew without' has an Edwardian proletarian twang which has now utterly gone from English speech. My one dislike was the scene when the 'proles' were reading a pornographic book - this looked like three RADA students pretending to be 'common'. Wilfred Brambell as the old man was suspiciously like 'Steptoe' - did Galton and Simpson get the idea from this, I wonder...!
And Orwell's story comes across excellently - the sense of hopelessness in the face of grinding totalitarianism - he would have been proud.
great silver age rendition of a classic
r-c-s4 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This great, silver age rendition of "1984" is available via peer-to-peer, although very rare. Well, the budget is rock bottom, exteriors are worth twenty dollars at most...BUT! Acting is just great and lines are delivered in a mostly heartfelt, credible and professional manner. Cushing at his best. On the pop-culture side, i strongly disagree with the poster who claimed " Nowadays Big Brother is little more than the title of a cheap, spineless TV series. Back then it was a terrifying possibility.". Well, judging by the amount of cameras, concealed cameras, data storage, speed traps and how recent international events of magnitude have been handled by media, we can safely guess big brother is more alive today than he ever might have been in the imagination of the most warped writer harboring the most sinister hallucinations just a few decades ago. I find the character of Julia pretty well acted. The final plot twist, although not so original, is very well rendered and the final encounter between the two is gut-wrenching. The torture scenes are good and i loved how big brother diminished food supplies in a row, only to save the day increasing them a little, when none ever recalls the past shortages...sounds much like petrol prices to me. Worth watching more than once.
Career-making
Leofwine_draca28 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
This screen adaptation of George Orwell's famous novel 1984 was made for the BBC SUNDAY-NIGHT THEATRE show and scripted by QUATERMASS scribe Nigel Kneale. It's chiefly remembered today for being the production that catapulted star Peter Cushing to later fame as a Hammer Horror icon, as it got him the Frankenstein role in THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. He's certainly impressive as Winston Smith, bringing a mix of steely inhumanity and deep-rooted thought and feeling. As for the production itself, it's a sterling piece of work, a little cheap and stagey by modern tastes - there's no disguising the "filmed play" feel. A sterling cast including fellow luminaries Andre Morell and Donald Pleasence help to bring the material to life, but overall it's Kneale who comes out the winner for successfully getting to the novel's icy heart.
The best
Wombat-4612 September 2000
There is very little which can touch this programme. Made with extremely limited resources, given the extra strain of being performed mostly live with just a few filmed inserts, Nineteen Eighty-Four had a profound effect on television at the time. Questions were asked in parliament about it, and the BBC came in for considerable criticism at the time for broadcasting it. However, the production found its way into the minds of the public, giving the world such expressions as "Big Brother is watching you". Nowadays Big Brother is little more than the title of a cheap, spineless TV series. Back then it was a terrifying possibility. I've been fortunate enough to see Nineteen Eighty-Four, and I have to say that if TV was still prepared to take risks like this, it wouldn't be seen as cinema's poor cousin any more.
Far more faithful than the 1984 version. Does not hold back with the terror despite its age. The best version of 1984.
mickman91-131 January 2022
I was disappointed with the 1984 version because it didn't feel too close to the novel in narrative or in style, so I hunted out this older version with the great Peter Cushing. Each scene reminded me of the novel and I felt a similar way to how I felt when reading the novel. The tension and the terror that lingers in the background as Winston moves his way through the story. For a 1954 TV production this is excellent and much care was clearly taken to do a faithful job of an adaptation. I read that it incited discussion in parliament at the time because the subject matter was so outrageous and terrifying. And this production certainly doesn't try to tone this down at all. The final scenes of Winston's complete psychological destruction are as terrifying as they should be. I don't watch much television before 1970. Much of it wasn't recorded but often it is very dated except for exceptional innovative pieces. This is one of them.
The Telescreen delivers the goods.
Prof_Lostiswitz13 June 2003
This version seems to be at least as good as the Burton one from the 1980's, which was made at much greater expense. TV movies have the room to be experimental, when they want to be. The cheap sets and black-and-white photography actually contribute to the effect, although the countryside scenes of course suffer. The actors deliver their lines with conviction, natural enough since they were closer in time to Orwell, Stalin, McCarthy and the rest.
One problem is that some of the best lines are delivered far too quickly, presumably because this was a live-on-air performance. Julia's final lines should be muttered in a halting voice, not rattled off as here.
The ratings of the various versions are 1. 1954 (Cushing) 2. 1984 (Burton) 3.1956 (which was suppressed by Orwell's estate, it was so bad). Brazil (1985) is better than any of these, because it was designed for cinema; and Orwell's novel is better than all of them.
One problem is that some of the best lines are delivered far too quickly, presumably because this was a live-on-air performance. Julia's final lines should be muttered in a halting voice, not rattled off as here.
The ratings of the various versions are 1. 1954 (Cushing) 2. 1984 (Burton) 3.1956 (which was suppressed by Orwell's estate, it was so bad). Brazil (1985) is better than any of these, because it was designed for cinema; and Orwell's novel is better than all of them.
Definitely "doubleplusgood!"
christopouloschris-5838816 June 2019
The bleak portrayal of the original story which was marvelously conveyed by the BBC production of 1984, serves to highlight the need to be aware and wary of power being placed in the hands of the State with that power being wielded with the intention to oppress.
With our greater reliance on technology in the 21st. Century such as Facebook, Twitter, cell / mobile smartphones, and web cams, we can begin to see the relevance that a story like 1984 has to the modern world. We must wonder if there is such a thing as privacy in a world where such technologies are ubiquitous.
Thank goodness that one of the earliest surviving British television dramas was preserved in the archives so that we after all these years can appreciate its worth.
With our greater reliance on technology in the 21st. Century such as Facebook, Twitter, cell / mobile smartphones, and web cams, we can begin to see the relevance that a story like 1984 has to the modern world. We must wonder if there is such a thing as privacy in a world where such technologies are ubiquitous.
Thank goodness that one of the earliest surviving British television dramas was preserved in the archives so that we after all these years can appreciate its worth.
If you've never seen this, the greatest filmed version....
wnstn_hmltn7 April 2007
Teaming the ultimate speculative-fiction scenarist (Nigel Kneale) with two of the most monumental actors to have ever had a command of the Queen's English (Peter Cushing and Andre Morell) has resulted in a dynamic trio striking this unflinching rendition of the Orwell classic with sparks aplenty. Later to become living legends over at Hammer Films (particularly Cushing), it was this momentous pairing of Morell and Cushing that led the Hammer powers-that-be to reunite them seven years later in the truly remarkable "Cash on Demand" (see my review). The lovely, inscrutable Yvonne Mitchell acquits herself well as Cushing's forbidden love interest, and the atmosphere of foreboding and dread is so thick you could cut it. Last but not least, watching Kneale apply his inimitable touch to Orwell's concepts is a tremendously exciting foretaste of the wholly original yarns he would later spin ("Quatermass," etc. ) A superlative production all the way around.....don't miss it!
A lot better than I'd expected it would be.
planktonrules6 August 2012
This is the fourth and probably the best version of "1984" that I have seen. There's a decent version with Edmund O'Brien that is hard to find, one made for TV ("Studio One") and the more recent version with Richard Harris and John Hurt but for me, this made for TV British version is best for three main reasons. First, Peter Cushing was a dandy actor and did a fine job. Second, the book was set in London and the British accents made it work better than the American versions. Third, despite the very, very small budget, the cheap sets worked just fine--as they were able to provide an appropriate level of greyness for the story. A bigger budget really couldn't have helped in this way. Overall, it's well worth seeing and is available for free download at archive.org--a website frequently linked to IMDb.
Fully deserving of its classic status
dr_clarke_217 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Broadcast as part of the BBC's Sunday Night Theatre, Nigel Kneale and Rudolph Cartier's 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' - their 1954 adaptation of George Orwell's celebrated novel - has become the stuff of legend, a fact helped but its continuing failure to be released on home media, despite several attempts. Included on the BFI's list of the 100 Greatest British television Programmes of the Twentieth Century, it is highly sought after by fans of British genre television and of Kneale's work in particular. The question is does it live up to expectations?
The answer is yes. Kneale and Cartier's reputation - as the Quatermass serials demonstrate - is justified, and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is a perfect example of why. The production has aged remarkably well, with the noirish lighting of the brutalist sets helping to capture the novel's oppressive atmosphere. As well as the sets, the costumes and the props all look very true to the grey, oppressive world of Orwell's novel. Although - like most television at the time - 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was broadcast live (the surviving version is actually a telerecording of the second live broadcast of the program), Cartier had the luxury of some pre-filmed inserts, including location filming. Like the Quatermass serials, the production demonstrates his determination to make television more than simply filmed theatre, and so we get close-ups, tracing shots, model effects, and voice-overs that allow us to hear protagonist Winston Smith's conflicted - and increasingly rebellious - thoughts. The orchestral score - especially composed by John Hotchkis - helps.
Kneale's adaptation adheres closely to Orwell's novel, and as such the plot and characters are Orwell's more than Kneale's. Kneale's screenplay distils the nightmarish world of the novel perfectly, and the superb cast brings the characters to life. Peter Cushing stars as Smith and gives a perfectly pitched, twitchy performance, whether starting to doubt his faith in Big Brother, or when explaining to Julia why he's terrified of rats, which of course comes back to haunt him in Room 101. André Morell exudes polite menace as O'Brien, especially during his remorseless torture of Winston during the last part of the story, and the last twenty minutes - which is effectively a two-hander between Cushing and Morell - is riveting, mostly due to the conviction they bring to their performances. The scene of Winston being threatened with torture with rats in Room 101 caused outrage at the time and retains its power today, largely due to Cushing convincingly gibbering with terror, although the production's only real weakness is that the rats are clearly well-cared for white rats, rather than the ravenous sewer rats that O'Brien claims!
The supporting cast includes Yvonne Mitchell as Winston's love interest Julia and like Cushing, she plays her role passionately until of course her final scene when Julia is broken, meek and submissive. Donald Pleasance meanwhile brings a fanatical gleam to Syme's eye when he's enthusing about Newspeak, but is later convincingly terrified and pathetic when the Thought Police come for him at the café. Leonard Sachs' weird performance as antiques shop owner Charrington is highly effective - he becomes far less eccentric and much colder and more sinister when he turns out to be loyal to the party. The two child actors playing the aggressive children of Winston's neighbour Parsons give very strong performances, whilst Wilfrid Brambell, cast in his usual type, plays an old drunk whom Winston buys a drink for.
'Nineteen Eighty-Four' thus earns its classic status, and like the novel on which it is based it remains as relevant today as it was in 1954. It is to be hoped that one day the copyright issues preventing a home media release are resolved and the once-promised BFI remastered release finally materialises, bring this legendary television production to a new audience.
The answer is yes. Kneale and Cartier's reputation - as the Quatermass serials demonstrate - is justified, and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' is a perfect example of why. The production has aged remarkably well, with the noirish lighting of the brutalist sets helping to capture the novel's oppressive atmosphere. As well as the sets, the costumes and the props all look very true to the grey, oppressive world of Orwell's novel. Although - like most television at the time - 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' was broadcast live (the surviving version is actually a telerecording of the second live broadcast of the program), Cartier had the luxury of some pre-filmed inserts, including location filming. Like the Quatermass serials, the production demonstrates his determination to make television more than simply filmed theatre, and so we get close-ups, tracing shots, model effects, and voice-overs that allow us to hear protagonist Winston Smith's conflicted - and increasingly rebellious - thoughts. The orchestral score - especially composed by John Hotchkis - helps.
Kneale's adaptation adheres closely to Orwell's novel, and as such the plot and characters are Orwell's more than Kneale's. Kneale's screenplay distils the nightmarish world of the novel perfectly, and the superb cast brings the characters to life. Peter Cushing stars as Smith and gives a perfectly pitched, twitchy performance, whether starting to doubt his faith in Big Brother, or when explaining to Julia why he's terrified of rats, which of course comes back to haunt him in Room 101. André Morell exudes polite menace as O'Brien, especially during his remorseless torture of Winston during the last part of the story, and the last twenty minutes - which is effectively a two-hander between Cushing and Morell - is riveting, mostly due to the conviction they bring to their performances. The scene of Winston being threatened with torture with rats in Room 101 caused outrage at the time and retains its power today, largely due to Cushing convincingly gibbering with terror, although the production's only real weakness is that the rats are clearly well-cared for white rats, rather than the ravenous sewer rats that O'Brien claims!
The supporting cast includes Yvonne Mitchell as Winston's love interest Julia and like Cushing, she plays her role passionately until of course her final scene when Julia is broken, meek and submissive. Donald Pleasance meanwhile brings a fanatical gleam to Syme's eye when he's enthusing about Newspeak, but is later convincingly terrified and pathetic when the Thought Police come for him at the café. Leonard Sachs' weird performance as antiques shop owner Charrington is highly effective - he becomes far less eccentric and much colder and more sinister when he turns out to be loyal to the party. The two child actors playing the aggressive children of Winston's neighbour Parsons give very strong performances, whilst Wilfrid Brambell, cast in his usual type, plays an old drunk whom Winston buys a drink for.
'Nineteen Eighty-Four' thus earns its classic status, and like the novel on which it is based it remains as relevant today as it was in 1954. It is to be hoped that one day the copyright issues preventing a home media release are resolved and the once-promised BFI remastered release finally materialises, bring this legendary television production to a new audience.
By far the closest movie to a Novel I have ever seen...
andrewquick-1391614 April 2019
The BBC Sunday Night Theatre production of 1984, starring: Peter Cushing, André Morell, and Yvonne Mitchell; is a fantastic film. Its opening scene is about all I could say was not like the book but then seconds later it resumed its actions. From his neighbor's abusive daughter to the 2-minute hate speech and Winston's thoughts, this movie highlights all the key points of 1984 and ties it all together as one. I could not recommend a better movie if you want a movie like a book.
Orwell would be proud.
"Alternative facts"- plus, from the Time of the Harangue-outang...
poe-488336 February 2017
Warning: Spoilers
From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY by Ambrose Bierce: "HARANGUE, n. A speech by an opponent, who is known as an harangue-outang." We've crossed a Line, here in this company (the "united $tate$"), where "alternative facts" (LIES) are disseminated daily and Fat Cat Fascism is The Order of the Day. Fat Cat Fascists: CASHists. Alternative facts: ALTFAX, in Newspeak. At the head of it all, to quote Orwell, "some sinister enchanter, capable by the mere power of his voice of wrecking the structure of civilization." (Just the other day, we were told that a "massacre" had taken place in Bowling Green, Kentucky- "The Bowling Green Massacre," it was dubbed. Only it didn't happen. It was all a LIE. An "alternative fact" from, apparently, an Alternative Universe...) (From the book, by George Orwell: "She had not a thought in her head that was not a slogan, and there was no imbecility, absolutely none, that she was not capable of swallowing if the Party handed it out to her.") (And: "The heresy of heresies was common sense.") In this particular video version of George Orwell's NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR, Donald Pleasance, in a small part as Syne, has one of my favorite lines. When he suspects that Big Brother suspects him of Thoughtcrime, he blurts: "Was it something I said...?" "Forget what you've forgotten," Peter Cushing as Winston Smith suggests. But therein lies the rub: short of lobotomies all around, is such a thing even possible...? With 65 MILLION refugees from War(s) and Global Warming knocking on the door hoping to be let in, we're already well past the Tipping Point. (Orwell: "Do you know what time of day it is?") What this company needs is competent Leadership (if such a thing exists), although such talk could get you kil-
Best version of 1984, so far.
Bababooe24 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This week I viewed 3 versions of 1984. First the 1984 version, inferior. Then the 1956, much better. And now the 1954, much better. The 84 version was confusing. If you hadn't read the book, or like me it was so long ago, there were details missing that made the film incomprehensible. The acting was also inferior except for Burton, John Hurt did well toward the end, but not great. 56 version was much better. Better details of what was going on, much better acting, cinematography, music, etc. 54 version was superior.
Here we have superior screenplay. If you hadn't read the book, things were show or explained. The acting was top notch. Peter Cushing was great. Yvonne Mitchell did well. André Morell was also great. All the other actors portrayed their parts much better than the other versions.
Take away the production value of sets, color, and multiple takes, and what you are left with is a professional screenplay and acting. This is what we have here.
Rating is a B, 7 stars.
Here we have superior screenplay. If you hadn't read the book, things were show or explained. The acting was top notch. Peter Cushing was great. Yvonne Mitchell did well. André Morell was also great. All the other actors portrayed their parts much better than the other versions.
Take away the production value of sets, color, and multiple takes, and what you are left with is a professional screenplay and acting. This is what we have here.
Rating is a B, 7 stars.
1948! Geddit? Eh?
lordwoodbine12 April 2002
This is quite the best version of this over-rated fable due in great part to Peter Cushing's subtle and moving reading of Winston Smith. He was an actor of only a very few identities but he was very good at 'playing the text' which means that even the most fantastic tale is utterly believable and gripping.
Save for a few filmed inserts, this is a live performance and that also adds something quite magical to the piece. For once the story becomes a compelling adventure rather than the clumsy and misdirected polemic that it is sometimes staged as.
Subsequent versions have been grounded too much in designer's desire to create a 'nightmare world' in which the action takes place. In the 1980s version the impact of the 'message' is lessened by unconvincing filth and modish gloom. Here the barren sets and simple costumes leave more space for the action.
A little confusion may arise because Wilfred Bramble appears in two parts but in general, as was often was the case at the BBC, the low budget actually adds to the thing.
Save for a few filmed inserts, this is a live performance and that also adds something quite magical to the piece. For once the story becomes a compelling adventure rather than the clumsy and misdirected polemic that it is sometimes staged as.
Subsequent versions have been grounded too much in designer's desire to create a 'nightmare world' in which the action takes place. In the 1980s version the impact of the 'message' is lessened by unconvincing filth and modish gloom. Here the barren sets and simple costumes leave more space for the action.
A little confusion may arise because Wilfred Bramble appears in two parts but in general, as was often was the case at the BBC, the low budget actually adds to the thing.
A decent adaptation of the classic novel
Rodrigo_Amaro5 April 2024
A curious BBC broadcast film adaptation of George Orwell's classic novel, this very first film entry on it, almost went to obscurity and would only
be a thing witnessed by viewers back then since the network received several complaints objecting to its content. A positive reply from Queen Elizabeth II
was strong enough to guarantee a re-run (a new filming actually) and that's what survives today.
Leaving aside a little about the film and its content on the dangers of totalitarism and the thought control established on a dystopian future, already a past but with some variations and aspects being repeated through the decades, I really wonder what angered so much the folks back in '54 who went to complain about. I can totally understand a harsh criticism on the portrayal of the Oceania kids who spy and inform on their parents as being traitors to the Big Brother cause, as those kids awful bad manners talking down on her parents. But truth be told, the world has gone to that and a lot worse - but completely unthinkable back in the 1950's culture. That objection I can understand; even Orwell's book plays out in a quite innocent manner as the kids are playing in the apartment and they just call Winston Smith (here played by a lovely Peter Cushing) as traitor. Not sure why the teleplay had to make that kid shouting very aggressively on her mother - it makes sense in the context of a controlled state where children are tools for the Inner Party.
Now, if the complaints come to its depictions of a controlling state being something that British society would never face, or simply because it's an unflaterring and bleak view of the future, or maybe no one was interesting in actually seeing a slightly accurate view of nations who fell under the Communist regime, then the jokes was on those viewers. Art, in order to become something relevant for its present and future, must present reality as it is, if possible imagine what could be, and the deep thinking goes back on us in questioning everything and/or finding some answers.
Orwell achieved that, just as this film and the subsequent remakes.
Looking at it 70 years after its broadcast and seeing how much has changed ever since, from technology and mankind's social and psychological evolution and new forms to see life, we look back at it in an almost nostalgic manner as we watch how innocent-minded the future of 1984 was imagined and how little we diverged from the desperation and bleakness of a controlled state, of a world divided into three major continents fighting against each other on endless wars for power. But on the other hand, the danger always lies ahead and the idea of societies becoming more and more controlled by repressive and totalitarian states is something to be observed. Orwell didn't predict those as many similar things were already happening and his world of then already had seen what those forces can do - WWII had just ended and atomic threats were a constant thought. And who could guarantee it would not happen again? His words, as brilliantly echoed in those film adaptations and other thinkers, are warning signs about the possibility of such power takeover where the past is rewritten, everything can be adjusted and freedom is always at stake.
It's a very good film despite its limitations, a nice adaptation of the original novel but not as faithful as the one made in 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton. Superb acting by all of the actors, but our attention goes to our tragic hero as brilliantly played by Mr. Cushing. 8.5/10.
Leaving aside a little about the film and its content on the dangers of totalitarism and the thought control established on a dystopian future, already a past but with some variations and aspects being repeated through the decades, I really wonder what angered so much the folks back in '54 who went to complain about. I can totally understand a harsh criticism on the portrayal of the Oceania kids who spy and inform on their parents as being traitors to the Big Brother cause, as those kids awful bad manners talking down on her parents. But truth be told, the world has gone to that and a lot worse - but completely unthinkable back in the 1950's culture. That objection I can understand; even Orwell's book plays out in a quite innocent manner as the kids are playing in the apartment and they just call Winston Smith (here played by a lovely Peter Cushing) as traitor. Not sure why the teleplay had to make that kid shouting very aggressively on her mother - it makes sense in the context of a controlled state where children are tools for the Inner Party.
Now, if the complaints come to its depictions of a controlling state being something that British society would never face, or simply because it's an unflaterring and bleak view of the future, or maybe no one was interesting in actually seeing a slightly accurate view of nations who fell under the Communist regime, then the jokes was on those viewers. Art, in order to become something relevant for its present and future, must present reality as it is, if possible imagine what could be, and the deep thinking goes back on us in questioning everything and/or finding some answers.
Orwell achieved that, just as this film and the subsequent remakes.
Looking at it 70 years after its broadcast and seeing how much has changed ever since, from technology and mankind's social and psychological evolution and new forms to see life, we look back at it in an almost nostalgic manner as we watch how innocent-minded the future of 1984 was imagined and how little we diverged from the desperation and bleakness of a controlled state, of a world divided into three major continents fighting against each other on endless wars for power. But on the other hand, the danger always lies ahead and the idea of societies becoming more and more controlled by repressive and totalitarian states is something to be observed. Orwell didn't predict those as many similar things were already happening and his world of then already had seen what those forces can do - WWII had just ended and atomic threats were a constant thought. And who could guarantee it would not happen again? His words, as brilliantly echoed in those film adaptations and other thinkers, are warning signs about the possibility of such power takeover where the past is rewritten, everything can be adjusted and freedom is always at stake.
It's a very good film despite its limitations, a nice adaptation of the original novel but not as faithful as the one made in 1984 with John Hurt and Richard Burton. Superb acting by all of the actors, but our attention goes to our tragic hero as brilliantly played by Mr. Cushing. 8.5/10.
1984 (1954) TV BBC
Bernie444430 September 2023
Probably one of the best renditions of the story that is based on the book "1984" written by George Orwell.
Basic story: In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggles, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. He starts, due to his inability to doublethink, with thoughtcrime. This is in a society that believes the thought is as real as the deed. Eventually, he graduates through a series of misdemeanors to illicit sex and even plans to overthrow the very government that took him in as an orphan.
If he gets caught, he will be sent to the "Ministry of Love" where they have a record of 100% cures for this sort of insanity. They will even forgive his past indiscretions.
Peter Cushing, a veteran actor, plays Winston Smith. The TV film is in black and white. There are clips of this film in other 1984 documentaries. Copies are hard to find. With any luck, this film will show up on a Criterion DVD.
Basic story: In a society that has eliminated many imbalances, surplus goods, and even class struggles, there are bound to be deviates; Winston Smith is one of those. He starts, due to his inability to doublethink, with thoughtcrime. This is in a society that believes the thought is as real as the deed. Eventually, he graduates through a series of misdemeanors to illicit sex and even plans to overthrow the very government that took him in as an orphan.
If he gets caught, he will be sent to the "Ministry of Love" where they have a record of 100% cures for this sort of insanity. They will even forgive his past indiscretions.
Peter Cushing, a veteran actor, plays Winston Smith. The TV film is in black and white. There are clips of this film in other 1984 documentaries. Copies are hard to find. With any luck, this film will show up on a Criterion DVD.
Please !!!
exadx3 September 2005
Since these posts are relatively old, maybe there could have been a DVD or VHS release in the meantime. I'm a 1984 addict and if anyone has heard stg about it, could he please let me know. Serious 61, does your offer still hold?. If the answer is yes, I'm interested.
I collect everything linked with dystopia, books, of course, but also movies. If you have some suggestions, it would be very helpful
And I would be very grateful.
It goes without saying that 1984 is way above the others dystopia novels (Brave New World, We, Farenheit 451 etc..) in my opinion, but I'll sturdily
stand by Orwell 'til my last breath
I collect everything linked with dystopia, books, of course, but also movies. If you have some suggestions, it would be very helpful
And I would be very grateful.
It goes without saying that 1984 is way above the others dystopia novels (Brave New World, We, Farenheit 451 etc..) in my opinion, but I'll sturdily
stand by Orwell 'til my last breath
Big Brother's Little Brother
ThreeSadTigers19 March 2008
Strange that the first visual adaptation of George Orwell's landmark work of paranoid propaganda should be created for live television. Here we have a strong parable about the use of TV monitors as invaders of our privacy; where Big Brother can keep us under constant surveillance, by watching us when we can't watch him. From this we find a medium that Orwell envisioned as a destroyer of society as we know it, presenting his text to us in a conformed, largely watered down form.
This was intriguing enough to lead me back to Orwell's original book; a work that I hadn't delved into for quite some time. Having now done so, it is shocking to see that in the wake of the abundance of literary creativity that we have seen flood in since the close of the Second World War, just how commonplace the ideas behind Orwell's work has become. The central message of a totalitarian Government threat is still particularly relevant, though the way in which the author handles this has more to do with advertisement slogans than a serious understanding of uniformed political agendas. The world that the writer creates is of documentary fact rather than imaginative fiction; presenting us with a war torn world on the brink of collapse; where fear runs through the hearts of every citizen who is forced to cower in an underground bunker, waiting for some kind of message that all is well.
This then, is basically a travelogue around the Post War London that Orwell and the rest of the British public saw after the many devastating German air strikes of 1943. The fact that this moved Orwell to such an extent that it dictated how his narrative should flow is commendable, in terms of truthful artistic expression. However, I believe that both Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale gave us a much more imaginative and emotionally wrought evocation of a totalitarian society, than what we have here. But regardless, this brings me back to the first actual rendering of the text as we have it; this 1954 BBC adaptation. Here we have a script by Quatermass and the Pitt author Nigel Kneale, with Peter Cushing, Andre Morell and Donald Pleasance filling out the roles.
The acting is understandably strong, with each of the central performers managing to bring to the film the right level of presence and paranoia, but sadly, they are wholly let down by the limitations of the TV script and direction. Though the black and white imagery is impressive, as is, on some occasions, the use of framing, this has much more to do with the creative restrictions imposed upon the medium at that time, rather than anything approaching visual imagination. The writing though is the main problem, trying to develop almost all of Orwell's text whilst substituting an effective pace or even a rewarding framework; also, the continual use of 1950's sci-fi philosophising - before Star Trek and before Doctor Who - now seems slight and uninformed.
Having said that... I am in no way stating that staff writer Kneale and director Rudolph Cartier aren't talented in what they do; rather that they are not free to the possibilities of opening up (and dare I say improving on) Orwell's original text in a truly visual sense. Here we could have had an outlet for all kinds of internal dilemma, angst and social conflict, but what we get instead seems more like a missing episode of The Prisoner. This is television of the academic variety; an essay guide for lazy English lit students who can't get through the book. It may also hold a degree of interest for those with a desire to see a young Cushing and Pleasance burning holes in the TV screen, but for anyone else; the appeal may be limited.
This was intriguing enough to lead me back to Orwell's original book; a work that I hadn't delved into for quite some time. Having now done so, it is shocking to see that in the wake of the abundance of literary creativity that we have seen flood in since the close of the Second World War, just how commonplace the ideas behind Orwell's work has become. The central message of a totalitarian Government threat is still particularly relevant, though the way in which the author handles this has more to do with advertisement slogans than a serious understanding of uniformed political agendas. The world that the writer creates is of documentary fact rather than imaginative fiction; presenting us with a war torn world on the brink of collapse; where fear runs through the hearts of every citizen who is forced to cower in an underground bunker, waiting for some kind of message that all is well.
This then, is basically a travelogue around the Post War London that Orwell and the rest of the British public saw after the many devastating German air strikes of 1943. The fact that this moved Orwell to such an extent that it dictated how his narrative should flow is commendable, in terms of truthful artistic expression. However, I believe that both Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale gave us a much more imaginative and emotionally wrought evocation of a totalitarian society, than what we have here. But regardless, this brings me back to the first actual rendering of the text as we have it; this 1954 BBC adaptation. Here we have a script by Quatermass and the Pitt author Nigel Kneale, with Peter Cushing, Andre Morell and Donald Pleasance filling out the roles.
The acting is understandably strong, with each of the central performers managing to bring to the film the right level of presence and paranoia, but sadly, they are wholly let down by the limitations of the TV script and direction. Though the black and white imagery is impressive, as is, on some occasions, the use of framing, this has much more to do with the creative restrictions imposed upon the medium at that time, rather than anything approaching visual imagination. The writing though is the main problem, trying to develop almost all of Orwell's text whilst substituting an effective pace or even a rewarding framework; also, the continual use of 1950's sci-fi philosophising - before Star Trek and before Doctor Who - now seems slight and uninformed.
Having said that... I am in no way stating that staff writer Kneale and director Rudolph Cartier aren't talented in what they do; rather that they are not free to the possibilities of opening up (and dare I say improving on) Orwell's original text in a truly visual sense. Here we could have had an outlet for all kinds of internal dilemma, angst and social conflict, but what we get instead seems more like a missing episode of The Prisoner. This is television of the academic variety; an essay guide for lazy English lit students who can't get through the book. It may also hold a degree of interest for those with a desire to see a young Cushing and Pleasance burning holes in the TV screen, but for anyone else; the appeal may be limited.
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